ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT (EPS)

College of Applied Studies Aviation Academy plans to participate in the Erasmus + programs in the following ways (checked boxes are applied for our higher institution):

☑ Key Action 1 (KA1) Learning Mobility of individuals
- ☑ Mobility project for higher education students and staff
  - Student mobility for studies
  - Student mobility for traineeships
  - Staff mobility for teaching
  - Staff mobility for training
  - Blended intensive programmes
☑ Key Action 2 (KA2) Cooperation among organizations and institutions:
- ☑ Partnerships for Cooperation
- ☑ Partnerships for Excellence – European Universities
- ☑ Partnerships for Excellence – Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees
- ☑ Partnerships for Innovation
- ☑ Alliances for Innovation
☑ Key Action 3 (KA3) Support to policy development and cooperation
☑ Jean Monnet Actions

1. STRATEGY, OBJECTIVES AND IMPACT

Internationalization Strategy of College of Applied Studies Aviation Academy can be found on the link: https://www.vakademija.edu.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Strategija-internacionalizacije.pdf .

College of Applied Studies Aviation Academy (College) views internationalization as the strategic goal for reaching a leading position in the international environment for the education of aviation personel. In this process, emphasized are the importance of networking among the European aviation schools and companies, and collaboration with other institutions who have a similar background of studies. Our objectives are explained in this statement, as well as the criteria for selecting our partners.

1.1 LANGUAGE SKILLS

With Erasmus + program, College plans to develop a broader connection with other schools, and help students and professors with mastering the knowledge of English language, and developing the skills that will support them later in the proffesional field. Since English represents the universal language of aviation, the Erasmus + Programme could help our students and faculty to excel at it. On the other side, it would offer other institutions the opportunity to interact with students and faculty from our institution, who have an excellent language skills already, since they are required to pass the certain qualifications. This would offer international visitors/participants a chance to better their skills as well.

1.2 FOCUS ON THE QUALITY

By participating in the Erasmus + Programme, College of Applied Studies Aviation Academy has an intention to develop high level of quality and choice of offerings for both the students and faculty from the other institutions and for the domestic students and faculty. For this purpose, College has established the system of self-evaluation, and it looks for ways to increase the quality of education in many aspects. With continuous work in this field, we believe that we can create a high impact in the area of aviation education internationally. College of Applied Studies Aviation Academy follows the European and global trends in the process of Internalization and has a goal to extend its influence in the area of aviation education in Europe. Our goal is to become a leader in this domain by extending the influence in the international environment. College has a capacity to do so, since it continues to invest in the infrastructure, faculty, staff, and training, which is now a part of the formal education.

1.3 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Collaboration with similar institutions and companies is one of the goals that College of Applied Sciences Aviation Academy has. Therefore, involvement in the Erasmus+ program would be the next step in this process of strenghtening international relationships. Together with high school „Aviation Academy“, we strive to extend the influence in the aviation sector and to develop an education model in which is international collaboration highly recognized and encouraged.

As a higher institution we are following all the trends and regulations in the aviation sector. With this said, inside the formal education, students are able to learn about the latest rules and regulations set by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). That gives our institution the credibility to develop the future leaders in this field. Moreover, College of Applied Sciences Aviation Academy is working closely with Serbia And Montenegro Air Traffic Services Smatsa Llc, which represents another benefit that we can bring as a school to this program. This implies that we are ready to actively work on building the strong relationships with our partners, and we also have a good background to do so. Additionally, College has become a member of the ALICANTO International Association of Aviation and Aerospace Education, which shows the level of commitment that we have as an institution in this field.

1.4 ACADEMIC AND COLLABORATION EXCELLENCE

The primary goals of the institution are focused on the academic excellence and continuous contribution to the aviation sector. However, the broader impact is recognized through the culture, tradition, and diversity. All of this can help the participants in the projects with the exposure to different perspectives, multiple organizational styles and different ways of completing the tasks.

