Educational Institutions and SMEs – Cooperation Makes Both Parties Stronger

1. 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

2. Educational 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 JSu

3. Educationsystem in Finland Source: Finnish National Board of Education JSu

4. Forms / 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 • The most common forms are: • 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 • Collaboration more widespread in vocational than university education JSu

5. 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 • Participants learn in a concrete way to work, use money and act as consumers • 500 m2 surface of removable wall elements • 15 enterprises and public service offices • 64 professions: mayor, bank clerk, childminder, HR manager, managing director, etc. • Proper banking system with own debit cards for everyone • Work is done in three shifts → always enough customers JSu

6. Views and feelingsfrom the CorporateVillage 2010(3 min video: needsconnectionto www) Source: Economic Information Agency JSu

7. Good 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 • InnoOmnia • aims to increase cooperation with entrepreneurs and companies (expert groups, strategic regional working group) • provides premises for SMEs especially in handicraft and art • supports students’ cooperatives; coaches entrepreneurs and teachers as an incubator • provides services for SMEs carried out by students JSu

8. Facts 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 JSu

9. Good 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’ JSu

10. Good 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 • combines creative thinking with solid expertise to produce innovative results • Operative since 1988, Muova has provided customer-specific solutions for a number of companies and organisations • clients include industrial producers, service providers and whole trades like the Finnish boat industry JSu

11. Aaltoes – a start-up engine for student entrepreneurs

12. 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” JSu

13. Summer 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 JSu

14. Startup 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 JSu

15. Startup 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 JSu

16. 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. JSu