THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY

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1 THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY

2 THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY Ivalo 625 km FINLAND Oulu 181 km KAJAANI Helsinki 551 km

3 KAINUU AS A REGION OF OPERATIONS Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KUAS) was established when three educational institutions with a long and estimable tradition of training provision in Kainuu (the Kainuu Health Care College, Kajaani Business College and the Kajaani Technical College) joined forces as part of a university of applied sciences experiment in The City of Kajaani has owned KUAS, distinguished as a regional institute of higher education, since 1995 when state ownership was transferred to the municipalities. After receiving permission to participate in the UAS experiment, KUAS was among the first universities of applied sciences to be awarded permanent status in Since 2004, KUAS has operated in the form of a municipal public corporation owned by the City of Kajaani. Active cooperation between Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, the University of Oulu and Kajaani University Consortium has been accomplished since operations began. The first joint regional higher education strategy of its kind between university of applied sciences and university in Finland was created in the year Autumn 2008 saw the ratification of the Consortium agreement between KUAS and the University of Oulu. Kainuu is a provincial county of inhabitants and its regional center is Kajaani. Kajaani has approx inhabitants. Thanks to the provincial county experiment and systematic regional cooperation, the challenges of the future in Kainuu, with its population drain due to migration, above national average unemployment and poorly educated population have largely been met. During recent years, the population has leveled out, the birth rate has increased and the employment situation looks brighter. The role and position of adult education as a tool for maintaining and improving regional higher education competence will be emphasized. Structural development action implemented since the millennium through trade, business and commerce and higher education policy has altered Kainuu and the course of its future. Kainuu will be an ever more powerfully SME dominated region. This is particularly visible in Kajaani, where the structure of business and commerce is moving towards service and competence intensive fields. Tourism, well-being, the mining industry and technology (specifically measurement and information systems expertise) are the natural strategic spearheads of development in Kainuu. KUAS plays a significant role in the region in guaranteeing the availability of expertise, experts and RDI operations required in the development and support of internationalization of business and commerce in Kainuu. In the future KUAS will be the only higher education provider responsible for delivering permanent education and training leading to a degreelevel qualification in Kainuu. THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY 3

4 THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY KUAS 20 STRATEGY S POINTS OF DEPARTURE The KUAS 20 strategy is based on Kainuu s regional strategies; it implements national higher education policy and promotes KUAS position and impact as a part of Finland s higher education system. The implementation of the strategy is set out in the Ministry of Education and Culture s result-linked Program of Measures and in the operational leadership action plan. The most proactive university in Finland (Figure 1) - KUAS vision guiding all activities, is an image that evokes KUAS desire to actively develop its area of operations. The point of departure to support the development of Kainuu is to smoothly integrate the staff and students of the expert organization into regional development work. Such integration relies on wideranging regional cooperation. The values that give impetus to our operations are: partners in development, customer satisfaction, people as a source of strength, capacity and capability and active participation in all operations. A central focus of our vision is a pedagogical model based on learning by doing which emphasizes the significance of community, cooperation and goal-orientation in all our activities. Using this, we are aiming for improvement and growth in our learning outcomes, our students working life competences and regional impact. By the most proactive university in Finland we mean that: KUAS as an organization - The region s development challenges lead our operations - We are actively engaged in our sphere of influence and are active partners in cooperation - By working together we will achieve genuine added value - Our expertise and work community support and enable our work KUAS staff and students - Our students and staff continually learn by doing - We transform theoretical competence into practical solutions and business enterprise - Everything we do is goal and outcomeoriented - Competent students are our trademark 4

5 Vision 2020: KUAS is the most proactive university in Finland that together with its partners, is the leading RDI and enterprise promoter, population competence enhancer, dynamic partner and modernizer of working life within its field. THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY Business idea The proactive university Nationally, KUAS is an attractive and interesting place to work and study, and partner in cooperation. We advance the development of expertise, experts and trade and commerce in Northern and Eastern Finland and cooperation between different bodies. The Staff KUAS has a competent, goal-oriented staff with the capacity to develop and renew. The work carried out at KUAS is meaningful, well managed and community-oriented. Teaching, RDI and regional impact The impact of KUAS with its regional developer profile is based on an operational model combining teaching and RDI. The Students Students graduating from KUAS are versatile experts in terms of their knowledge and skills, qualifying as RDI operators who bring added value to everything they do. Finance KUAS finances and operational capacity are stable. New operational models for service provision enable new forms of acquiring funding. Figure 1 KUAS Strategy in a Nutshell 5

6 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS KUAS has achieved great success nationally in Ministry of Education and Culture outcome barometers. In particular, the quality of teaching and counseling (Figure 2) has been considered the best in Finland for several years running. According to a survey published in Talouselämä in 2011, KUAS is Finland s best university of applied sciences. KUAS quality management system was among the first to be audited and approved in

