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Metropolia receives international recognition from the World Economic Forum

On 15 January, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences' multidisciplinary innovation project MINNO received an important recognition from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, for its Reskilling Revolution programme.

Published: 25.1.2024

The Skills-First Lighthouse regocnition by the World Economic Forum is given for practical and innovative activities that benefit society and individuals by identifying, strengthening and articulating skills in a work-life context. Skills-first strategies focus directly on skills rather than how they have been acquired.

MINNO is a European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) innovation project within the curriculum of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, based in the Finnish capital Helsinki. The MINNO project serves as a bridge between the education and the professional spheres, reinforcing learners’ networks and self-leadership and project management skills. Introduced in 2008, the initiative focuses on real-world challenges, incorporating entrepreneurial skills, design thinking and multidisciplinary team learning. Post-training, 100 MINNO coaches guide projects while 35 MINNO coordinators work to establish a culture of sustainable skills development.

It is important for us to enable cooperation between students from different fields and cultures and our partners in working life through multidisciplinary innovation projects.
– Riitta Konkola, President & CEO of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

“This international recognition is very important for Metropolia. As the largest university of applied sciences in Finland, it is important for us to enable cooperation between students from different fields and cultures and our partners in working life through multidisciplinary innovation projects, or MINNOs. We will do our best to strengthen our students’ skills for the changing world of work and also to strengthen the network of our international talents. MINNO acts as a bridge between Metropolia and the working life. It focuses on the real challenges of working life and together we seek new solutions. MINNO projects enable our partners to develop their activities in an innovative way,” says Metropolia’s President, CEO Riitta Konkola.

Innovative solutions to real-world challenges

Metropolia was recognised for its long-term work, which began in 2008 and has systematically developed the concept of multidisciplinarity, cooperation with working life and student innovation. Innovation is in the heart of Metropolia’s strategy and they have systematically implemented innovation pedagogy. Metropolia students complete over 1,000 innovation projects every year, and it is mandatory for all degree students.

These projects aim to teach students to develop innovative solutions to a variety of real-world, work-related challenges during their studies. At the same time, they develop students’ entrepreneurial skills, capacity for innovation, their ability to collaborate with actors from different fields and their ability to think ahead.

Metropolia’s MINNO projects can combine research, development and learning. The common feature of these innovation projects is the renewal and development of services, processes, methods or products in cooperation with partners from working life.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international foundation dedicated to promoting globalisation, free trade and public-private cooperation. Every January, economic and political leaders meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Read the original article on Metropolia’s website.

Read the report on the World Economic Forum’s website: Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets