INTERNATIONAL PROJECT WORKSHOP (IPW)

Extra-semester Course

We present an extraordinary project that offers a unique opportunity to connect study with practice by working in an international environment. Its principle lies in the cooperation of three parties: MIAS CTU, a partner university from abroad and private sector companies that are well known in the field.

 

Student evaluations of IPW

Company evaluations of IPW

Teacher evaluations of IPW

 

The Goal
The main objective of the course is to test students’ theoretical knowledge in practice, try out working in an international team and gain useful contacts, which help them build their future careers.
                                                                                                
Why is IPW different from any other project? 

Innovative Project for a New Generation of Students  
Today’s university graduates require more skills to be competitive in the labour market, especially in the business field. Students who want to succeed in their professional lives must have more than a theoretical foundation. IPW gives the students both knowledge and practice. 

Connection Between Academic and Business Worlds
Work experience has become one of the most important criteria to be successful in business. That puts universities into a challenging position, because they need to know the labour market demands and should adapt their teaching systems to them. But the needs of the companies are changing rapidly. Academic courses struggle to match the fast pace of change. Some employees in today’s companies lack the appropriate qualification and their employers have to pay for additional training without the expert background of the universities. IPW connects all actors: the universities, the students and the companies. It creates a new space for communication and cooperation which is beneficial to all parties.
 

How IPW works: Step by step
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• General schedule

  

The annual IPW is designed as a joint project of MIAS CTU, a university outside the Czech Republic and several international companies from the private sector. The course is intended for undergraduate students with a focus on economics and management. Total capacity is 24 students (12 from each institution). The task of the companies is to give several project assignments that fulfil their needs but also respect undergraduates’ skills and knowledge. Students are selected on the basis of the assignments and both universities try to find suitable students for each project team.

The main goal of the project is to let students work in an international environment (teams are always composed of students from both universities) and solve real issues from the business world. Each team has the support of one academic and one company. The academic tutor helps to organise the teamwork and provides the students with expert supervision and necessary theoretical basis. The company tutors work as consultants and their task is to keep the team going in the right direction to solve the problem.

Students meet at the beginning of the course during the kick-off week organised on the premises of one of the universities. During the first meeting, the companies present the project assignments which the students will work on. All participants get to know each other. Students usually visit the companies and learn more about their tasks. With the help of academic tutors, students define the standards and strategies of their subsequent work.

The teams work online and regularly present their achievements to both the academic tutors and the companies. While working on the projects, students face various obstacles and problems and try to find the best solutions to them. In the last week of the course, all students meet again – this time at the other partner university. The teams have time to finalise their reports and prepare their presentations. They deliver their papers to jurors from both the universities and the companies.