Aalto University has launched a corporate collaboration with Murata to support lifewide learning

The aim of the collaboration is to present the Aalto Lifewide Learning portfolio so that companies could better find suitable courses or programmes for their employees.

The company-specific website features eight top-pick courses or programmes and 17 other courses under themes such as artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, big data, industrial engineering and management, electronic engineering as well as management and communications.

“The studies were selected in our internal coordinating group that glanced through the whole educational portfolio of Aalto and hand-picked the most suitable studies. The study selection is meant to be updated according to Aalto’s current offering as well as the changing needs of our business”, states Tuomas Nurmi, Senior HR Manager at Murata.

Some of the studies are offered by Aalto University Executive Education that has also participated in building the website.

“This is new territory for us and a good pilot for Aalto in company-centred approach towards lifewide learning. We are also continuously developing methods for learning on the job”, says Hanna-Riikka Myllymäki, Director for Lifewide Learning Development and Partnerships at Aalto EE.

The course collaboration is a part of a comprehensive partnership between Aalto University and Murata that includes study paths all the way to master’s and doctor’s degrees, participation in Aalto’s courses, mentoring international students, company visits and alumni collaboration.

Learning can be scheduled as part of working time

For Murata, the course offering is a new way to update personnel competence and to support the possibility to study extensively, while it also has concrete advantages for business.

“Updating the skills and knowledge of our employees is essential for business, and we need a variety of tools to do that. It is the role of the company and supervisors to act as enablers”, says Tero Kähkönen, SVP, General & Administration at Murata.

According to Murata’s company policy, supervisors encourage their subordinates to use part of their working time for studying. It can be learning new things at work, formal education or basically any content that supports the employee’s learning and development.

There have been two questionnaires measuring time consumption, and according to the results, many teams haven’t reached their goal yet. Many people feel that lack of time is the biggest hindrance.

”This is something we must take into consideration in leadership and managerial work. It is important that we share a common vision about learning and development, because it is as important as any other work and there should be time reserved for it.”

The course offering answers urgent needs for learning new things, but it can also have far-reaching advantages for employees.

“Studying these courses might spark a desire to continue studies towards a degree.”

This article was first published on 9 January by Aalto University.