Amazing Business Train

The change in the funding mechanism of Finnish universities forced HAMK University of Applied Sciences to question its old strategies and operations. A totally new strategy was created and as a part of it the pedagogic approach was renewed. The new model of teaching emphasizes for example quick pilot projects for trying new things and team working in order to improve the efficiency of teaching.

One way to learn entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and attitude in a relatively short time is to catch the Amazing Business Train. Adventuring and discovering one’s entrepreneurship and business development abilities can be supported  by exposing students, teachers and experts to different authentic conditions,surprises, interactions, decision making and risk taking, requirements, information searching, individual thinking and group working wrapped around one’s own business idea. An intensive programme was implemented partly before the train journey, when the train was moving and heading to the next stops, in the locations where the train stopped and after two days train journey had ended.

* The case was extracted from the UIIN Good Practice Series 2014 – Case Studies on Engaged and Entrepreneurial Universities. Arno Meerman & Thorsten Kliewe (eds.) Authors: Ulla Bard and Vesa Tuomela