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FACT BOX


Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education Joint Project

UNITED – Engineering Knowledge Transfer Units to Increase Students’ Employability and Regional Development

Project Duration: 15.01.2019 – 14.07.2022

Coordinator: FH JOANNEUM GesmbH (Austria)

Target Countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand

Engineering Knowledge Transfer Units to Increase
Students' Employability and Regional Development

The UNITED partner countries Indonesia (ID), Malaysia (MY) and Thailand (TH) represent the largest automotive industries (considering the rise in number of units produced) in the Southeast Asian region and are highly important for global car production. However, little is being done to ensure technical advancement through research and development (R&D). Considering the outlook and current industry figures, more engineers are needed.


Currently, most OEMs with subsidiaries in ID, MY and TH employ engineering staff from overseas to fill existing knowledge gaps, which is further evidence of the lack of qualified human capacities at a local level. All partners from ID, MY and TH face a challenge which inhibits them from further growth in the automotive industry: the lack of highly educated engineers focusing on automotive development.

Mission
UNITED addresses the current lack of skilled labor in the area of automotive engineering with a view to increasing the positive impact of the automotive industry on regional development and internationalization.

UNITED addresses the current lack of skilled labor in the area of automotive engineering (AE) with a view to increasing the positive impact of the automotive industry on regional development through:

  1. Capacity building by means of expert training at the partner HEIs in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand for academic staff, students and companies interested in automotive engineering.
  2. The setting up and operation of Engineering Knowledge Transfer Units (EKTUs) at the partner HEIs in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to increase awareness of and expertise in mechanical and automotive engineering (AE) by offering workshops to the target groups.
  3. Fostering university-business cooperation via the EKTUs, focusing on current trends in automotive engineering and building up the UNITED network for international exchange on the topic of AE. This will lead to increased knowledge on AE, higher standards in teaching and higher employability of graduates in the partner countries.


Academic staff, students and companies will acquire upgraded knowledge on automotive and mechanical engineering to reach the following aims:

  1. to spread the knowledge of automotive and mechanical engineering during vocational training provided by the EKTUs
  2. to increase the number of research projects in the area of automotive and mechanical engineering with companies
  3. to increase university-business cooperation and the employability of students due to upgraded knowledge on automotive and mechanical engineering
  4. to create a nationwide and international network with target groups from the automotive industry to increase the economic impact on the regional development in this industry
  • Automotive Industry
  • Students & Student Associations
  • Academics Focusing on Automotive and Mechanical Engineering
  • Higher Education Institution Leaders & Managers
  • Automotive Associations

The UNITED Engineering Knowledge Transfer Units (EKTUs) at each SEA HEI: The EKTUs will offer vocational training by qualified experts on automotive and mechanical engineering and ensure that the training materials created will be thoughtfully transferred in form of knowledge to participating countries. For the consortium it is of utmost importance to create a sustainable impact in terms of technical knowledge and to provide the possibility of hands-on training in the field of automotive and mechanical engineering.

UNITED network and knowledge transfer platform: A network will be established to promote international exchange on topics related to automotive and mechanical engineering among different target groups and international experts from academia and industry. Attached to the network, a knowledge transfer platform will be established. The aim of this platform is to share knowledge among the members of the network on the project´s core topics and to promote the existence of engineering knowledge transfer units as expertise hubs.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Project number: 598710-EPP-1-2018-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP