Professional placement
Following the suspension of the negotiations regarding Switzerland’s participation in the Erasmu+ programme, the Federal Council has put in place an interim solution in order to maintain European mobility, making scholarships available for the funding of traineeships which take place in Europe.
There is thus the possibility to receive a SEMP scholarship during your practice period in Europe (internships in Switzerland excluded).
Students regularly enrolled at USI – Academy of Architecture, and who are about to start a period of professional practice in an European country taking part in the SEMP exchanges, can benefit from these scholarships.
List of countries and scholarships: list of countries and their scholarships under the heading “Student mobility for traineeships 2016-17”
The application process can only be undertaken if the architectural study has confirmed the hiring of the trainee.
The deadline for submitting the application during the academic year 2017-2018 is Semptember 15 2017 and during academic year 2018-19 is September 14, 2018
Scholarships will be assigned according to available funds. There will be no selection based on merit. The 80% of the scholarship will be paid at the start of the practice period, while the remaining 20% will be paid after the submission of the final report.
The scholarship application will only be confirmed after the student-trainee has completed the whole application procedure and all documents have been signed by the parties involved.
The scholarship will be terminated if the student-trainee decides to change the architecture firm where his or her practice period takes place. In this case, the student will have to reimburse the scholarship amount he has not yet spent. A further scholarship application will not be possible.
The scholarship can only be extended if the student-trainee extends the practice period in the same architecture firm.
The scholarship is strictly tied to the academic year. Requests for information regarding practice periods taking place over the course of two academic years can be made to placement.me@usi.ch.
The steps to follow are detailed in the following pages.
BEFORE DEPARTURE
Compilation of the documents:
Online application Iscrizione on-line
Signing of the contract "Learning agreement for Traineeships" between student, Academy of Architecture (Gabriele Cappellato’s signature), and hosting entity (architecture firm or other entity previously agreed upon with the traineeships supervisor Gabriele Cappellato)
Signing of the contract "Grant agreement" between the student and the Academy of Architecture (Gabriele Cappellato’s signature)
Declaration of valid insurance coverage for the student (Insurance declaration by student)
The "Convention de stage", is valid only for France and must be signed by the traineeship supervisor (Gabriele Cappellato’s signature). This document must be sent by ordinary mail to the hosting architecture firm or by email to placement.me@usi.ch
Sending of the documents:
A scanned copy of the “Learning agreement for Traineeship”, of the “Grant agreement”, and of the “Insurance declaration by student” must be sent to placement.me@usi.ch
Through ordinary mail send to Accademia di Architettura, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Ufficio Stages, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland the following documents: copy of the “Learning agreement for Traineeships” (the original document must be kept by the student); the original document of the “Grant agreement”; the original document of the “Insurance declaration by student”
After these documents are duly delivered, the student will receive 80% of the scholarship. An email from USI in Lugano will confirm the successful writing of the money amount.
AT THE END OF THE PRACTICE PERIOD
Compilation of the documents:
Swiss European Mobility Programme’s documents
The student must write a compulsory final report "Rapporto 201./1. Training agreement"
Prepare a compulsory certificate of attendance Certificate of attendance 201./1.
Sending of the documents:
A scanned copy of the “Rapporto 201./1. Training agreement” and of the “Certificate of attendance 201./1” must be sent to placement.me@usi.ch
Through ordinary mail send to Accademia di Architettura, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Ufficio Stages, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland the following document in original form: “Certificate of attendance 201./1”
After these documents are duly delivered, the student will receive 20% of the scholarship. An email from USI in Lugano will confirm the successful writing of the money amount.
COMPULSORY DOCUMENTS TO BE SENT TO THE ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE AFTER THE PRACTICE PERIOD
Prepare the internal document Certificate of practice activity to be handed in at the end of the practice period.
Prepare a portfolio book (either horizontal or vertical), that is a collection of projects and study material gathered during the practice period.
Prepare a brief personal report on the time spent in the architecture firm that can also be inserted inside the portfolio book. The portfolio book must be submitted at the end of the practice period during the compulsory practice meeting, whose dates will be communicated to the students via email. Example of portfolio book: Portfolio-Book formato A4
The students who do not have both documents will not be able to take the practice meeting. These documents will be received by the practice supervisor. It is advisable to keep a personal copy for your own records.
USEFUL CONTACTS
Academy of Architecture: placement.me@usi.ch (email for any kind of information)
USI Lugano: Università della Svizzera italiana, Via Buffi 13, 6904 Lugano Switzerland, careerservice@usi.ch (email for information regarding only the scholarship money).
Accademia di architettura
placement.me@usi.ch (e-mail per qualsiasi tipo di informazioni)
USI Lugano
Università della Svizzera italiana,
Via Buffi 13, 6904 Lugano Switzerland,
attn careerservice
careerservice@usi.ch (e-mail solo per informazioni sul bonifico).