Staff mobility at Academia VSŠ: Instructor and researcher Daniel Castro from the University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

From 13 to 19 June, we hosted a researcher in the field of design and perception and instructor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RIO), Mr. Daniel Castro, who, with more than 15 years of experience in the field of international education, also serves as the main advisor of the short-term programmes of the University of Rio de Janeiro. He responded to the invitation of our school, as well as of the Pontifical Catholic University PUC-RIO, in the framework of the Erasmus+ KA107 ICM (International Credit Mobility) project for the mobility of training staff.

Mr Castro came to VSŠ Academio to exchange experiences in the field of international mobility, to share best practices and to acquire new institutional skills. As both organisations are committed to the achievements of their students, he understands that many of the institutional processes at Academia and PUC-RIO are comparable.

During his time at the Academia, he had the opportunity to participate in debates related to the importance of developing the social and practical skills that every student needs to be successful in any workplace, and to building the competences needed to face the problems that our societies are facing. During his visit to Maribor, Mr Castro offered a guest lecture to our students and provided them with useful information about PUC-RIO and what it is like to study and live there as an international exchange student, inspiring them to break down boundaries and encouraging their interest in going abroad through the Academia and the Erasmus+ programme.

During his stay, he presented some of the different projects that Academia is involved in, which are included in the Erasmus+ programme. He learned about past capacity building projects carried out and proposed in order to explore the possibilities of cooperation between our institutions in future calls for proposals.

He also had the opportunity to explore the surroundings of Slovenia, to go on a cultural visit to Ljubljana and to see a number of important Slovenian landmarks.

“My time in Slovenia was very interesting, as I had the opportunity to get to know Maribor as a historical but also modern city. I would like to thank the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and Academia for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to take part in an exceptional experience in Slovenia. I am sure that this will be the beginning of a very fruitful partnership that will bring important benefits to the students and professors of our institutions. Thank you very much!”