Impactful partnerships and networks 2024
Laurea works in close cooperation with a regional, national and international partner network. Through key partnerships, we strive particularly to enhance our societal impact, develop Laurea’s areas of expertise, expand RDI and business, build strong employer networks for the students, and promote graduates’ employment.
Laurea is part of the PIONEER alliance formed by ten European higher education institutions, which is funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme in 2025–2028. In summer 2024, Laurea University of Applied Sciences and other PIONEER higher education institutions received the European University status as part of the European Universities initiative of the European Union.
The PIONEER alliance develops joint European education options, RDI activities, ecosystem cooperation and international student and expert mobility. With their development work, PIONEER higher education institutions answer to the sustainable development challenges of future cities in accordance with the UN’s 2030 Agenda strategic objective 11. The alliance’s development activities are organised into eight thematic work packages. Laurea is responsible for leading two work packages: “Transformative Leadership and “Challenge-based Education”.
Over 130,000 students study in the 10 higher education institutions of the PIONEER Alliance.
To strengthen the development and influence of Laurea’s areas of expertise, Laurea has expanded and deepened its strategic partnership network during the preceding strategy period. The key partnership network has been built over the past few years to intensify Laurea’s cooperation with the employment sector. Through key partnership, Laurea offers its partners systematic and extensive cooperation that enables them to develop their business. At the end of 2024, Laurea had 106 key partners. Based on the annual stakeholder survey, the key partners are satisfied with the cooperation; satisfaction with the key partner programme 4.1 (on a scale of 1 to 5).
One example of the results of key partner cooperation is the future leadership expert training (Tulevaisuuden johtamisosaaja) developed together with our employment sector partners in autumn 2024. The training is funded by the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment SECLE, which promotes the development of the competence of working-age people and the availability of skilled labour. The competence needs of the professional life were the starting point for the training. Workshops with our partners raised discussion on the organisations’ strategic capacity for renewal, management of learning ability, the importance of an emotionally intelligent organisational culture and participative leadership. The training began in early 2025 and has 90 participants from more than 70 organisations.
RUUTI projects, which are completely online, are a new, digital form of cooperation with the employment sector. RUUTI projects offer new competence in genuine workplace development projects with Laurea’s key partners and other partners in the employment sector. Students can develop their personal expertise by selecting their own projects, what they want to learn with the project, and which competence they want to develop.
The Laurea business act of the year was teaching cooperation with a business implementation together with Chinese colleges. This opens up a significant business area for Laurea and strengthens Laurea’s international competence with a development-oriented approach. Educational cooperation improves the quality of education provided by our Chinese partner institutions and creates opportunities for students to apply for further studies at Laurea.
In 2024, approximately 250 Chinese college students participated in the early childhood education and care degree programmes in two different educational institutions, and the programmes will continue for several years. Due to good student feedback and smooth collaboration, a decision has been made to extend teaching cooperation to study units in nursing, physiotherapy and elderly care. In addition, Laurea has worked long-term to create cooperation with major Chinese universities in the coming years.
Laurea hosted a meeting of the China-Network of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences in the spring. The China-Network of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences is part of the Global pilot programmes of the Ministry of Education and Culture. With the help of strategic finance, 20 Finnish universities of applied sciences participate in building and developing the China-network. The aim is to strengthen cooperation between Finnish universities of applied sciences and Chinese higher education institutions, which also lays the foundation for commercial education business. In particular, the practical implementation of Laurea’s LbD model (Learning by Developing) and the connection education has with the employment sector in its different forms were highlighted in the part hosted by Laurea.
Healthcare and social welfare sector operators in Central Uusimaa and Laurea intensified their cooperation in a unique manner and jointly published a three-year regional RDIT work programme. In addition to Laurea, the participants include the Central Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County Keusote and Hyria Education Ltd., which trains healthcare and social welfare professionals, and the Central Uusimaa Joint Municipal Vocational Education Authority Keuda. Cooperation between the actors has been going on for a long time, but now the regional research, development, innovation and competence work programme aims to solve the challenges of the healthcare and social welfare sector with a stronger focus on ecosystems. Future national and international funding applications will also be considered together, as a project consortium.
Laurea received excellent feedback from the audit visit of the Finnish National Agency for Education on the management of Erasmus+ mobility projects and their influence, which is at an excellent level at Laurea. Long-term cooperation with partner schools for mobility outside Europe and the active role of teachers together with short blended-type student exchanges have promoted the integration of internationalisation into education and the opportunities working and blended students have to participate in projects. Also, in the Erasmus+ KA2 project Joint eStories: Journeys from Fear to Fair Laurea is a great example of involving students both in teaching and in preparing the outputs, and the outcomes and goals of the project have been clearly linked to Laurea’s strategy and operation.
Examples of impactful partnerships and networks in 2024
Laurea's key partners gathered around the topic of hybrid influence
Laurea organised an event for its partners and alumni to hear about hybrid influence at the national, corporate and research levels. At the national level, hybrid influence was discussed by Jarno Limnéll, Member of the Defence Committee, Chairman of the Laurea Board of Directors and Member of Parliament. Other presentations included hybrid influence from the perspective of an international company, as well as current information on Laurea's projects related to the topic.
JobFest recruitment event brought students and employers together on campuses
Laurea's recruitment event JobFest brought students and employers together again at the turn of January and February. In total, 65 companies were represented at JobFest, with more than 160 people in attendance. A large number of these were key partners of Laurea. Read more about the event.
Lempeä Hoiva project: “The entire nursing home staff can benefit from the expertise of non-pharmacological methods”
Laurea's key partners Vantaa and Kerava Welfare Region and Betesda Foundation are involved in the Lempeä Hoiva (Gentle Care) project to develop the use of non-pharmacological methods in nursing homes. The aim of the project is to use drug-free methods to promote the well-being of nursing home staff and residents.
Students innovate routes to the URF festival in Kerava
The URF festival held in summer 2024 showcased new visions of building. The event organised by Laurea's key partner, the City of Kerava, commissioned Laurea students' Service Design course. The task of the student teams was to use service design methods to develop themed itineraries for the festival, designed for different groups of visitors, such as families with children.
Key partner Varma challenged students to develop services for work ability management
Varma Pension Insurance Company is one of Laurea's key partners. Varma's work ability management services were at the heart of the student project where Varma and Laurea cooperated during the spring. The project was part of the Service Design study unit held in English, which included students from several different degree programmes and exchange students studying at Laurea. Read more about the project.
Nursing students developed new ideas for recruitment and induction
The Vantaa and Kerava Welfare Region (VAKE) was commissioned by Laurea's nursing students in a service design project, where the students were able to come up with new solutions, especially for the recruitment of nurses. The students were tasked with developing new service concepts and proposing improvements in the recruitment of substitutes to VAKE.