Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) has taken a significant step toward deepening its international partnerships in Africa through a new collaboration initiative with three Ghanaian higher education institutions: the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Takoradi Technical University (TTU), and the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).
Did you know that Chile is so long that if you placed it over Europe, its northern tip would reach the coast of Norway and its southern end would stretch all the way to the Sahara Desert in North Africa? The scale of Chile is impressive – and the same can be said about the diversity of its education system.
Our recent activities in Nyeri and Nairobi were a powerful reminder that sustainable improvement in TVET happens with educators, not just for them. At Nyeri National Polytechnic, we concluded the Youth Employment and TVET in Kenya project with a hands‑on seminar where Kenyan TVET trainers showcased their development work, exchanged practices, and tested new classroom approaches together.
Further build the existing networks and strengthen them. That was the idea when I applied to Erasmus+ Staff Exchange Mobility. International projects are such that give you not only lessons to learn together but also form strong connections between people. Based on the experiences gained in TeamWe – project (2019–2022) and hosting visits to Basque VET teachers in Finland, I thought that maybe it was a right time to visit Basque country again. Not only to meet the dear colleagues there but to establish something we could work together in the future.
The Master's Degree Program in Social Services at Tampere University of Applied Sciences has started a new cooperation with our Uninovis partner, the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at THWS. Last autumn we offered an opportunity for exchange and reflection in the courses ‘Theories of Social Work and Approaches to Social Work’ in Finland and ‘Social Work as Science’ in Germany. Groups on both courses were inspired to this by using Malcolm Payne's book ‘How to use Social Work Theory in Practice’ (2020). This idea has now been developed into an international theory seminar, which will take place next autumn.
I got to do my long-awaited staff exchange at the University of Tirana, Albania, in early May. The reason for choosing Tirana as my Erasmus+ destination was twofold. Firstly, after having done my teacher’s education practice in a local language school in November 2024, I wanted to gain deeper understanding of how foreign languages are taught at the university level and what awaits the graduates upon completing their studies and entering the Albanian job market. Secondly, as the University of Tirana (UT) is one of our Uninovis partners, I took the opportunity to explore the potential for international mobility co-operation and academic exchange between our two institutions.
University Sorbonne Paris Nord (USPN) held an international week themed “European Alliances, Challenges in Interculturality” from May 19-23, 2025, supported by the European Commission Blended Intensive Programme (BIP).
Since 2023, TAMK has proudly welcomed students from South Asia into its tailor-made diploma programmes. Nearly 200 students from countries like India and Nepal have already joined the TAMK community, bringing with them not only academic talent but also a vibrant tapestry of culture, tradition, and warmth.
The AV Growth project, led by Tampere University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with Film Tampere and Swedish Yrkesnämden för Film och TV (YNFT), has made significant efforts to map and identify potential growth companies within the audiovisual (AV) industry across Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Estonia. The project aims to bolster the capabilities and networks of AV companies by fostering substantial industry growth through the AV Growth Programme executed by Film Tampere. The growth programme kicked off in October 2024, with a specific aim to support selected companies to achieve their pre-set scale-up target.
With the Succeed in Business project, five students and two lecturers from Tampere University of Applied Sciences traveled to Tartu to delve into topics of production and finance, and to learn about the startup-minded environment of Estonia and Tartu.
Last week I participated in BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) short exchange in Amsterdam University of Applied Science (HvA – Hogeschool van Amstedam). The topic was Interactive and Collaborative Learning for Staff in Sustainability.
TAMK’s international week, Eye on TAMK, has already become a tradition. Every other year in March hundreds of colleagues from across the world flock into Tampere to hear about the latest trends in teaching and learning. This year an entirely new track was introduced to the program, namely that of Uninovis. Since January 2025 TAMK has been part of the European Universities Alliance Uninovis, comprising seven higher education institutions. Eye on TAMK provided a great backdrop for the Uninovis partners to spread the word about the alliance and meet each other to discuss future actions.
Artificial intelligence has arrived with a bang and is making its mark in the world of work. Various AI programmes have come to the market, and at times it can be difficult to grasp what these AI programmes are actually capable of doing. How can we leverage artificial intelligence in the international contexts of higher education?
Last week, we had the opportunity to participate in Rheology Power Week 2025, which was organised by Anton Paar Nordic AB in Malmö, Sweden. The event provided a good overview of various aspects of rheology, which is the study of material flow and deformation (Mezger 2014). The event had international participants from both industry and universities.
Five lecturers Taru Nurmala, Kaisa Kokko, Kirsi Karimäki, Tiina Wickman-Viitala and Sanna Tahlo from Tampere University of Applied Sciences participated in a train-the-trainer workshop in Vienna as part of the Personal Green Skills in Higher Education project in December 2024.
TAMK Talent Boost and Tampere Chamber of Commerce have jointly organised company visits for a year to bring together students and companies interested in international talents. Companies participating in the spring 2024 campaign once again invited TAMK's international students for a visit and offered students internships and projects.
Internationalisation and international mobility are important areas at TAMK so my teacher exchange with the University of Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom, was a valuable experience. In January 2025, I visited Stoke-on-Trent, the university’s main campus. The main goal of my exchange was to deepen the relationship with the University of Staffordshire and consider different possibilities for future co-operation in education science and teacher education.
In the last week of November, Marika Kyllönen, Harri Karvinen and Toni Pippola from TAMK had the opportunity to participate in the International Week organised by HdM (Hochschule der Medien) in Stuttgart, Germany. The visit provided an excellent opportunity to network with international colleagues and to get to know the German higher education scene.
Evi van Doesburg has been working as intern in Pedagogical Innovations and Culture at TAMK from September 2024 until January 2025. In this blog she shares her experiences about her internship, living in Tampere and Finnish culture. What kind of challenges did she face? What were the things she enjoyed during her stay?
EU Interreg Central Baltic Project "Succeed in Business" continued in Tampere 4.-5.12.2024. Project gathered together students from TAMK, Tartu region in Estonia and Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies to learn more about general management and business development, and human resources.
