Educational Institutions and SMEs – Cooperation Makes Both Parties Stronger

Juhapekka Suutarinen

Adviser, Confederation of Finnish Industries EK

International seminar in Tirana, Albania

February 2-3, 2012

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Educational Institutions and SMEs:contentsEducational Institutions and SMEs:contents

• Framework: Education system in Finland• Forms / models of collaboration on different levels of the system• Examples:

– Basic education: Corporate Village (“Yrityskylä”)

– Vocational training or polytechnics: InnoOmnia

– Universities: Aalto Design Factory, Muova

• Aalto Entrepreneurship Society (Aaltoes) - a start-up engine for student entrepreneurs

Education system in FinlandEducation system in Finland

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Source: Finnish NationalBoard of Education

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Forms / models of collaboration on different phases of educationForms / models of collaboration on different phases of education

• Depending on the type of the educational institution, there are differences in the forms of collaboration with enterprises

‒ period of work experience in basic and upper secondary education

‒ on-the-job learning periods in vocational upper secondary education

‒ thesis preparation and apprenticeships in higher education

• The most common forms are:

• Collaboration more widespread in vocational than university education

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Good practices 1: Corporate Village(in Finnish: Yrityskylä)

Good practices 1: Corporate Village(in Finnish: Yrityskylä)

• Aimed at children at 5th or 6th grade in basic ed., the Village is an entity of studies giving pupils adult working-life roles for a day

‒ 500 m2 surface of removable wall elements

‒ 64 professions: mayor, bank clerk, childminder, HR manager, managing director, etc.

• Participants learn in a concrete way to work, use money and act as consumers

‒ 15 enterprises and public service offices

‒ Proper banking system with own debit cards for everyone

‒ Work is done in three shifts → always enough customers

Views and feelings from the Corporate Village 2010(3 min video: needs connection to www)

Views and feelings from the Corporate Village 2010(3 min video: needs connection to www)

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Source: Economic Information Agency

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Good practices 2: InnoOmniaGood practices 2: InnoOmnia

• Locally operating unit at Omnia, the Joint Authority of Education in Espoo Region (in southern Finland)

‒ Omnia offers vocational education, adult education, apprenticeship training and youth workshops

‒ provides premises for SMEs especially in handicraft and art

• InnoOmnia

‒ aims to increase cooperation with entrepreneurs and companies (expert groups, strategic regional working group)

‒ supports students’ cooperatives; coaches entrepreneurs and teachers as an incubator

‒ provides services for SMEs carried out by students

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Facts about Aalto UniversityFacts about Aalto University

• Created in 2010 through merger of three individual universities: the Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki University of Technology, and The University of Art and Design Helsinki

• 19 000 students, 4 300 staff members, 300 professors

• Combination of six schools offers new possibilities for strong multi-disciplinary education and research

• To date three major campuses of which two in Helsinki and the third one in Otaniemi, Espoo

• Smaller units in various cities around Finland

• Development of one main campus will start in 2013

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Good practices 3: Aalto Design FactoryGood practices 3: Aalto Design Factory

• Open environment for research and education on product development

‒ supports interdisciplinary and problem-based learning and research

• Factory’s architecture, operation models and methods inspire its users to encage in new forms of cooperation

‒ large prototype workshops, exhibition rooms, library and lounge area provide a multifunctional meeting point for users

‒ group work facilities and rooms designed to allow flexible use 24/7

‒ also companies may use them in the spirit of ‘open innovation’

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Good practices 4: MuovaGood practices 4: Muova

• Research and product development centre of Aalto University School of Architecture, Art and Design in Vaasa

• Specialists in problem-solving and developing innovative solutions to meet the needs of the business community

‒ clients include industrial producers, service providers and whole trades like the Finnish boat industry

• Operative since 1988, Muova has provided customer-specific solutions for a number of companies and organisations

‒ combines creative thinking with solid expertise to produce innovative results

Aaltoes – a start-up engine for student entrepreneurs

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What is Aaltoes?What is Aaltoes?

• “The largest, most active community for young entrepreneurs in the whole of Europe”

• “Founded in 2008, Aaltoes has a community of over 100 startups and 50 experienced coaches”

• “Aaltoes is run by a team of some 50 students and researchers, learning by doing and eventually graduating to found new startups”

• “In practice, we organize events, pitching sessions, hackathons, startup conferences and two seed accelerator programs”

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Summer of StartupsSummer of Startups

• summer entrepreneurship program…– for students and researchers…

– with an early-stage business idea…

– from all around the Baltic Sea and the world

• During the 10-week program…– selected teams…

– get to work at Aalto Venture Garage in Otaniemi, Espoo…

– and receive coaching, feedback and access to the best serial entrepreneurs and mentors from the region

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Startup LifeStartup Life

• 3-7 -month trainee program…– for students and researchers of Aalto university…

– that takes them to intern…

– at the most interesting startup locations of the world

• The participants will…– work at a startup in Silicon Valley, Singapore, London or Tel Aviv

– receive a grant for their visa and stay

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Startup SaunaStartup Sauna

• Seed accelerator for early-stage startups in the Northern Europe and Russia

• Pushes the selected startups to develop to a stage where they are ready to take over the international markets

• 3-part program twice a year with– a one-day warmup / coaching session in leading startup cities of the

area

– a 6-week intensive training for the selected 15 teams at Aalto Venture Garage

– a visit to Silicon Valley for some of the most hardworking teams to meet investors, competitors and media

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Thank you for your attention!

This Presentation has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Commission. The views expressed herein are those of Bosmip 4 and can therefore in

no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Commission.