The Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) organised the 5-day TEPSA Academy and Skills Lab. Co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, the Academy included a 4-day Seminar, followed by a 1-day Skills Lab. It took place in Brussels and offered 21 students and young graduates an opportunity to gain first-hand insights from researchers, EU practitioners, policy-makers and officials on security and defence policies, as well as to develop their professional skills.
The Academy offered a unique combination of theory and practice, with lectures by renowned scholars, meetings with policy practitioners, and hands-on training under the academic coordination of leading enlargement policy expert Prof. Dr. Frank Schimmelfennig (Professor of European Politics at the Center for Comparative and International Studies at ETH Zürich). You can learn more about the exciting line-up of speakers who joined for this year’s academy here.
By attending this Academy, participants:
- Acquired and deepened their knowledge of EU enlargement policies, gaining insights into the practicalities of policy-making in Brussels;
- Visited key institutions, met high-level professionals and learned from their experiences;
- Met and exchanged views with students from different disciplinary and national backgrounds;
- Accessed networking opportunities with high-level practitioners from EU institutions, academia and think tanks;
- Improved their analytical and argumentative skills;
- Enhanced their employability.
The Academy was a five-day event, held in Brussels from Monday 24 to Friday 28 June 2024. Full participation to all elements of the programme was compulsory. Participants received a certificate of attendance on the final day.
The first four days were devoted to attending expert lectures, panel debates, and meeting practitioners from key EU institutions, think tanks, and non-profits, to complement the insights gained during the lectures. Participants also had the opportunity to visit selected EU institutions. Dedicated sessions for analysis and discussion within the group were ensured throughout the week, with the goal of reflecting critically on the insights gained during the lectures and meetings.
The last day was devoted to a hands-on skills lab on public speaking with an expert trainer. This year, the TEPSA Skills Lab was led by Masha Tarle, an experienced public speaking trainer who guided students to boost their abilities in presentation and argumentation, enhancing their skillset for their studies and future career path.
The TEPSA Academy was designed as an interdisciplinary seminar and was open to university students and recent graduates from different disciplines (e.g. Political Science, European Studies, International Relations, Law, Economics, etc.) interested in learning more about EU enlargement. Participants were selected by a review committee.
For more on the TEPSA Academy, please contact Allegra Wirmer (allegra.wirmer@tepsa.eu) and Irene Rusconi (irene.rusconi@tepsa.eu).
The participation fee was EUR 400 (EUR 320 for the 4-day seminar and EUR 80 for the 1-day Skills Lab). After the selection decision was communicated in early May, participants had one week to transfer the participation fee. Failure to do so in time resulted in exclusion from the Academy. In case of non-participation, the fee cuold not be refunded.
Participants travelling from within the EU received a reimbursement for their travel and accommodation costs up to EUR 400 upon presentation of the original receipts and tickets.
