Bridging the Working Life needs with Academic studies is becoming a skillset that will separate innovative Universities from the more traditional ones. It will build tangible competitive edge for the forerunners! We, The Laurea University of Applied Sciences team, later Laurea UAS (Finland), are working together with 3 Brazilian and 2 Paraguayan Forerunner Universities in a Laurea team1 led HEIComp Training Programme. The programme aims at:
1. Universities to create Adapted Learning journeys for Students so that they can develop their real life professional competencies
2. Companies to conduct projects and find future talent
3. A new Coach role for Professors in order to support a leaner learning
Laurea UAS has a long history of using Working Life Connected methods and Coaching teaching approaches. Present day High Education is facing the urge to come up with ways for students to become outstanding problem solvers. This can be achieved in combination of a close and practical project mode of real life challenges combined with a Coaching mindset in pedagogy. The combination shows great promise.
One of my personal favorite quotes is from a classic by Timothy Gallwey (2015) in his book The Inner Game of Tennis. Gallwey summarises the power of self-empowerment in writing in this predecessor of the modern Coaching literature in saying that “coaching is unlocking people’s best potential to maximise their own performance“. Still valid.
The next step in HEIComp project is that the Brazilian and Paraguayan HEIComp Professors will kickoff their 1 st WLC teaching pilot projects with students and their local partner companies in August.
Our vision together is, that the HEIComp program will lead the Partner universities to replace some of the old rules with new and more practical methods. As a result they will establish a new learning culture that enhances and supports their local and national economies. And, It offers a new way for universities to evolve and to outperform in today’s operating environment.
@heicomp project is funded by #erasmusplus #capacitybuilding
- HeiComp Laurea UAS team: Marja Isokangas: Training Program Leader for International HEIComp Program, Coach, Senior lecturer; Tero Uusitalo: Project Manager, HEIComp Program, Senior Lecturer, Degree Programme Co-ordinator in Business Management; Taru Tallgren: Coach, Senior lecturer, Elina Wainio: Coach, Senior lecturer and Pyry Airaksinen: Coach, Senior lecturer ↩︎
