1. New Ways of Teaching Working Life Related Skills to Engineering Students Dr Liisa Kairisto-Mertanen Director of Education (Dean) Technology, Environment and Business Dr Olli Mertanen Vice rector Turku Polytechnic

2. The future society –competitive, dynamic, learning welfare society –positive attitude to entrepreneurship –information society combined with the wellfare state –clusters which will form learning networks –business combined with services and knowledge intensive products Background for the study

3. Turku Polytechnic is the largest University of Applied Sciences in Finland annual intake of students1800 1300 degrees every year alltogether 8300 students 35 degree programmes 7 fields of study

4. Turku Polytechnic Organisation Chart 1.8.2004 Executive Board City Council City Board Polytechnic Delegation Polytechnic Board Rector Vice Rectors Arts Academy Turku: Communication and Media Arts Fine Arts Music Performing Arts Mynämäki: Design Salo: Design Health Care Turku: Biomedical Laboratory Science Dental Hygiene Emergency Care Nursing Radiography and Radiotherapy Care of the Elderly and Long-term Patients (post-graduate degree programme) Salo: Nursing (in Finnish and in English) Life Sciences and Business Turku: Biotechnology and Food Technology Business Business Information Technology Laboratory Technology Företagsekonomi International Business (in English) Technology, Environment and Business Turku: Automotive and Transportation Engineering Civil Engineering Mechanical and Production Engineering Sustainable Development Mynämäki: Restoration Parainen: Fisheries and Environmental Care Raisio: Business International Business (in English) Uusikaupunki: Business Information Technology Business Logistics Telecommunication and e-Business Turku: Electronics Library and Information Services Telecommunications Engineering Information Technology (in English) Salo: Business Business Information Technology (in Finnish and in English) International Business / Internationale Betriebswirtschaft Telecommunications Engineering Well-being Services Turku: Beauty Care Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy Production and Management of Services Social Services Loimaa: Business Business Information Technology Social Services Continuing Education and Services Corporate Services Development of Enterprises and Organisations Intensive Courses Open Polytechnic Professional Specialisation Studies Seminars Development and Administration Administrative Services Educational Services Innovation Services

5. to explore what is the real engineering competence needed by the working life in the traditional fields of engineering electronics and electro technical industry mechanical engineering civil engineering to describe how the working life is changing to explore what requirements do these changes cause to the education methods of anticipation some real life examples Aim of the paper

6. Characteristics of the changing professional life –information society –learning never stops –everybody has to have understanding about markets and business life –entrepreneurial mind is required –ability to produce innovation becomes important –R & D faces global competition Engineering education and the future employers

7. methods used –business forecast and analysis –enqueries to enterprices separation between quantitative and qualitative needs anticipation reports noticing week signals calls for close co-operation between education and working life it is necessary to find enough courage to act upon the new requirements Anticipating the required changes in education

8. Changes in the society call for changes in the competence of future employees, they have to work –in a global environment –in the customer surface –in a learning network –using interdisciplinary competence –constantly upgrading their competence –in teams –solving problems –in unsecure circumstances Well qualified staff is a central strategic competitive factor Knowledge and people possessing it becomes important The Changing Engineering Competence

9. The learning network in the faculty of technology, environment and business –gross-disciplinary environment –organisational learning A learning organization is “an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future”. (Senge 1992, 14) Organizational learning is a three stage process that includes information acquisition, information dissemination and shared interpretation. (Sinkula 1994) defining the present situation, defining a shared vision and working under creative tension producing something new and innovative Examples from Turku Polytechnic, no 1

10. According to Senge (1992) the learning attributes in an organization are: –shared vision –personal mastery –working with mental models –team learning –systems thinking Basic requirements for creating a learning organization

11. Business Adm. Raisio Sustainable Development Mechanical Engineering Automotive and Transportation Eng. Business Adm. Uki Fisheries and Enviromental Care Civil Engineering D P in Int. Business, Raisio Restoration Business Information Technology Learning Network in Technology, Environment and Business Entre- preneurship New methods of study Life-long learning Multi professionalism Globalisation Flexible Study Modules Business know-how to everybody The arrows represent the megatrends in education up till year 2012

12. The practice enterprice project –promoting entrepreneurship is found important in EU –According to the Green Book of EU in higher education the curricula should systematically include entrepreneurship and management studies in non economic curricula –Finland was placed on the below average group of countries concerning entrepreneurship –There is a positive statistically significant assosiation between national economic growth and national level of entrepreneurship Examples from Turku Polytechnic, no 2

13. What is the practice enterprice project? Students involved –IT-engineering, business administration, data prosessing, nursing, library and information services –Business administration and data processing where instruction is in english –Programming (University of Turku) groups of 10-15 people Compulsory studies of 15 ECTS Methods: –Problem based learning –Learning by doing –Independent learning Learning environment: –Different information technology tools available –Office like –Gross disciplinary Close connections to existing business life in the region

14. Achievements of the practice enterprice project Many important targets are met Students develop –team-working skills –proactive attitude –self-reliance Students get basic knowledge about running an enterprise Students start to co-operate with other students from different disciplines

15. Applying a co-operative as a learning environment –a co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controled enterprice –central values: self-help self-responsibility democracy equality equity solidarity Examples from Turku Polytechnic, no 3

16. The method of learning –good integration of theory and practice –experimental learning –students find work for the co-operative and get credits by executing the tasks –The students have economic responsibility and in this way are working as entrepreneurs Examples from Turku Polytechnic, no 3

17. Education has to be adapted to correspond to the changing needs in the environment –the content –the methods used The most important thing today is to deliver general ideas, skills and attitudes not detailed knowledge Students must be made to construct their knowledge by themselves Future engineers are innovative teamplayers who can communicate and act effectively in a global world Conclusion