IU INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES LATEST MEMBER OF UNESCO’S GLOBAL EDUCATION Coalition

• IU’s membership into UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition will provide crucial educational support to students most in need.
• Coalition aims to help students worldwide in crisis by providing resources to mitigate educational disruptions.
• IU to contribute with facilitated learning, no-cost micro-credentials (5 ECTS), and support the Coalition’s networking initiatives.

Erfurt, Germany 30. June 2022. IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the first higher education institution in the European Union to become a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition. IU’s membership – which provides students in crisis the opportunity to learn relevant topics, obtain useful skills and simultaneously earn credits (ECTS) that they can apply toward a globally recognised, top-rated bachelor’s degree through IU – will provide crucial support to students most in need.

Aligning with the coalition’s mission, IU will offer students – at no cost to them – flexible online micro-credentials (5 ECTS in total) in the fields of computer science, engineering and data science which can later be applied toward a bachelor's degree.

Dr. Sven Schütt, CEO, IU International University of Applied Sciences:

“It is with utmost importance that the potential of digital technologies is leveraged to the maximum, hereby facilitating the mitigation of unprecedented educational disruption and beyond. At IU, our main principle is the democratisation of education, which is built on our strong belief that everyone should have access to education to grow.

Joining the Global Education Coalition, whose goals and principles resonate well with that of IU, we want to be part of the collective efforts to build more resilient education systems for the future.”

Commenting on IU’s membership of the Global Education Coalition, Dr. Borhene Chakroun, Director, UNESCO Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, said:

“Our shared mission is to bridge the digital divide in education and to leave no child, youth nor adult on the educational and lifelong learning wayside.

The contribution of IU in terms of delivery of digital curricula and free educational content in the fields of computer science, engineering and data science is of great benefits to learners worldwide. We are thrilled to see not only new learning opportunities will be created for students, but also the way education is delivered and students learn will be transformed in the coming years.”

The Global Education Coalition, launched by UNESCO, is a multi-sector partnership to provide appropriate distance education for all learners. Through the Global Learning House, resources, solutions, programmes and networks of the coalition members are mobilized for the delivery of cost-free, supplemental and relevant online and offline lessons, tutorials and training sessions to one million learners to help them bridge their learning losses. For more information about IU’s membership into UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, visit: IU International University of Applied Sciences response - Global Education Coalition (unesco.org).

ABOUT IU INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

With over 85,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-recognised higher education institution offers more than 200 bachelor's and master's degree programmes under its roof, available in German or English. Students can shape their studies their way through the help of a digitally supported learning environment with various study models, such as dual study, distance learning and myStudies – which combines online and on-campus studies. In addition, IU facilitates continuing education and promotes the idea of lifelong learning. In alignment with the university’s mission, it aims to provide access to personalised education to as many people worldwide as possible. IU began operations in 2000 and is now represented in 28 German cities. It cooperates with over 10,000 companies and actively supports them in employee development. Its partners include Deutsche Bahn, Motel One, Telekom, Vodafone und VW Financial Services. Further information at: http://www.iu.de/en/.

ABOUT UNESCO’S GLOBAL EDUCATION COALITION

The Global Education Coalition launched by UNESCO is a platform for collaboration and exchange to protect the right to education during this unprecedented disruption and beyond. It brings together 175 members from the UN family, civil society, academia and the private sector to ensure that #LearningNeverStops.

Media contact
IU International University of Applied Sciences
John Roman
presse@iu.org