www.tuas.fi www.turkuamk.fi

Projects as stepping stones to employability in the ICT field in South West Finland

Kalliopi Skarli 25 September 2014

Why are projects important?

graduate skills & competences

university success

graduate employability

economic competitiveness

labour market needs

Projects develop employability skills

subject knowledge

communication skills

teamwork skills

critical thinking

problem-solving

industry links

labour market entry

Purpose of the studyProject

ontology

What types of projects TUAS students can participate?

Projects-thesis-labour market entry

How many of those projects are commissioned by

companies?

What types of projects students take on as

thesis topics?

Are thesis projects related to labour market entry?

Sample

• Information Technology graduates in 2013• Finnish-language of instructionN= 42 (37 male, 5 female)

Why 2013?• graduate accessibility• reflection of contemporary labour market

Method

• exploratory case study• multiple sources

– the database of curricula and course implementation plans (SoleOPS) + validation from the Degree Programme Manager

– thesis database of the Finnish universities of applied sciences (Theseus) + library records + personal archives

– official TUAS webpages– LinkedIn profiles + personal communication

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Project work in the

curriculum

Applied ICT R&D

The ecosystem and its mechanisms

• Conceive Design Implement Operate (CDIO) educational approach– Turku Game Lab– ESCfi– CloudIT– ICT Portti– regional & global tech competitions

(ICT Showroom, Microsoft Imagine Cup)

Thesis projects classified by commissioner

Employment status of the 2013 IT graduates

Length of employment with current employer

Distribution of employed IT graduates across industries

Size of employing organisation of the 2013 IT graduates

Case: FinlandSMEs drive economic growth

Case: FinlandThe private sector employs 2/3 of the working age population

Conclusion

robust project-based curriculum

environment conducive to projects

strong links with the industry and society

thesis projects closely linked to employability

Future agenda

projects during internship/workplacement

management of communication channels and touch points with the industry

and…

Something to ponder

All employed graduates are employed regionally.

A mixed blessing?

Thank you!

Questions?