Tampere University of Applied Sciences: Team Learning and Team Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) has a major programme in EE named Proacademy. It started in 1999 and focuses on team learning and team entrepreneurship. Proacademy students spend 2.5 years working as team entrepreneurs, setting up a real company. Students establish own learning targets individually and as a team, supported by a coach and set down in learning contracts. The most important learning tools are dialogue as well as “birth-giving” and feedback sessions. Proacademy is designed as a multi-disciplinary EE study programme, unit and environment mainly for students from Business Administration and Business Information Systems. In autumn 2012, TAMK set up an additional EE unit named “Y-kampus” for mainstreaming EE in the whole university. It provides entrepreneurship courses, events and mentoring services, as well as dedicated EE premises. All TAMK curricula include some EE elements, which are organized by and at the Y-kampus. Y-kampus uses learning approaches similar to Proacademy. Its courses can be included in students’ degrees as free choice or alternative studies. Y-kampus also organizes coaching courses for TAMK’s personnel. Y-kampus’ activities are still being developed with a view to providing services to third parties such as students from the other three Tampere universities as well as start-ups that are already up and running. TAMK’s emphasis on entrepreneurship has notable impacts: 20–25% of graduates start a company, compared with less than 5% for all university graduates in Finland.

References

Research for this case was conducted by Karsten Gareis, senior researcher at empirica, Bonn, on behalf of the study for supporting the entrepreneurial potential of higher education (sepHE). Sources and references used include desk research plus:

1.1 Interviews

Peer Haataja, Director of Tampere Chamber of Commerce (interviewed on 1 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

Veijo Hämäläinen, Head Coach of Proacademy, TAMK (interviewed on 1 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

Mikael Juntunen, Project Manager of Y-kampus (interviewed on 1 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

Tanja Verho, Proacademy Alumnus, Entrepreneur, Y-kampus Mentor, CEO of Persoona Oy (interviewed on 1 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

Kai Hintsanen, Lecturer, International Business Programme, TAMK (interviewed on 1 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

Tiina Hanhike, Senior Adviser at Ministry of Employment and the Economy (interviewed on 1 Oct 2014 in Leppävaara)

Jarkko Haukijärvi, Entrepreneur, Master’s Student, Y-kampus Mentor, CEO of Ylöjärven Kauppahuone Oy (interviewed on 2 Oct 2014 at Hotel Scandic Station, Tampere)

Riitta-Liisa Arpiainen, Senior Lecturer, Business and Administration Programme (formerly Head of Business and Administration Programme), TAMK (interviewed on 2 Oct 2014 at Hotel Scandic Station, Tampere)

Marika Ropanen, Emmi Kuortti, Christa-Maria Määttänen, Proacademy Students, (interviewed on 2 Oct 2014 at TAMK Art and Media House, Tampere)

Ari Nupponen, Proacademy alumnus, entrepreneur, Restaurant Kaijakka (interviewed on 2 Oct 2014 at Restaurant Kaijakka, Tampere)

Pasi Kuhmonen, entrepreneur, Proacademy alumnus, CEO of Villivisio Oy (interviewed on 3 Oct 2014 at Hotel Scandic Station, Tampere)

Päivi Karttunen, Vice President of TAMK (interviewed on 3 Oct 2014 at TAMK, Tampere)

Elina Merviö, Proacademy Coach, TAMK (interviewed on 3 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

Jari Jokilampi, CEO of Pirkanmaa Entrepreneurs’ Association (interviewed on 3 Oct 2014 at TAMK Y-kampus, Tampere)

1.2 Literature and Websites

Halttunen J (2006) Team Academy – award-winning entrepreneurship education from Jyvaskyla, Finland. Presentation at OECD/IMHE conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, 16 October 2006. http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/37544053.pdf. Accessed 30 Nov 2014

Isaacs W (1999) Dialogue and the art of thinking together: a pioneering approach to communicating in business and in life. Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York

Leinonen N, Partanen T, Palviainen P (2004) Team Academy – true story of community that learns by doing. PS-kustannus, Jyväskylä. isbn 9524511037

Ministry of Education, Department for Education and Science (2009) Guidelines for entrepreneurship education. Publication 2009:9. Ministry of Education, Helsinki. http://www.minedu.fi/export/sites/default/OPM/Julkaisut/2009/liitteet/opm09.pdf. Accessed 30 Aug 2014

Nevalainen T, Maijala M (2012) Creative management in TAMK Proacademy, Dev Learn Organ 26(6):17–19

Proakatemia (2014) General Information. http://www.proakatemia.fi/en. Accessed 17 Nov 2014

TAMK (2014) About the university. http://www.tamk.fi/en. Accessed 17 Nov 2014

Waterman RH Jr. (1994) What America does right: learning from companies that put people first. W.W. Norton & Company, New York

Y-Kampus (2014) About Y-Kampus. http://y-kampus.fi/en/. Accessed 17 Nov 2014