Network of alumni operators
Who is an alumnus and what does it mean? In dictionaries, the term often refers to a pupil. Almost every one of us is an alumnus – were it from a university of applied sciences, university or other educational institute. Being an alumnus does not require belonging to a certain register or constant cooperation with the educational institute, although, from the higher education institution’s point of view, this is of course extremely favourable and fruitful. . In alumni work, a mutually beneficial partnership is being sought. The alumni act as business cards of universities of applied sciences with their versatile competences and experience. The professional skills and competence of the alumni play a key role in the development of the region’s businesses and organizations, both now and in the future. The appreciation of alumni by the universities of applied sciences is shown both in the satisfaction experienced by the alumni themselves, and in employers’ appreciation of the degrees offered by the university of applied sciences.
You grow into an alumnus throughout your studies. At the early stages of their studies, students can grow their professional networks by, for instance, utilizing the project, practical training or thesis opportunities offered by alumni. The more cooperation there is between the students and employers, the more awareness of the knowledge and skills required in working life the students will obtain. The aim is also to acquaint students with the needs of working life through different projects and mentoring programs already during their studies.
Through the alumni, universities of applied sciences get feedback on the knowledge and skills needed in working life. The career monitoring survey is a way for the alumni to have an impact on the development of education. Therefore, the importance of alumni and alumni work for universities of applied sciences should be continuously emphasized. Those doing alumni work at universities of applied sciences have started cooperation in a national level in order to better promote alumni work. The alumni work package of the project From UAS to career – Career Data for All has been refined into a nationwide network of alumni operators, which consists of experts doing alumni work at universities of applied sciences. The alumni network is coordinated by a team which changes every year. The purpose of the team is to put the activities agreed upon in the network into practice and to promote the jointly agreed themes. The network leadership will change every semester until spring 2021.
Responsibility for leading the network:
Yrkeshögskolan Novia: autumn 2022
Haaga-Helia UAS: autumn 2021 – spring 2022
Laurea UAS: spring 2021
Turku University of Applied Sciences: spring 2020 – autumn 2020
Contact information:
Isabella Alén,
Alumnkoordinator, Yrkeshögskolan Novia