Stimulating Innovation and Creativity In Education: Sharing Of Practises Across the Atlantic

Plan to join us in lovely San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain for the May 1-4, 2011 TA3 meeting on innovation and creativity. The event is co-sponsored by TA3 and the Tknika Centre for Innovation in Basque supported by the Basque Department of Education. Events on May 1-2 are open to all and the May 3-4 sessions are for TA3 members and their guests.

Generating new jobs, new industries, and new competitive advantages in existing industries is high on the agenda of governments around the world.  They recognize that creativity, innovation, and talent are integral to each and that success will require not only a more highly educated and skilled work force but that thinks differently, that is highly creative.  This TA3 conference will focus on developing that creative and innovative labor force.  More specifically, it will highlight ways that education and training institutions can nurture creativity among their students and within their institutions to produce a workforce with the talent to innovate, and how that creativity and innovation can be enhanced by collaborative networks and alliances involving colleges, companies, research and technology centres that complement one another and share knowledge and practices.

Please go to the Tknika website to register and to find information on travel and accommodations, the symposium and the Basque region.

The theme for the 2009 symposium and meeting of the Trans-Atlantic Technology & Training Alliance in Tampere, Finland was New Learning Environments and Cultural Differences.  Organized by Marjut Salminen of Tampere College hosted by the college on May 4-6, 2009, the first day included presentations on the Finnish educational system, skills to cope with cultural differences, new business incubators as learning environments, creative entrepreneurship, cross cultural understanding for international employees, and benchmark practices.  Members from seven countries were took part in the three days of professional, business, and cultural events.  TA3 members toured Tampere College and visited the Kuru Forest College, where they held their business meeting, which included a strategic planning discussion led by EUC-Syd—and also test-drove the school’s log haulers and had an evening meal at a log cottage.  The agenda and selected presentations can be downloaded here