NEAQA’s Secretary-General Janko Balšić is participating in the “Leadership Development Programme 2024” organised by ENQA in collaboration with the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. This program is dedicated to developing leadership skills for individuals in senior positions within quality assurance agencies in higher education across Europe (full or affiliate members of ENQA) and represents a unique opportunity for agencies to offer targeted training to their high-potential employees in an international environment. The program consists of three seminars designed to support the development of professional competencies and knowledge about the European quality assurance system in higher education, including group work on projects under mentor supervision.
The first seminar of the program was held from June 5 to 7, 2024, in Budapest, at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, organised by the Hungarian agency MAB. During this seminar, participants discussed the latest trends and developments in the European Higher Education Area and their impact on quality assurance agencies. Participants also engaged in a simulation on the development of higher education institution strategies, where they took on roles such as rectors, deans, students, and other stakeholders to understand different perspectives in higher education better. A particularly interesting part of the seminar was an interview in which the MAB’s Director of International Affairs, Mr. Péter Levente Lakatos, who is also a board member of ENQA and CEENQA, answered specific questions from the attendees about his leadership experience.
Participants in the program are divided into project groups with assigned specific tasks (projects) designed to promote collaboration and encourage the exchange of practical experiences among colleagues from different European agencies, providing concrete solutions to the challenges agencies face daily. Our Secretary-General is part of a project dedicated to developing agencies’ digital infrastructure to improve all quality assurance processes under the mentorship of Mr. Axel Erden from the Dutch-Flemish agency NVAO.
The next seminar will be held in Stockholm from September 18 to 20, 2024, organised by the Swedish agency UKÄ.