UNITECH International Society

The UNITECH International Society is an international association based in Zürich, Switzerland. Its aim, together with leading European universities and companies, is to prepare qualified engineering students for their professional future. Or as it is formulated in the core values statement: "UNITECH is a community that connects corporate and academic talent to develop technical students across borders and cultures to jointly face tomorrow's business challenges". At the core of UNITECH's activities is an exchange year for students at a university abroad with management-oriented courses as well as an internship with one of the corporate partners and this year is completed with the three UNITECH Joint Modules. This exchange year is focused on the acquisition of specific business know-how social competence and the capacity for multicultural understanding. This combination of practical experience, the Joint Modules and study abroad is unique in Europe.

History

Difficulty in finding new staff with a high level of specialist knowledge as well as social competence prompted the Liechtenstein based firm Hilti to contact the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH) in 1998. Joint discussions led to the idea of a selective international exchange programme for engineering students. However, it quickly became clear that further partners would be needed for this undertaking. Through the involvement of senior-level personalities and the use of existing channels, the search resulted in the joining together of accredited European universities and companies. Full and open discussions about the nature and structure of the programme led to shared trust and agreements. By 2000, the way was paved for the foundation of an international association, which became a reality that year in Como on September 1. Its name: UNITECH International. Professor Konrad Osterwalder, rector of the ETH Zürich, was elected president. Nils Rickert, who came to the association from the industry, was appointed Secretary General. On September 6, 2002 the first UNITECH Graduation Ceremony was held in the Coronation Hall of the Town Hall of Aachen, Germany. At this occasion, under the Patronage of Mr Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, the first UNITECH Graduates received their diploma.

Philosophy

From the very beginning, the initiators of UNITECH planned a selective programme for qualified engineering students with a limited number of universities and companies involved. Compared with other programmes, the UNITECH approach has clear advantages:

*common aims and visions of the participating universities and companies
*mutual trust in one another and a high level of co-operation of all parties involved
*rigorous selection in the admission of participants
*unique combination of academic theory and practice abroad with a strong focus on management and business training
*internships developed specially for UNITECH participants (the same applies in part also for the development of academic courses)
*three joint training modules for all students, each with a strong "networking" nature
*After receiving the UNITECH degree upon completion of the programme and the home university degree, the student is called a UNITECH Fellow
*a very active and vibrant UNITECH Alumni Association to continue the UNITECH experience and nework

The long-term goals

The aim of those responsible for UNITECH is, over the next few years, healthy growth together with a focused extension of the programme's content, elements and partners. The long-term goal in terms of involved parties is eight to ten universities, possibly including an Eastern-European or Russian university, 30 to 35 corporate partners and 100-120 students a year. All the parties should continue to maintain a lively exchange of ideas. Lastly, a great deal of attention is paid to strengthening the UNITECH Alumni Association. Participants in the UNITECH programme should be able to benefit from a powerful network throughout their career.

Facts & Figures

General

*Type of organisation: Society
*Date of foundation: September 1, 2000
*President: Prof. Giulio Ballio (Rector of the Politecnico di Milano)
*Secretary General / Executive Director: Mr. Martin Frei
*Programme Coordinator: Ms. Sybille Tebaldi
*Students enrolled in the programme: 80 (2007/08)
*UNITECH Fellows (diploma recipients): 350
*Members of the UNITECH Alumni Association: ± 350
*Universities involved: 7
*Companies involved: 21

Companies involved in the programme

*ABB Group
*Acer
*Agbar Group
*Atlas Copco
*Evonik Degussa
*Enel
*ENI Corporate University
*Hilti
*IBM
*Infineon Technologies
*Lhoist
*Mapei
*SCA
*Schindler
*Schott AG
*Shell
*Siemens
*SKF
*Sony Corporation
*Telecom Italia Group
*Voith

Universities involved

*Chalmers University of Technology (Gothenburg), Sweden
*Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH), Switzerland
*Ecole Centrale (Paris), France
*Milan Politecnical University (Politecnico di Milano), Italy
*Aachen University of Technology (RWTH),Germany
*Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
*Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain

Links

* [http://www.unitech-international.org UNITECH International Society]
* [http://www.unitech-alumni.org UNITECH Alumni Association]

ource

cite web
last = UNITECH International Society Website:
title = UNITECH International
url=http://www.unitech-international.org
accessdate = 2007-01-30