There and back again – Why exchange matters and how it benefits your career and personal development

This seminar at the University of South-East Norway in Drammen, invites you to explore why student exchange can be one of the smartest choices you make during your studies, but also why student exchanges are crucial to global collaboration.  

We start with a short, practical introduction to internationalization in higher education, and how The Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation (Norec) works to strengthen international cooperation through mutual exchange-based partnerships.  

From there, we connect exchange opportunities to career development. What does exchange signal on a CV? Which skills do employers actually notice? And how can international experience help you stand out — whether you aim for the public sector, NGOs, research, or business? 

From there, we zoom in on the cultural and societal dimensions of collaboration: how assumptions, communication styles, institutional contexts, and everyday realities shape international projects — and what you can do to navigate them. 

You can expect concrete examples and honest reflections from Ole Johannes Kaland, who trains international students and personnel going on work exchanges in Asia, Latin-America and Africa, and Camilla Valvik who is head of Norec’s Department for Recruitment to International Organizations.  

The seminar is held at the Drammen Campus, room A3504, starting 1015. Its open for all, also non-students.