Strategy 2035

Download Strategy 2035 as a pdf-file

Foreword

Laurea University of Applied Sciences has set as its mission to create a sustainable future together with working life. The vision of Laurea is to be an internationally competitive higher education institution with working life relevance in 2035. At Laurea, education, research, development and innovation activities rely on strong cooperation with business and industry. The Laurea Strategy 2035 guides us in developing the pedagogical operating model of Learning by Developing (LbD) further in cooperation with Laurea’s growing key partner network. The vision is also linked to the strong internationalisation of Laurea. This is now accelerated by Laurea’s status as “European University” and close cooperation in the European PIONEER Alliance of higher education institutions.

The Laurea Strategy 2035 has been created in a situation where public funding is declining, while increasing performance requirements are forcing Laurea to renew and redirect its operations. The strategy will enable us to identify opportunities and set policies that help us find additional funding, improve operational efficiency or enhance Laurea’s performance in competition over central government core funding. However, the most important task of a higher education institution remains societal impact. Laurea’s education, research, development and innovation activities and regional development activities are linked to its tasks related to responding to regional, Finnish and global needs.

The focus areas of the Laurea Strategy 2035 describe Laurea’s areas of strength in which the strategy is implemented. In addition, the strategy describes the critical needs for change, the areas that need to be developed the most in Laurea’s operations to achieve the strategic goals. The Strategy has been created in a communal process involving a wide range of Laurea’s stakeholders. Laurea’s strategy work and its activities are guided by its values, i.e. openness, effectiveness and responsibility. The strategy process did not change them. Laurea University of Applied Sciences follows an iterative strategy process. It means that the strategy is reassessed every two years and amended, if necessary. The results and development of Laurea’s operations are described in Laurea’s annual report and societal impact report. These reports, published annually, reflect the development against Laurea’s strategy.

Laurea's values

Openness

Openness means transparency and open sharing and utilisation of competence, knowledge and materials. Openness develops the substance and methods of teaching and improves the quality of RDI activities and access to data.

Effectiveness

Laurea’s societal impact means that working life partners and students can develop their competences and renew themselves and create new knowledge and solutions in RDI activities.

Responsibility

Responsibility means taking responsibility for the results of our work and collaboration. Laurea employees collaborate with others in an ethical, student-centric and customer-oriented manner and responsibly support the success of students and partners. Laurea promotes economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development in all its operations.

Mission and vision

Laurea’s mission describes the purpose of Laurea’s existence as a builder of society. The Vision 2035 describes the target state by which we ensure the development and continuity of operations in a challenging competitive situation.

Mission - We create a sustainable future together with working life

Vision - Internationally competitive higher education institution with working life relevance

Focus areas

The focus areas describe the strengths of our operations in which our strategy is implemented. They reflect the strengths of our educational activities, the spearheads of our RDI activities and the perspectives of the Laurea community. The focus areas describe not only our strengths but also the areas we need to develop. We monitor the progress and development of these target areas in the process of operational and financial planning.

Sustainability, working life orientation and future orientation lay the foundations for the strategy. Ecological, social and economic sustainability are emphasised both in the competences provided by Laurea and in our own activities. Working life orientation can be seen both in Learning by Developing and in how we produce research data in networks or build key partnerships. Future orientation and foresight describe the approach characteristic of Laurea to look further ahead, anticipate possible futures and create solutions and competences that are resilient and future-proof in an uncertain time.

We build the future by enhancing well-being

• We train experts who build well-being
• We find solutions to the health and well-being challenges of society
• Together, we invest in the well-being of the Laurea community

We strengthen inclusion and a safe society

• We educate builders of a safe society
• We solve problems related to social exclusion, segregation and security
• We care for and take care of each other

We anticipate and create paths to sustainable futures

• We educate experts of a sustainable future
• We help solve challenges of social, ecological and economic sustainability
• We promote sustainable and ethical action

We promote the sustainable role of technology in building the future

• We train experts who can create sustainable and safe futures by using technology
• We promote the well-being, inclusion, security and sustainability of society by developing a human-centred approach to technology
• We act in an agile and sustainable manner in technological change

Laurea's critical needs for change, strategic goals and indicators

We identify challenges the solving of which is critical for our strategy to succeed. These are described by four critical needs for change, Laurea’s strategic goals and the strategic indicators linked to them.

The growing shortage of experts in society calls for the renewal and development of international working life competence for the future

• We reform our operations using digitalisation to meet students’ guidance needs, increasing performance targets and societal demands as the general government funding is declining
• We enhance sustainable future competences by offering competitive continuous learning products that meet students´ needs
• We renew our teaching skills and the quality and impact of Learning by Developing

Indicators

• Number of genuine first-time students
• Share of Bachelor’s degrees completed within the target period
• Feedback from graduates: Averages of all questions in the AVOP survey
• Number of credits from studies completed in Open University of Applied Sciences education and other separate studies

The declining public funding requires sustainable international growth

• We increase our responsible international education activities
• We promote the employment of international students and their integration as members of society
• We increase the amount of Horizon funding and other internationally competitive RDI funding and the impact of international RDI activities

Indicators

• Number of students entering tuition-based degree programmes at Laurea (tuition fees, customised courses)
• Employment of students other than Finnish nationals graduating from Laurea in Finland
• Amount of Horizon funding and other qualitatively competitive EU R&D funding received by Laurea

The future requires closer systematic and business-funded cooperation with companies

• We increase and diversify RDI activities done with business funding in collaboration with companies
• We increase cooperation with companies to meet the needs of partners and to solve wicked problems in society
• We develop key partnerships as a solution to the needs of students, companies and society

Indicators

• Amount of R&D funding received by Laurea from Finnish companies
• Revenue from business operations received by Laurea from Finnish companies, excluding R&D
• Permanence of key partners

Sustainable renewal takes place through digitalisation and technology

• We increase the added value enabled by digitalisation for students, partners and Laurea
• We increase the productivity and meaningfulness of our personnel’s work
• We help everyday activities run smoother and enhance the quality of processes by utilising technology
• We base our everyday choices on data and analytics

Indicators

• Turnover / personnel FTE
• Laurea’s service promise survey: At Laurea, you will receive high-quality services that support your studies, average
• Employee satisfaction: PeoplePower index above the average in the field of education in Finland

Laurea in brief

We are one of the leading working life-oriented higher education institutions in Finland. We have more than 10,000 students on six campuses in the Uusimaa area and online. They are studying in degree programmes that respond strongly to societal and working life needs: in the social services and health care sector, business management, security, Business Information Systems and the service sector. At Laurea, learning is based on the Learning by Developing (LbD) model, which guarantees students robust competence and capabilities for working life.

Our research and development activities focus on security, social services and health care and the service business. In 2023, the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) granted Laurea an Excellence quality label for its high-quality RDI activities, and in spring 2024, Excellence Finland awarded us five stars in the EFQM evaluation. Laurea is taking a significant step towards internationalisation by joining the PIONEER Alliance of European universities on January 1st 2025.

Our nearly 700 employees, 35,000 alumni, students and key partners form a strong and committed network that drives Laurea forward openly, efficiently and responsibly.

Download Strategy 2035 as a pdf-file

More information: