The International Relations Unit of the Faculty of Engineering and USACH Department of International Relations develop a webinar of international mobility opportunities for engineering students

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 

The Department of International Relations (DRII in Spanish) of the university currently collaborates with 44 foreign universities that include engineering programs.

The International Relations team of the Faculty of Engineering, along with the DRII, represented by Macarena Pérez, presented the student exchange programs of the university on the zoom platform.

First, the DRII explained the open call for 2021, which this time includes more than 260 vacancies. In addition, Macarena Pérez talked about the launch of the new app for students that promotes and give details on international mobility. The “Usach Internacional” app can be downloaded in App Store and Google Play.

On the other hand, the recently formed International Relation Unit of the faculty came to boost the comprehensive process of internationalization on the student community and staff members of the Faculty of Engineering.

Since 2017, the faculty has reported a progressive increase of the student mobility across the departments, reaching a total of 200 exchanges by this time. The more visited countries are Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Germany; however, destinations such as New Zealand, South Korea, Colombia and the Netherlands stand out as well.

Students can access to three different mobility options through the Global Engineers Program of the Faculty of Engineering. These are specialization courses, seminars and congress, and internships in universities and companies around the world.

Rubén Vasquez Arredondo, last-year student from the Department of Geographical Engineering, talked about his experience in an innovation and entrepreneurship course developed at the University of Waterloo in Canada, in 2018, thanks to the Global Engineers Program.

“When I came to Canada was like being in a movie. The classes had a lot of preparation. They took us to innovation centers like Google or Blackberry. It was very interesting to understand how the whole entrepreneurship system works and how it could be applied here in Chile. Just having to speak English was an immediate change. Traveling opens the mind in many ways; it help us to understand that we are in a global context where big changes can be made.”

Another possibility that the faculty offers is to obtain an international seal at the Usach. The Global Engineers Program offers an international local training program: the International Schools, whose pilot version was successfully carried out in 2019. These schools are three, which two are offered in English language. The program includes Usach academics, civil society organizations, and relevant stakeholders from the private and public sector with the purpose of contributing to the comprehensive training of a global engineer inside the campus.

Furthermore, the members presented the Check out Program that seeks to prepare students to better face an international experience. It consists of four workshops where students learn how to write an international curriculum and a motivation letter in English, and soft skills and techniques of face-to-face interviews.

Doing an international mobility brings multiple benefits. As Rubén points out, it improves the communications skills, helps to build an international network, provides a cultural diversity and broadens world perspectives.

Written by Catalina Águila V.

Translated by Javiera Díaz