Shared services bring a multitude of benefits to our HEI community
Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University together develop the higher education community in Tampere and higher education in Finland in general. The goal is to continuously improve the impact of our efforts on education by, for instance, sharing learning environments and, in RDI activities, with shared projects combining scientific research and its working life applications. We improve efficiency and ensure the breadth of competence available by centrally producing internal services with our agreed distribution of responsibilities.
Cooperation in education and in projects
In June, we co-organised Pedaforum, the annual conference on pedagogy in universities and universities of applied sciences. In November, a theme week organised by the Teaching and Learning Centre introduced the subject of open learning to the HEI community through, for instance, webinars and a workshop.
In our E3 project, we developed solutions for epidemics and pandemics. We launched the RECO2.0 project designed to develop a new type of development platform where a community of city operators works to promote a carbon-neutral society. Our Sustainable Brain Health project gained visibility at the SuomiAreena festival which promotes debate on social issues. We completed our work on the RUOKO project which developed sustainable packaging materials and new recycling solutions for take-away food packages.
Advantages of shared services
Our shared social networking services create synergies in using competences and developing solutions. In both institutes of higher learning, customers have a wide range of combined expert competences at their disposal. In terms of shared services, the potential for development is particularly potent in the utilisation of digital transformation and service automation. In procurement and outsourced services, we have achieved significant advantages and cost savings by working together.
At TAMK, we provide sports and exercise services as well as facilities management for the university. The university is responsible for library, financial administration and information management services along with development of travel services and inviting tenders for shared procurement. In our shared customer satisfaction survey, the average of general grades, now at 3.9 (on a scale of 1 to 5), improved markedly from the previous year. Even at its lowest, the averages for various services stood at a respectable 3.5.
TAMK was praised for its services:
Lately, the services have improved despite difficult circumstances.
Primarily, the services work well.
In free-form feedback, personnel was particularly well praised:
When filling out this survey, I had the uplifting realisation of how lucky I am to get to interact with such helpful people! Thank you for the survey.
The services personnel have generally been fast, flexible and friendly.
TAMK supported the university in their auditing by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre with quality control expert work for one year (0.2 man-years). We invited tenders for a shared printing and copying solution for the next four-year period in cooperation with Unigrafia Oy, owned by institutes of higher learning in the capital region. Last summer, support functions and ordering for small-scale procurement was incorporated into TAMK’s own procurement service. These were previously managed with a financial administration service purchased from the university.
Text: Mikko Naukkarinen, Service Director, Community Services
Editors: TAMK Communications
Image: Konsta Leppänen