Collaboration enables lifelong learning and top-level education for future talent

VEO’s cooperation with universities in the Vaasa region benefits all parties concerned. Dimensions of active collaboration include internships, thesis opportunities, modern learning environments and professional guest lectures.

VEO maintains a strong and multidimensional form of collaboration with both the VAMK and Novia universities of applied sciences in Vaasa. The cooperation is used to train the skilled experts needed in a fast-growing energy sector.

“I am genuinely pleased that our cooperation with VEO is working seamlessly”, explains Marko Iskala, Lecturer in electrical engineering at VAMK.

Another important goal of the collaboration is to strengthen the knowledge of VEO’s experienced professionals within further education.

“Every employee at VEO has a chance to further develop themselves and their professional knowledge. We strongly encourage and support continuous learning”, says Jarkko Aro, Head of Marketing and Business Development at VEO.

Study is useful at every career stage

VEO offers flexible opportunities for its employees to work and study simultaneously. Tero Vainonpää, Production Manager at VEO and a VAMK graduate in 2022, has noticed the benefits of studying as well as working:

“My studies at VAMK have helped advance my career in various ways. I studied electrical engineering as my major which gave a good grounding to perform my duties at VEO. Additionally, all management, entrepreneurship and business economy courses have been truly helpful in my current role. Moreover, working at VEO has had a positive effect on my studies. There was a clear connection between the content of the courses and my daily tasks at VEO.”

VEO’s employees also actively participate in further professional education. Ronnie Sundsten, Lecturer and Head of Department in electrical and automation technology at Novia, emphasises that further education is an excellent way to further expand skills and knowledge.

“Nowadays there are Master’s programmes in Leadership and Automation as well as intelligent systems at Novia which are designed for studying while working. All the time we have more and more opportunities for lifelong learning. This enriches working life”, says Sundsten.

Guest lectures and VEO equipment are highly appreciated

One part of the cooperation between VEO and the universities of applied sciences in Vaasa includes regularly organised guest lectures. VEO’s experienced professionals offer a unique addition, specially to engineering courses. According to Iskala, the guest lectures are truly popular with the students. In addition, teachers also benefit from those lectures.

“Teachers have a great opportunity to notice which topics related to working life should be emphasised more in the future. Up-to-date learning environments, which are used in the industry, are crucial for students’ learning processes”, Iskala says.

“All parties (VEO, students and universities) benefit when VEO’s products are used for educational purposes. Students have a chance to become familiar with VEO’s products during their studies”, says Toni Ylikojola, Lead Engineer at VEO and a VAMK graduate.

Cooperation will become even closer in the future

“At yearly meetings we evaluate our cooperation from each perspective and discuss the areas of development”, explains Iskala when describing the collaboration between VEO and VAMK. Sundsten also believes that Novia’s courses can be developed even further to match the needs of VEO in the future.

The point of view of the students who work at VEO is also important in evaluating the collaboration:

“From my perspective, the cooperation between VEO and Novia has been successful. I regularly receive emails from Novia about open job opportunities or thesis positions at VEO”, says Simon Byggningsbacka, System Engineer at VEO, who is also studying Automation technology at Novia.

“Every employee at VEO has a chance to further develop themselves and their professional knowledge. We strongly encourage and support continuous learning”, says Jarkko Aro, Head of Marketing and Business Development at VEO.