SAMK’s president Multisilta: SAMK – Working for the vitality of the region
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences has listened carefully to the needs of the region's business community. For example, we have organised our research, development and innovation (RDI) activities into research centres that are more agile in responding to the needs of businesses.
Curricula are also being reformed. As part of this work, SAMK's advisory boards were consulted and valuable feedback was received on the kind of skills that working life expects from SAMK graduates. The quality of teaching at SAMK has long been rated the best in Finland by graduating students.
Sustainable development and responsibility are already visible in SAMK's teaching and RDI work in many ways and will be even more so in the future. In the field of responsibility, the universities of applied sciences aim to ensure that the aspect of sustainability and responsibility is present in everything that goes on during the studies. The more than 1000 students who graduate from SAMK each year are able to develop solutions for sustainable development and responsibility in working life as well. We believe that this is how working life is renewed and, in addition to reducing our carbon footprint, we can talk about a sustainability handprint.
SAMK has decided to launch a degree programme in engineering related to the food industry in the autumn of 2023. Satakunta is a key food producer in Finland, but the region has not yet had a bachelor's level education in the field. It is great that we have been able to plan the education together with the businesses in the region.
We have also built cooperation in a new direction - to Vaasa. The University of Vaasa launched a project called Suoraväylä DI-opintoihin (direct translation: Direct pathway to master’s degree programmes in engineering), which means that students in the final stages of their studies at universities of applied sciences can complete some courses at the University of Vaasa already during their bachelor studies. In other words, by completing studies, SAMK students can get a place in the master’s programme in engineering at the University of Vaasa. In addition, an endowed professorship of the University of Vaasa related to the energy sector will be established at SAMK.
This is a good way forward. The work for the vitality of the region continues!
Jari Multisilta
Managing Director, President
The editorial has been published in the stakeholder magazine Agora.
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