At the end of September (September 30 - October 3, 2019), an interesting event took place for 10 teachers of the Institute of Woodworking and Computer Technologies and Design. BLUM organized a study tour to its production facilities in Austria. Teachers have been invited to participate in the trip from UNFU. They have been cooperating with LTD “Bloom-Ukraine” for many years in order to familiarize students with innovative trends in the use of modern furniture accessories and new directions in the formation of furniture-capacities.

The idea of forming a group not of people directly involved in the activity of the company, but of educators who prepare specialists for the furniture industry, arose from the head of the department of design Prusak V.F. In 2018, after visiting BLUM's plants, he made the proposal regarding the excursion of teachers to the head of LTD “Bloom-Ukraine”, Mr. Nestor Y.B. The Austrian administration supported the proposal.

As a result of the organizational work, the time of the visit and the quantitative composition of the group from the Institute of Woodworking and Computer Technologies and Design were determined: the Department of Design was represented by Prusak V.F., Bekhta N.S., Kupchyk R.M., Makar Z.Y., Pylypiv I.Z., Prusak Y.V.; Department of Technology of Furniture and Wooden Products - Kushpit A.S., Solonynka V.R., Chopenko N.F., Ilkiv M.M. The delegation of educators also included teachers from Chernihiv, the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and the School of European Design, a total number was 18 people.

The trip was very intensive. The organizers envisaged a cultural program and training, besides acquaintance with the production.

We landed at the Zurich airport, traveled by bus to the Austrian town of Bregenz, where we settled at a hotel on the banks of Lake Constance, situated where Germany, Switzerland, and Austria meet. Lake Constance is the largest and one of the deepest lakes in the Alps (250 m deep).

After a rest, on the same day our delegation reached the small German town of Lindau by boat. Strolling through the old streets, we tasted appetizing German cuisine at the restaurant on the waterfront of the lake bay, where numerous yachts and boats swung on the waves. So, we visited three countries on the same day.

The following day was Cultural Day. The trip to Bavaria and to the world-renowned Neuschwanstein Castle (which means "The New Swan of the Rock") was planned. In fact, we were amazed at the fairytale of this place, managed to get inside the castle, visit the beautiful surroundings, make unique photos. For design professionals, the architectural designs of the interior and the historical exhibits of the furniture and equipment of the castle were of great interest.

“Orange Day” is a day of visiting three BLUM plants. We started this day with presentations: listened to the history of the creation and development of the company, visited two showrooms with the latest product innovations, etc.

BLUM is a family-owned company established in 1955 by Julius Blum. He began his business of improving the mounting of horseshoes for horses, figuring out how to improve their durability. And in three years, having started working on accessories, has released the first curtain for doors ANUBA. Over time, Julius Bloom passed the management of the firm to his son Gerhard, and he, last year, to his son, Philip Bloom.

Knowing about the teaching staff of the group, the BLUM administrators organized a seminar for us on the subject: "Training in Austria and at Blum". To train its employees, BLUM has a school that currently counts 389 students and 100 teachers. It turns out that their leaders, too, like us, care for staff and carry out career guidance: they come to schools for high school students and talk about the company, the professions that can be obtained in their school and social security. The result of this work is a competition for up to 3 people per seat. The school provides the opportunity to gain 9 professions - mechanic, equipment operator, electrical engineer, etc. The peculiarity of study is the combination of theory with practice: 25% of the time is devoted to theory, 75% - to the practice that students take at all 8 factories.

During the 1^st and 2^nd year, students acquire basic knowledge (except theoretical, learn to use hand tools, perform simple technical operations). In the 3^rd and 4^th year there is a bias in the chosen profession. 60% of students come from high school, aged 15 years. 40% are students come from other institutions or just older employees (up to 42 years old) who want to acquire a certain profession. On average, 80% of students stay at BLUM after finishing school.

In the first year of studying students receive about 400 € of scholarship, up to 4^th year the scholarship is about 1000 €. In addition, the rent of accommodation is about 500 €. For successful learning, students can be rewarded with bonuses.

Walking through the production workshops of the factories, we noted a high culture of production: they are illuminated, clean, provided with the equipment of pleasant colors (not depressing and gray), for the convenience of employees in each workshop there is a coffee machine. During our stay at BLUM was "Apple Week". This region turned out to be known for its cultivation. So at every workshop or office we saw a basket of apples, each day a different sort that everyone can eat for free.

When acquainted with the company, particular emphasis was placed on Bloom's environmental policy. Since this region is ranked 2^nd in tourism in Austria, this issue is of major national importance. Plants have many solar panels installed. 80% of the energy required for production is obtained from their own sources, one of which is the use of energy recovery ventilation. They encourage workers who get to work from the suburban area, by offsetting them in part by the cost of petrol, but at the same time they encourage employees to cooperate for three to four in one car, not everyone in their own. Workers can move between the buildings by bicycles, electric bicycles (helmets for which are available at the reception desk), or by smart electric vehicles for longer distances. There is even a prize draw for those who use such vehicles most often.

