Pärnu College director's speech at the opening ceremony of the 2023/2024 academic year
We keep growing
Students
Hi, students!
How are you all feeling today? The weather is quite pleasant, isn’t it? Specially ordered for you! So who here is from Pärnu? And for those of you who aren’t from our beautiful city, have you had the chance to visit our lovely beach yet?
Who had difficulties catching what I just said, please raise your hand! Make sure to grab your gadgets and go to our college website, where you will find my speech in English.
Now let’s talk about growth. We currently have 757 „real“ students at the college, including those in regular and block mode studies. Additionally, we have 28 school psychologists who started their studies in Pärnu, 60 micro-degree students, and over 30 externs, totaling 877 individuals.
The admission has gone very well, and I’d like to thank our programm managers, academic affairs specialists, and marketers.
One notable trend is the increasing number of part-time and micro-degree students.
Lifelong learning is thriving, and today’s students will likely continue to return here even after graduation. That’s why we’re celebrating and eating cake today and not on Monday.
However, the expectations of regular and block-mode students are slightly different. Last year, our regular study students, during the Pärnu College open doors day that they organized themselves, expressed their desire to venture beyond their hometown – to explore other cities and regions. Many found a comfortable place to live and work right here in Pärnu. Our city is neither too big nor too small, and the level of services is quite commendable.
As for our block-mode study students, they also sometimes yearn to change scenery, especially if they’re living with their mother-in-law! Please remember not to overindulge in post-school partying.
Of course, the main goal for everyone, including micro-degree students and externs, is to enhance their position in the labor market. To secure this, we provide more practical training than in Tartu. We invite professionals to share their experiences and strive to find the best job opportunities for our students through internships. We are collaborating with the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Pärnumaa Vocational Education Centre to organize an extensive apprenticeship and job fair in March.
Now, a quick survey. The options are online, hybrid, and in-person (contact) learning.
- Who here prefers in-person learning, directly communicating with fellow students and lecturers?
- Wo leans towards hybrid learning?
- And who prefers pure online learning?
Why am I asking this? Networking is crucial when it comes to achieving great things. The contacts you make during your university years will be valuable throughout your life. While you can take as many online courses as you’d like, all it takes is payment, and many online courses are free. However, that’s not the main reason you come to university! However, as we learned during the pandemic, online solutions can be helpful in certain situations, such as when someone is ill or when we want to tap into the knowledge of an external expert at a more reasonable cost. Flexibility is vital, and our teaching staff has been asked to provide the best solutions.
Sometimes, though, you need to see things for yourself. That’s why we have three internship organizers and Erasmus specialist who can arrange internships for you worldwide. Our farthest partners are in Fiji, which is quite a journey.
This year, high school students from the county will also start taking courses at the college. And let’s not forget our senior university participants, who still have the desire to pursue knowledge.
Colleagues
Dear colleagues, the college now has 63 employees. We’ve also become more knowledgeable, educated ourselves, and exchanged experiences through foreign conferences and ERASMUS trips. But the resumption of the splendid academic life was already discussed and admired at the yesterday’s “Suminar”.
Partners
Dear partners! All of this would be significantly less without our excellent cooperation with the county municipalities and the development Centre. We’re grateful for the support we’ve received over the past five years, allowing us to grow faster.
Of course, this growth benefits our city and region in many ways. In addition to the annual tax revenue of approximately 700k, we’re bringing in bright, new talents to Pärnu, which will likely enhance the competitiveness of local companies. Talent is sought after worldwide, and this group of newcomers has found their way to Pärnu thanks to the college. So, let the local entrepreneurs have the courage to attract them to work with them. We’re planning to involve companies even more in organizing internships and studies.
Currently, we’re working together to land big projects. Our climate professor, Roose, completed two projects this summer, and the garden pearls project also received funding. We’ve just applied to another significant project, and we’re optimistic about its prospect. All this effort ensures that the study building has fresh air and that the cafe becomes a welcoming meeting place for all townspeople, students, and entrepreneurs.
Happy New Year! I mean it!
