"I was well welcomed at Lapland University. It was arranged with a guide who accompanied me, and I got help with the logistics during the course. We are quite similar in the Nordic region, which is also reflected in attitudes and mindsets when it comes to work on safety and emergency preparedness", says master student Øyvind Paulsen, after having attended Tourism Safety Seminar: "Post Covid Tourism – Back to Basics in Safety" in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Master in preparedness and emergency management is a part-time experienced-based master’s degree programme. It aims to provide the candidates with substantial theoretical knowledge in preparedness and emergency management at both tactical, operational and strategic level, and to develop the leadership and critical thinking skills required to choose effective strategies, tools and methods in emergency response operations. "Our students are encouraged to participate in exchange studies during their third semester", says Natalia Andreassen, associate professor at Nord University Business School.

The seminar was arranged by the TN Tourism Safety sub-group leader Lapland University of Applied Sciences (LAPIN AMK). The speakers shared experiences and touched different points, important to develop tourism safely and efficiently in the North in the future. Andrey Kazakov, advisor at the Nord University’s High North Center for Business and Governance, held a presentation at the seminar and discussed in which ways networking activity is important for Northern communities in Norway.

In connection to the seminar, a Tourism Safety Training was held by LAPIN AMK in cooperation with other partners, aiming on giving the key basic knowledge about safety in tourism for those involved in tourism activities, especially tourist guides.

The Training included theoretical introduction of important safety issues, such as working with the rescue helicopter, snowmobile accidents or working with animals, related to tourists. Practical exercises were also part of the program. 

"International cooperation improves emergency preparedness efforts. This applies in particular to Nordic co-operation in the High North, but also when we see that the EU has become a major actor for societal security and emergency preparedness", says Øyvind Paulsen, after interesting days in Finland.

"For our full-time job students, our ambition for the program is to offer an appropriate exchange program, to increase motivation in their career development, and help our candidates to find an interesting research topic for their master thesis later on. Although they are working professionals, studies abroad may offer different perspectives which are valuable both in studies and in emergency management profession", says Natalia Andreassen. She emphasises that joint network activities give opportunities to involve students in interesting and suitable exercises, studies and research projects. "Through Arctic Safety & Security TN Nord we will continue academic partnership with partner universities and engages in joint activities in order to strengthen safety and security in the Arctic", says Natalia Andreassen.

 

Photo: Tourism Safety Training in Rovaniemi: From left: Øyvind Paulsen, student at the master program Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management, and Andrey Kazakov, High North Center at Nord University Business School. They both represented Nord University at the seminar and on the safety training.