MESIPA project

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Peter Moson

Budapest, November 1, 2000.

Foreign Industrial Placements in Hungarian Engineering Education

CASE STUDIES

General remarks:

• As the privatization process of Hungarian economy has not been finished yet and the installation of international firms is in process the foreign placements are not typical at all. So there is too early to talk in Hungary about the best practices.
• The national context of industrial placement is included in an other document ("Overview of the National Situation - Hungary").
• Because of the lack of experience the questions can not be treated in such details like it is asked in the document prepared by Ms. Harriet Robinson.
• The Hungarian salaries are much lower than the EU level, so some additional financial sources are necessary for organization of foreign internships.

Case study 1. French Filial.

Description of the educational form.

The French Filial of Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BUTE) is a classical (10 semesters) engineering training leading to a university diploma (Dipl. Eng.). The language of education in semesters 1-4 is French. The students receive a French certificate (DEUG, delivered by INSA de Rennes). In semesters 5-10 the students join the Hungarian education (there are some courses in French at this level as well), but they preserve the "French relations" and spend normally 1-2 academic semesters in France financed by different exchange programs (e.g. Socrates).

Foreign industrial placements.

The training of the French Filial contains a compulsory observation internship (after the 2^nd semester in summer, min. 4 weeks). Some students prepare their mandatory diploma work (final project, 10^th semester) in the framework of a foreign engineering internship (supported e.g. by EU Leonardo program).

Description of the system of industrial placements.

Observation internship (min. 4 weeks after the 2^nd semester in summer in France):

• Objectives (for the students): to provide the first impressions about a foreign enterprise; to develop language, communication skills; introduction to the French culture, style of life.
• Organization: The internship is organized by the French Filial (the responsible is a young French worker, status financed by a foundation). The number of companies involved is more than 20, they represent different professional fields, regions etc.
• Financial questions: The money paid by the companies normally does not cover all the costs (travel, accommodation, living, cultural expenses etc.). AUF (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie) supports the placements. The insurance of the students is organized commonly and is covered by INSA de Rennes. There is no possibility for an individual visit of the university representatives to the involved enterprises.
• Assessment, accreditation, feedback: The observation internship is a criterion subject for the certificate DEUG. The students prepare a report about the placements, and defend it before a committee (consisting of industrial and academic members). This oral presentation and the following discussion contain feedback elements as well.

Problems: The main problems are financial type. The low financial possibilities limit to carry out a complete pedagogical program, the monitoring of placements. The necessary supplementary payment has not been guaranteed for the next year.

Engineering internship (3-5 months in the 10^th semester in France):

• Objectives (for the students): to prepare the final project at an foreign enterprise; to develop language, communication skills; knowledge about the French culture, style of life.
• Organization: The internship is organized by the French Filial in the framework of EU programs (e.g. TEMPUS, Leonardo). The companies involved represent different professional fields, regions etc. Some preparatory work toward the students is carried out by the university as well.
• Financial questions: The costs (management, travel, preparatory work, scholarship) are partly covered by EU Leonardo project.
• Assessment, accreditation, feedback. A defended (before a State Examination Committee) diploma work (final project) is a compulsory criterion in the Hungarian engineering education. The activities of the 10^th semester are evaluated by 30 credit points.

Problems: The duration of an EU program is 2-3 years. So the possibility of this internship, its conditions vary permanently.

For more information about this educational form see  http://www.francia-tagozat.bme.hu/ .

Case study 2. Alternative ("sandwich") education.

Description of the educational form.

The alternative education is a relatively new (the first students started their studies in an experimental phase of this training in 1996) educational form at BUTE. The program has been carrying out in the framework of EU Phare, TEMPUS programs. The main idea is the adaptation of a successful French educational form (provided by CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers) to the Hungarian situation. The training contains technical and engineering internships, and it can be a candidate for real, sustainable foreign placements. But by this moment there were only 2 of these internships abroad. That is the reason why this case study is restricted only to the description of the main characteristics of this training form (Hungarian adaptation of a French know-how):

For more information about this educational form see http://tutor.nok.bme.hu  .

Conclusions

Good conditions In Hungary for this project:

Increase of industrial placements.

Legal conditions.