Internationalising Higher Education

Education consultants have examined incentives to make an international course more appealing to students in the VET sector. Why is it that vocational students are not standing in line to go abroad? Is it really a case of disinterest on their side or is there more to it? This poster will explore the drives for vocational students to choose an international course and the mismatch between their actual motivation and perceived motivation by teachers and coordinators. Despite the appreciation and stimulation in the Dutch VET sector by government, educational institutions and the labour market, student mobility is low. The VET sector is by far the largest sector but has a mobility percentage of only 0.5%. Students who are interested in an international experience tend to choose a neighbouring country or a country that they have visited on holiday. This poster will discuss research undertaken, and the conclusion that the reasons why students go abroad are not as teachers expect. For example, most teachers expect that a life changing experience is very important to the 'personal development' of the student, while the student actually has a different perspective: employability is more important to a student, as well as practical implications such as the possibility of a partner visiting. This poster will provide an enumeration of actual and perceived incentives, offering teachers and coordinators practical guidance on how to make an international course more appealing