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?