GE4

Global Education for European Engineers

and Entrepreneurs

An initiative to foster international dimension of education in Europe

Doctor Gertrud Humily Executive secretary

First steps: a wish for a new impetus in international education

In the last three years, French and German high executive of the aerospace industry became aware that the building up of full-integrated European teams of engineers was not an easy task, and therefore raised the issue of new forms of education to meet such new expectations linked to the emergence of a Europeean industry, beyond existing consortia.
After some meetings in France, Germany and Austria the idea grew up to set up an association joining the efforts of the corporate world of technical universities and administration for a new impetus in these matters.

The decision was made end of May to formalize this common interest in an association, called Global Education for European Engineers and Entrepreneurs (GE4).

Nature:

GE4 is constituted as an association of French private status with public utility, set up as an Association de la loi de 1901, which gives the possibility to be formally recognized as interlocutor and to manage projects. This status offers a flexible framework open to international members, representing themselves as persons or professional bodies.
It is based in Paris, France

In the launching phase, the new association will gather a core of French, German and Austria representatives from industry, academia and government (see attached list).

As a body aiming at fostering a European dimension of Higher Education, the new association will in a second phase be opened to all other European countries.

General aims:

The association will act (indicative list)

to exert an influence on decision makers and responsibles of any kind by expressing original views as well as proposals of actions on European dimension of Education

to promote initiatives of exemplary value related to international education

to foster communication and contacts between young graduates and European firms

to build partnerships with similar organization in America and Asia

To locate and overcome obstacles for mobility of students and graduates.

The new association should mainly strive to develop an actual European dimension of education of Engineers and entrepreneurs, and will address key-issues such as recognition of any form of international degree (labelisation, accreditation), adaptation of curricula, cultural insertion programs.

It will place itself in a position to trigger quick and significant changes in education of engineering and management staff.

Why such an association?

Everybody agrees that future of Europe is linked to the building-up of a more integrated industrial potential; there is no other way to achieve this goal ,than to give young graduate an adequate preparation enabling them to work together with efficiency in multicultural teams.
Although European Authorities have made big efforts to foster student mobility, all observers recognized that quantitative objectives are not sufficient, and there is a need of a much stronger involvement of the corporate world in this move, which should lead to a higher added-value with the same funding No other known framework has the trilateral profile attached to GE4, which seems indeed necessary for an actual breakthrough.

Indeed, various issues have to be addressed:

Better comprehension of each other
There is a need to provide professional or official institutions within each country with better information about the education and the situation of engineers and economists in the other countries. All sort of misunderstandings get in the way of close economic cooperation. there is a general feeling of confusion, due to a lack of competence in bi-cultural education, and the differing social and legal structures of each country.
Wider recognition
Due to the poor information available about the different systems in higher education, firms are often reluctant to hire foreign engineers or managers without professional experience. To get the right information, it takes them long time, expensive research and thus firms often prefer to hire people from national institutions, which is a problem for the international market of the firms
Efficient validation processes
Governmental accreditation boards up to now do not know how to range foreign engineers and often &laqno; downgrade » them only because of lack of information, which always has an impact on the salary and the career chances and thus impedes a real professional mobility inside Europe and even more between Europe and the USA.
Better follow-up of graduates
Students having carried out international programs often 'disappear' and are seldom able to get the benefit of their added value in the hiring process. A broader information through alumni booklets should help to overcome the problem and also help industry to get the right person without a costly research.

What would be the involvement of GE4 corporate members:

European firms are supposed to bring an active contribution

- to the participation in the working groups
-for the acceptance of trainees at different levels, according well predefined contribution
-for the definition of initiatives of various kind according to presented guidelines (validation of international experience, labelisation, short programs...)

The Association is supposed to get specific support, to support specific operations: requested fees should cover only basic costs of the structure.

The Association has been created on July 5, 1996 in Paris.

After this date, the setting-up of the following working groups is planned :

1. How to foster the international dimension of European students? ( Goals and standards)

The needs:

- How does industry express its needs?

- What are the constraints of educational institutions (time, load..)

- A minimal requirement of languages, cultural and practical experience

2. How to use the labelisation to foster standards and facilitate common recognition?

- How to define a higher level?

- A way to identify well trained graduates

- A motivation for universities and students

- Common recognition and internships

- Existing experience (ENC, Euforia etc.)

3. How to acquire a first experience of a foreign culture?

- Assessment of existing experience Ludwigsburg, Jean Monnet and others
- Launching of specific programs

4. How to set up international programs?

A reflection about the European Master

- Research oriented?
- Engineering oriented?
- connection with national systems
- as an offer to non European students

What would GE4 partners get ?

- the opportunity to express views on the building-up of an actual European education

- an access to world-wide educational networks

- privileged relationsships with groups of graduates having a specific international experience

- an access to special programs for underrepresented population in engineering and technology in Europe and abroad

- the opportunity to participate to the setting-up if new attractive international programs

- the opportunity to have European research projects and studies set up by specialists

- tailor made training and preparation programs in defined sectors and specialised institutions for your young engineers and managers

- an information platform for universities, industry and governments concerning international programs and national particularities in education and research

- a data base of existing networks and institutions dealing with global education of engineers and managers trained students and professionals in the different fields of engineering, having participated in its programs

- first-hand data and studies for industry, academia and administration to inform them about their communication problems and thus provide a better understanding among the three partners

- a data base of internationally trained young engineers, scientist and managers

Administration of programs:

- create and administer some global programs to be used as models and as pioneer programs to overcome national difficulties

- involve industry and administration in exchange programs having a direct impact on the international evolution of higher education

- set up programs in life long education for professionals (industry and governments) to overcome cultural and administrative boundaries.

The basic idea of programs administered through GE4 is to set models for global education to be imitated or to increase the global understanding of the different partners involved.
A. The AE3 (American European Exchange in Engineering program), a program launched in 1993 after years of preparation, responding to the then identified needs, is the first active program of the association. It selects and sends American undergraduate students to a European training period which should be completely validated in their home university.

It should in a few years significantly increase the number of American engineering students studying in Europe and lead to a second phase of exchange, to a more balanced Master's program exchange on both sides, offering completely validated parts of the Master's carried out on the other side of the Atlantic. This second step is presently discussed with the concerned American and European authorities.

At the same time, bi-cutural, research, post-doc and continuous education programs should be the consequence of this first step and not necessarily be always based on reciprocity.

After the launching period, the Association will expand to other EU countries and Eastern Europe. The countries can obviously participate in some programs without being members of the Association.

B. A project with the South East Asia and India is presently to be worked out, the idea being to link in some years the whole world through global engineering education:

The ASE3, (Asian European Exchange in Engineering) will create a network among the Asian University Network (AUN) already created to exchange information, set up common research projects, and exchange of faculty and students with European universities. Presently, the possibilities are studied on both sides and a pilot program will probably be launched in the next academic year.

C. Finally, short programs for Senior staff of industry and administration initially between EU and the USA, should provide a better understanding of the problems on the other side and thus facilitate the global economy.

An International Advisory Board

An International Advisory Board will give advice, open doors and provide help of any kind. To this Board, will be invited :
- high level active persons not directly involved in education, but having an impact and interest for it (representatives from the European Union, State Secretaries involved in Science and Education, personalities from the political, economic or cultural life,

- retired persons who would offer their time and precious advice

- active persons dealing with international education problems on a high level