INTRODUCTION

The Benchmarking questionnaire presented below allows a comparison among VET and Technical Higher Education Institutions concerning their internationalisation strategy and achievements. The purpose of the comparison is to stimulate peer learning and further cooperation: in particular, the longer and generalised internationalisation experience of Technical HEIs, which have gone through the Bologna Process for 20 years, should be use as a stimulus for the VET provider institutions, which have a more limited set of European tools to support internationalisation and a more limited demand from their students. On the other hand, VET institutions have their specific strengths in the closer relation with the world of enterprises and may use this lever as a key for internationalisation strategies, thus offering some inspiration also to HEIs. Compared to other sets of indicators applied to HEIs, this list does not adequately cover the research dimension (typical of HEI) and gives a limited role to physical mobility, a very consolidated line of activity in HE, but not so much in VET. The justification for this choice is that DIGINT is funded by the VET section of ERASMUS + and includes only Universities which have a prominent technological profile. Ideally, EQF level 5 is the core common ground for all participants in the Benchmarking exercise, although Levels 4 and 6 can be also considered in the focus of the partnership.

The questionnaire is organised in a rather classic structure for Benchmarking Systems, that is the following 4 sections:

1. Organization's Strategy

2. Resources Committed

3. Processes and Practices

4. Outcomes

The Benchmarking questionnaire only contains questions that feed quantitative or synthetic indicators allowing comparisons among many potential users to identify relative areas of strength and improvement by submitting anonymous replies that are treated automatically. Its purpose is to stimulate mutual learning through comparisons and establishment of peer learning groups. For example, one VET provider may want to learn more about mobility by working with a leading Technical University which has an excellent experience and partners network; although the replies are anonymous, the best performers on each indicator will be asked to make their identity visible to allow other participants to contact them if they want to learn more or to conduct a study visit.

The periodicity of the Benchmarking exercise should be two years, at a given time, in order to register the improvements and to be the basis for participants exchanges on recent trends and learning opportunities, for example a collaborative benchmarking event gathering all participating organisations; the values and definitions of indicators should also be periodically revised, to allow for progress in the participants’ achievements and for new unexpected developments, requiring new indicators.

Benchmarking of Internationalization processes for VET Providers and Technical HEIs