Key partner Eckerö Line: long-term collaboration with Laurea has produced excellent results

In Laurea’s key partnership model, the goal is always long-term and systematic collaboration that enables outstanding results.

This is exemplified by the shipping company Eckerö Line, with whom Laurea has built diverse and sustained cooperation since 2022.

Founded in 1994, Eckerö Line offers travel packages, onboard retail and restaurant services, meeting and group products, hotel packages, and freight services. Joint projects with students from various fields at Laurea have provided Eckerö Line with concrete tools, for example for building its employer image and improving everyday work life onboard.

Joint Projects Have Improved Everyday Operations at Eckerö Line

The key partnership with Laurea has now continued for over four years. Eckerö Line’s aim has been to expand its cooperation with educational institutions and to introduce students both to the company and to the wider opportunities within the logistics sector.

Within Eckerö Line’s cargo operations, job roles span several fields, including logistics, tourism, B2B, and hospitality management. Laurea proved to be a strong partner for this multidisciplinary collaboration.

“Laurea offers education across a wide range of fields, which fits well with our needs,” says Jenni Anttila, Cargo Development and Operations Manager at Eckerö Line.

Multiple Projects Running Simultaneously

During the long-term collaboration, Eckerö Line has, for example, worked with Laurea business students to develop an onboarding program for ship personnel, which is now used continuously in daily operations. In another project, students contributed to shaping Eckerö Line’s work culture and employer brand.

Currently, a Laurea beauty and cosmetics student is completing a practice-based thesis project for Eckerö Line as part of the “Women at Sea” themed program. In addition, this spring an eight-member student team is carrying out a marketing project for Eckerö Line, aiming to find fresh perspectives and practical solutions for business development and marketing targeted at a younger customer segment.

Eckerö Line personnel have also participated in Laurea’s “Future Leadership Competence” training program, funded by the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment (JOTPA). The company is now evaluating the outcomes of the training and planning how to continue its collaboration with Laurea based on these results.

Long-Term Cooperation Enables Continuous Development

Sustained collaboration has enabled continuity in Eckerö Line’s projects.

“We have had many projects on different themes, and they have produced excellent results. Implementing them takes time, but they also generate further development opportunities. When there is a strong foundation of long-term cooperation, it is easier to continue projects rather than start again from scratch,” Anttila says.

Students have also been very satisfied with the collaboration with Eckerö Line.

“We have received very positive feedback from students. In their opinion, our topics and projects have generally worked smoothly and seamlessly, and working together has been easy and enjoyable,” says Minna Johansson, Head of Human Capital and Culture at Eckerö Line.

Johansson also emphasizes that students often bring diverse work experience, which provides valuable insights for companies.

“This expertise has been visible in the project outcomes, and students have had exceptionally good ideas and insights,” Johansson says.