What is LaTFURE?

The Erasmus+ project LaTFURE – Learning and Teaching Tools Fuelling University Relations with Economy in Mozambique and South Africa – aims at providing the systemic and institutional conditions for the establishment of dual studies as an integral part of South Africa’s and Mozambique’s higher education systems, which will serve to strengthen relations between the higher education systems and their wider economic and social environment. Read more.

Who is LaTFURE?

The LaTFURE consortium consists of 16 full partners from Europe (Austria, Germany, Finland) and Africa (South Africa, Mozambique). Read more.

LaTFURE events

• LaTFURE 4th Steering Committee, Johannesburg/South Africa (29th to 30th October 2018) Read more.
• LaTFURE Framework Seminar and 3rd Steering Committee, Heilbronn/Germany (22nd to 23rd March 2018) Read more.
• LaTFURE Policy Seminar and 2nd Steering Committee in Maputo/Mozambique (11th to 14th  September 2017) Read more.
  
• LaTFURE Kick-off Meeting and 1st Steering Committee in Krems/Austria (12th to 14th February 2017) and Study Trip (14th to 18th February 2017) Read more.

LaTFURE Project Description 
The Erasmus+ project LaTFURE (Learning and Teaching Tools Fuelling University Relations with the Economy in Mozambique and South Africa) focuses on Dual Education in Higher Education in Mozambique and South Africa, and how this can be promoted further. Dual Education is interested in creating links and linkages between higher education studies and study programs, on the one hand, and the practical and successful (professional) working of students and graduates in the economy and society. To facilitate the employability of graduates (after completion or already in-parallel to the their studies) serves as one of the crucial criteria, and the design of the LaTFURE project focuses on supporting processes with the rationale of facilitating employability. In concrete terms, the LaTFURE project has the purpose to enhance Dual Education in Mozambique and South Africa. Reference countries in Europe are Austria, Finland and Germany, and based on their best practices in Dual Education, there are potentials and benefits of learning. However, Mozambique and South Africa must find their own ways of further implementing Dual Education, a simple copy and paste, reflecting on the European experiences, will not work.

The current situation in Mozambique and South Africa can be described as follows: In recent years, participation in higher education has rapidly expanded in both Mozambique and South Africa, putting pressure on public finances. This has led to socio-political challenges. The introduction of dual studies would thus provide a sustainable form of university funding in an era of declining state budgets, whilst tackling inequalities in terms of access. The South African policy landscape is more developed than in Mozambique, offering already concrete examples. Mozambique provides less explicitly articulated policies and initiatives, so far.

In its overall approach, the logic and rationales of the LaTFURE project are: The project will define the legislative and policy framework at the system level, as well as develop strategic, governance and operational policies, structures and mechanisms at the institutional level in order to produce working prototypes of dual study programs that can then be implemented across the system. Additionally, the promotion of their significance and a capacity building program can improve human resources and build a critical mass to embed the concept and its realization across Southern Africa more broadly, contributing to the region’s stabilization. Furthermore, the project presents and benchmarks best-practice strategies, policies and frameworks of HEIs (Higher Education Institutions).

In concrete terms, the LaTFURE project already has achieved the following tasks: (1) Work Package WP1: The kick-off meeting took place early 2017. (2) Work Package WP2 (benchmarking of institutional frameworks and conditions for establishing dual study programs): The institutional surveys on practices of Dual Education are done, and the final activity in WP2, the putting-together of the “Final Benchmarking Report”, has been completed. (3) Work package WP3 (development and adoption of institutional frameworks [system and institutional levels] for establishing dual study programs): A first advanced draft version of a framework for development and implementation of Dual Education in Mozambique and South Africa is developed and settled. (4) Work packages WP7, WP8 and WP9: A “Quality Control and Monitoring Manual” and “Dissemination and Exploitation Plan” are completed and issued, a Moodle platform was set up on the Internet. Intensive communication and support for all partners on the reporting activities was provided, and will be provided continuously.