UNIMIG: 1st Training for MCC Staff in Tbilisi
Tbilisi. The 1st training within the UNIMIG project "Migration and Higher Education - Building Skills and Capacities" provided by the KFU Graz to the staff of the three MCCs and one representative of each PCU was held 11th and 12th April 2013 at Tbilisi State University.
The training was aimed to provide the participants with a deeper understanding of organizational processes and the functioning of competence centers structured as University institutes. Furthermore, ideas have been developed on the development of future cooperation between the three MCCs and the other PCU within the Regional Research Network that is to be established in the upcoming months. Finally, the training was aimed to support the participants in the elaboration of concrete activities to be carried out in the future.
The delegation from KFU Graz, consisting of Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Wolfgang Benedek, Mag. Reinmar Nindler and Maga Lisa Heschl E.MA, presented and discussed on a broad variety of questions like “How to organize a competence center?”, “How to establish an online journal?”, "How to make the MCCs attractive partners in research, policy making and other partners?" and " How to establish functioning research networks?".
Within the successful two-day training, intense discussions on the coordination of the further course of action took place. These discussions concerned inter alia the MCCs’ homepages, the documentation, the teaching schedule, working programs and activity plans of the MCCs, the Regional Research Network and the development of a joint online journal dealing with migration issues in the South Caucasian region.
Besides the important capacity building, the training was also used by the participants to deepen contact amongst each other, which will not only be helpful for the close cooperation of the MCCs and their staff in the future, but might also be the foundation of a regional academic cooperation reaching beyond the scope of the current project.
The participants from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Austria look back at an interesting, challenging and fruitful training, which has not only be beneficial to the further development of the UNIMIG project, but also increased the experience of the participants with useful knowledge and insights, which can be utilized outside and afterwards the project as well.
text: Reinmar Nindler, Paul Schliefsteiner (KFU) ; photos: TSU