7 The three central critical factors affecting the success of this small, regional university are the development of the UAS` attractiveness as a place of work and study, the improvement of employment opportunities and the growth of regional impact. As well as posing challenges for KUAS, attractiveness and employment are also issues faced by Kainuu as a whole. KUAS must be able to impact the positive development of Kainuu as an attractive place to live and work and its employment situation in cooperation with trade and industry and other bodies. The development of drop-out prevention is ongoing with the adoption of the learning by doing approach. we will produce competence and knowledge, through student-lead development activities, well prepared experts, and through projects and schemes we will bring clear added value to the whole region. Kajaani s unique Vimpeli Valley campus is experiencing ongoing development to make it a regionally powerful operational center according to the all-in-one campus principle. The basic concept is a structure and leadership system that will allow appropriate work to be completed that has a genuine influence in the region. The challenges faced by the factors critical to success will be met by THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY The KUAS 20 strategy is a structural, operational and cultural change aiming to build a shared procedure creating an atmosphere where work can and will progress at KUAS. In addition to the basic tasks set out in the Polytechnic Act, the KUAS 20 strategy emphasizes the role of student-lead development activities as part of its basic duty. Through education the strengthening of KUAS national and regional position increasing regional impact by adopting and using the proactive university model by ensuring that there are enough financial resources available APPLICATION STUDY GRADUATION ATTRACTIVENESS QUALITY OF TEACHING DROP-OUT PREVENTION EMPLOYMENT QUALITY AND REGIONAL IMPACT OF RDI ACTIVITIES Figure 2 Main critical success factors 7

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9 COMPETENCE AREAS AND FIELDS OF FOCUS The operations and organizational structure of KUAS are based on five areas of competence (figure 3). The cooperation between competence areas and the use of such interfaces are strategically significant. KUAS networks by collaborating with the best partners in each competence area who are genuinely working together with us to develop all operations. KUAS has three fields of focus: activity tourism, games and vehicle information systems. The mining industry is growing in significance and could potentially be the next field of focus. Our fields of focus serve to provide us with international competence, visibility and impact. The competence areas are linked to the fields of focus by expertise, i.e. competences. The competence area resources and project activities are channeled into supporting the development of the fields of focus. Activity tourism comprises a nationally unique combination of sports, exercise and tourism. The Nursing and Healthcare competence area is a powerful regional function supporting social and healthcare within the Joint Authority of the Kainuu Region and the development of enterprise in this area. Health enhancing sports and exercise combines competence areas of social and healthcare and activity tourism. The Information Systems competence area combines KUAS business information technology and information technology expertise with the regionally and nationally significant Center of Measurement and Information Systems Research and Training CEMIS. Mechanical and Mining Engineering is KUAS newest and most rapidly developing competence area. The fields of game design and mining are being developed according to national training requirements. The Business and Innovations competence area is an all-encompassing function that advances the growth of business competence and enterprise capability and enables the development of appropriate project and business operations throughout the other competence areas. Simultaneously, Business and Innovations develops student-lead enterprise and development schemes at KUAS. THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY ACTIVITY TOURISM INFORMATION SYSTEMS BUSINESS AND INNOVATIONS NURSING AND HEALTHCARE MECHANICAL AND MINING ENGINEERING Figure 3 Competence areas on which KUAS profile is based 9

10 THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY STRATEGIC COOPERATION Competence and content based partners Sector Research Institutes MIKES VTT Support Services Mining Industry CEMIS/ Information Systems Well-being AIKOPA (Adult Education) AIKOPA University partners JU LU UEF Upper secondary education (Kainuu Vocational College, high schools) Infrastructure, competence, services Figure 4 Regional training, research and development cooperation From a regional perspective, the Vimpeli Valley campus provides excellent opportunities and facilities for cooperation and the development of a regional competence ecosystem (Figure 4). All of KUAS functions are situated within this same campus area, as well the majority of Kainuu s upper secondary education facilities. Cooperation with Kainuu Vocational College is considered strategically vital in the region. The two most crucial functions of Kajaani s University Consortium are CEMIS and AIKOPA (Adult Education Service). CEMIS is a joint contract based research and development center specializing in measurement and information systems formed by KUAS, two universities (Oulu and Jyväskylä) and two sector research institutes (MIKES measurement and sensors and VTT). CEMIS main objective is to strengthen 10

11 Kainuu s position as a nationally and internationally significant measurement and information systems center of expertise. AIKOPA is KUAS and Oulu University s joint adult and complimentary education service. AIKOPA s main aim is to develop the region s separate and complimentary education provision. By closely cooperating with KUAS competence areas, the adult education services of Oulu University and Kainuu Vocational College, AIKOPA is responding to the region s growing adult education requirements. It is intended that a shared, all-education level inclusive operational service center will be established in Vimpeli Valley in In the future the cooperation of higher education establishments operating in the region will be intensified, lead with the aid of the Kainuu higher education strategy. The central operational areas of the Kainuu higher education strategy are well-being, measurement and information systems and the mining industry, which such as they are, are strongly dependent on KUAS competence areas. At a regional level, KUAS cooperates with the City of Kajaani, the Joint Authority of the Kainuu Region, Vuokatti Campus and Kuusamo. Cooperation with Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences is based on a strategic partnership agreement. To ensure the required higher education expertise is available, training provided by other universities will be actively imported to Kainuu. KUAS will strengthen the export of its own training provision in its own areas of expertise. THE MOST PROACTIVE UNIVERSITY IN FINLAND KUAS 20 STRATEGY 11

12 K A J A A N I U N I V E R S I T Y O F A P P L I E D S C I E N C E S P.O.Box 52, Ketunpolku Kajaani, Finland Tel Fax