The trip to Austria ended with a pleasant experience of flying over the snow-covered Alps.

We are grateful to the administration of LTD “Bloom-Ukraine” represented by Mr. Nestor Y.B., as well as to his employees Lyubomir Lemak and Lydia Rybchenko for a wonderful opportunity to visit Austria and get acquainted with modern production.

On October 16, 2019, in the room 405 teachers of the departments of history of Ukraine, political science and law and foreign languages organized a round table discussion: "Woman-warrior through the prism of the century". The student of the EK-11 group Olshanets'ka A. informed the audience about the biography of Olga Basarab, who is a public and political figure, the head of the women's troop of the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen. In September we celebrated 130 years from the birthday of this courageous woman, who was tortured by the Polish police.

More than 100 years have passed since those tragic times, and the struggle for Ukraine continues.

Our guest Golosna Irina, sanitary instructor of 24 separate mechanized brigade, told about these events. Irina is a migrant from Crimea, who has been defending Ukraine for two years in the Joint Forces Operation area. Students had the opportunity to talk to a female serviceman, ask questions, share their political views and views on ending the war conflict.

Head of the reading room of socio-economic literature Gritsak L.O. presented an interesting exhibition of non-fiction and fiction literature on the subject of the round table.

As part of the collaboration between UNFU and the University of Life Sciences, Lublin (Poland), at the Department of Management of International Activity Joanna Pavlyak (EngD) successfully passed an internship from 09.09.2019 till 09.10.2019. Together with the head of the internship, associate professor Didovych I.I., she became acquainted with the main activities of UNFU and some departments of IEEM; also with financial, organizational and legal principles of the activities of forestry and agricultural enterprises of Ukraine and visited an ecological farm in Lviv region. Joanna Pavlyak collected and analyzed statistics on the activities of Ukrainian forestry and agricultural enterprises, visited Lviv-based organic stores. As a result of her internship, Ms. Joanna Pavlyak received a relevant certificate and will continue her studies at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin.

In the framework of academic mobility and the Erasmus + program (direction KA1) and the results of competitive selection, conducted jointly by UNFU and UV, from October 7 till October 11, 2019, Assistant of the Department of Management of International Activity, Yurkiv Nadia Mykolaivna passed internship at the University of Valladolid (Spain).

The purposes of the internship were:

• acquainting with the organization of the educational process at the University of Valladolid;
• discussinf the curricula and training plans for higher education applicants in the speciality “Management”;
• learning new experience and teaching methods how to improve the quality of education;
• collecting scientific literature and acquaintance with the works of leading specialists of the University of Valladolid to improve the courses of “International Marketing” and “Enterprise Economics”;
• expanding the network of contacts with scientific and pedagogical staff of the University of Valladolid for future cooperation;
• improving English language skills.

You can read more about the University of Valladolid (UV) on the University website: http://departamentos.uva.es/orgEmpresasComercializacion/

The internship took place at the Faculty of Business Organization, Marketing and Marketing Research. The internship was coordinated by Professor of the Faculty, Vice-Rector for International Relations Benjamin Peñas Moyano.

During the internship Yurkiv N.M. got acquainted with the organization of the educational process at the University of Valladolid, attended lectures of Professor Benjamin Peñas Moyano for students of the bachelor course, and also became acquainted with the method of teaching economic disciplines at the Faculty of Business Organization, Marketing and Marketing Research.

Assistant Yurkiv N.M. was able to work in the scientific library of the University of Valladolid, where she gained access to educational and scientific literature, scientific publications by leading experts of the University of Valladolid. The director of the library also gave an opportunity to get acquainted with the dissertation papers defended at the university.

According to the internship program, Nadia Yurkiv also visited the Faculty of Commerce of this University, where she became acquainted with the teaching of an English-speaking course in Business Management of International Trade for students of master course.

At the invitation of Professor Emilio Hernández Corea, (Faculty of Commerce) Yurkiv N.M. delivered a lecture on "The current state and prospects of development of international trade in Ukraine", in which she exposed the main tendencies of world trade of timber products and described the state of foreign trade of timber in Ukraine and directions of its diversification. Master's students from China, Vietnam, India, Korea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, and Spain, as well as English language course teachers from the Faculty of Commerce were listening to the lecture. The material presented in the lecture aroused great interest in this issue, which was followed by lively discussion among students and teachers. This kind of activity gave a great experience of communication with foreign students, understanding of important methodological approaches for improving the educational process.

On Saturday, October 12, she had an opportunity to get acquainted with the major cultural monuments of Valladolid and picturesque landscapes of sunny Spain.

The result of the internship was the improvement of the course of disciplines with new educational and scientific material, methods of teaching and adjustment of future cooperation between the Department of Management of International Activity of UNFU and the Faculty of Commerce of the University of Valladolid.

Head of the department of foreign economic activity management Mykola Matveev