Title: Challenges of higher engineering education and lifelong learning in Finland
1Challenges of higher engineering education and
lifelong learning in Finland
- Mr.Jukka Mäkelä, MP, 25.9.2008
2Jukka Mäkelä
- Member of the Finnish Parliament
- member of the education committee
- Chairman of the City Board (City of Espoo)
- Chairperson of cooperation group of Finnish
engineering education to create national strategy - Aalto university Member of steering committee
- Master of Science in Technology (HUT)
3Quality of Higher education the challenges are
growing
GLOBAL COMPETITION
ARRIVAL OF INFORMATION SOCIETY
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
basic IT skills
foreign languages
multidisciplinarity
networking
commitment to quality
global village attitude
creativity
teamwork
GOOD GENERAL EDUCATION
commitment to sustainable development
communication
handle stress
entrepreneurial attitude
learn how to learn
cope with constant change
manage time
self-steering
ability to search, classify and analyze
information
REDESIGN OF WORK AND ORGANIZATION
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY
Source Korhonen, K. Educating Engineers of the
21st Century The Challenges of Higher
Engineering Education in Finland.
LIFELONG LEARNING
4Learning Society Framework for education
higher lever on average education
from subject-based to skill-based curriculum
good general education
NEW SKILL REQUIREMENTS MORE SKILL
REQUIREMENTS MORE DEMANDING SKILL
REQUIREMENTS FAST CHANGING SKILL REQUIREMENTS
new learning technologies in use
continuous guality improvement of education
well managed educational chain
lifelong learning
close co-operation between university and industry
5Education planning is difficult
-
- If anyone can tell you what this business is
going to look like five years from now, I want to
know what they have been smoking. - An unknown analyst of telecommunications industry
6University reform
7What will change...
- Autonomy will strengthen universities will have
an independent legal status - Universities will take the place of the State as
employers civil-service employment relationships
will become contractual employment relationships - Community relations will strengthen half of the
university board members (including the chairman)
will be persons external to the university
community (professors, other personnel, students)
defined in the act - Greater latitude with finances donations,
income from capital and business activities - New universities Aalto university (HUT, HSE,
TaiK), University of Eastern Finland
(universities of Kuopio Joensuu) and the new
Turku University (University of Turku, TSE) - Performance agreement procedure will be lighter
- Charging tuition fees on a trial basis for
separate masters programs from students from
outside the EU/EEA
8The proposal will not change...
- The freedom of research, art and education
- Self-government and academic decision-making
- Research and higher education remain as the main
tasks of the universities - The State will guarantee core funding, taking
into account the development of costs - Education leading to a degree will continue to
be free of charge
9Adult Education
10Adult education system
- Adult education and training is provided by appr.
800 institutions in Finland some of them are
specialised adult education providers. - Adult education is available within the official
education system in - adult upper secondary schools
- vocational institutions and vocational adult
training centres - national and private vocational institutions
- polytechnics and universities
- and in liberal adult education in
- adult education centers
- folk high schools
- summer universities
- study centers
- sports institutes
- Adult education also includes staff-development
and other training provided or purchased by
employers. - Labor market training is financed by the labor
administration and mainly intended for unemployed
persons and those aged 20 or over who are
threatened by unemployment.
11Adult Education Reform
- To clarify steering and finance, administration
and offering of adult education in Finnish
Education Institutes. - is part of the governments acts to improve
employment as well as availability and know-how
of labor - The Reform covers
- Vocational Adult Education
- Adult Education in HEIs
- Labor market training
- Staff development and Training provided by
employers - The aims include
- Improving the mobility of workforce
- improving vocational mobility
- encouraging workforce to continuing improvement
and maintaining of know-how - Improving of productivity
- to ease the employment of immigrants
- delaying retirement
12Aalto University
13Alvar Aalto
- Architect
- Designer
- Academician
- Professor (MIT)
- TKK alumni
Aalto was a learned humanist, a diversely
creative person who tackled problems in depth and
avoided settling for the ordinary. He was able to
find sustainable solutions by doing things
differently. He represents our innovative nature,
the appreciation of culture and humanism, and the
use of technology and art to create imaginative
solutions that respect the needs of people.
14Charter of foundation
- The purpose of Aalto University Foundation is to
promote, in a manner to be laid down in
legislation, free research and scientific and
artistic erudition, provide higher education
based on research, and educate students to serve
their country and humanity. - The Foundation is an autonomous multidisciplinary
art and science community which operates in the
fields of technology, economics, and art and
design and in fields closely related to them. - The Foundation is established with the proviso
that the Foundation is assigned in legislation,
and the Foundation will have, public tasks
assigned to universities in legislation. Subject
to relevant provisions in university legislation,
the operations of Helsinki School of Economics,
Helsinki University of Technology and the
University of Art and Design will be transferred
to the Foundation.
15Main messages for transformation
- Student-centered culture that will motivate
passionate learning and the search for new ideas - Opportunities for long-term, high-quality
research and motivating academic career paths and
working environments - Strong domestic and international cooperation
network and form partnerships that provide
support in striving toward the universitys
objectives
16Pilot Projects
- Research
- Sustainable Communities
- Economics and the Internet of the Future
- Neuro Applications
- "Factories"
- Design Factory
- Media Factory
- Service Factory