Teamwork is something that we take pride in, so working on the projects with partners and participants can be efficient and done in a good manner. Our team is commited to excellence, and we strive to bring it in the workplace every day. With high professionalism in mind, College of Applied Sciences Aviation Academy strives to connect both the academic work and the relationship building in the work with others. Continuous work on the cross-boarder projects is the idea that we work towards, and the institution is putting outstanding efforts to achieve this.

1.5 DUAL EDUCATION SYSTEM AND PARTNERS

Dual education is the education system in which we operate in. That means that students are able to learn through the practical work also, which is part of their regular courses. As mentioned in our Internalization Strategy, College of Applied Sciences Aviation Academy has a developed relationship with following companies and government bodies:

Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services SMATSA doo Belgrade,
Air Serbia,
Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia,
MTU Maintenance Serbia, and
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

With this in mind, we would like to develop more connections with the international companies and universities outside the boarder of the Republic of Serbia.

1.6 GOALS – INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY

Some of the goals emphasized in the 5 year plan in the Internationalization Strategy that align the Erasmus+ Programme values, are:

Developing the connection with the similar organizations and institutions in Europe
Recognizability on the international scene
Faculty’s skills development for the purpose of international training
Improving English language skills among lecturers and non-teaching staff
Creating research opportunities in a variety of environments
Creating a unique opportunity for domestic and international students
Establishing better communication with experts from similar institutions
Joining forces through the work on multinational projects

Indicators of success are grouped in the four segments: excellent, very good, satisfactory and not satisfactory. Each goal has a specific criteria by which this is being estimated, and that is described in detail in the Internationalization Strategy.

More information about the objectives, action plan, and indicators of success can be found in the Internationalization Strategy (link: https://www.vakademija.edu.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Strategija-internacionalizacije.pdf ).

1.7 PARTNER PREFERENCES

When choosing a partner for the international collaboration, we value the commitment to teamwork, efficiency, consistency, and good relationships. Similar or same program of education would be beneficial to all the participants. Therefore, compatibility in the program of studies would be preferable. However, we are aware that this might be difficult to achieve, considering the limitations in the number of educational institutions which are focused on the aviation sector. Therefore, College of Applied Sciences Aviation Academy is open to working on projects with other institutions, if there is a mutual benefit to both entities. Areas in which we would like to make achievements when working with other schools inside of Erasmus+ program are mobility programs for students and staff, international conferences, and strengtening of the academic programs and research activities.

1.8 ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME INVOLVEMENT

As an institution we believe in the power of international cooperation, and we strive to learn from other educational institutions that operate on a high level both domestically and internationally. High quality and good core values inspire us to achieve more, and to continuously develop. Development of students and faculty is of equal importance to College of Applied Studies Aviation Academy. Having a strong base of faculty and staff, nurtures the growth of young individuals, and shows them the path to the bright future. Involvement in the Erasmus+ programme will not only give students an opportunity to expand their views and learn, but it will help them with the job search later in life, as the number of international companies in the Republic of Serbia is rapidly growing. Their potential and value grows with such experiences, and as an institution we are responsible to help in this process. We encourage young people to use the opportunities that are given to them, to take advantage of the chances they have to improve their skills, and to become bright leaders that this country needs.

1.8 DIVERSITY

Diversity plays an important role in the mobility programs. As we plan to work with both domestic and international students in the future, we recognize the significance of being aware of differences and being respectable towards other cultures and traditions. Some of the students, faculty, and staff have not been exposed to international work previously, and our institution would like to give them an opportunity to experience the work on the projects outside the boarders of our country through the Erasmus+ programme. Getting new ideas and feedback in different programs would benefit them, and also has a potential to improve established routines, efficiency, time managment, and problem-solving skills. Work on the Erasmus+ projects provides new tools that students, staff, and faculty can use in the future work. Individuals are exposed to the diversity, and through that experience they learn about tolerance, respect, understanding, and accepting the differences in perceptions, values, and opinions.