The University of Eastern Finland responds to the challenges posed to education by the transformation of working life through an extensive academic offering, as well as through open, diverse and flexible education. The Centre for Continuous Learning offers individually tailored guidance and counselling services and a broad range of opportunities for competence development. Tero Karjalainen will start as the Director of the new centre in the beginning of 2021.
The University of Eastern Finland has a strong strategic commitment to becoming a pioneer of continuous learning in Finland. By establishing the Centre for Continuous Learning, the university seeks to further strengthen its extensive academic offering in continuous learning, and to build a new model for continuous learning.
“Continuous learning calls for a significant systemic and cultural change in universities. The establishment of the Centre for Continuous Learning is our response to this challenge. A specific aim is to anticipate labour markets’ future needs for competence and to support individuals on their educational paths by offering personally tailored guidance and counselling services. We are also making significant investments in digital pedagogy, which constitutes an integral part of strengthening our activities related to continuous learning,” the University of Eastern Finland’s Academic Rector Tapio Määttä says.
Tero Karjalainen, PhD, has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Continuous Learning. He currently works as Research Manager and Deputy Head of the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Eastern Finland. He will start in his new role in the beginning of 2021.
“It will be interesting to expand my expertise in academic education from a completely new perspective. I believe that my earlier experience gives me a good foundation to build a new model where continuous learning is an inclusive part of the university’s education,” Karjalainen says.
Originally from Savonlinna, Karjalainen completed his PhD in applied physics at the University of Eastern Finland in 2016. He has a long and broad history of working for the university: he has served as a department head and been a member of a faculty council, the university’ Board and the University Collegiate Body.
Continuous learning is an activity that overarches the University of Eastern Finland. With its approximately 17,700 adult education students and 100 subjects available through the Open University, the University of Eastern Finland is one of the leading actors in the field of continuous learning in Finland. As part of its extensive offering available through the Open University, the university has made specific investments in MOOCs that are freely available to everyone over the internet, as well as in collaboration with general upper secondary schools. Continuous learning also encompasses working life oriented specialisation and continuing education. The University of Eastern Finland also offers its graduates a continued right to study, which makes it possible to continue studies after graduation.
For further information, please contact:
Academic Rector Tapio Määttä, University of Eastern Finland
tapio.maatta@uef.fi tel. +358 50 575 1589
Research Manager Tero Karjalainen, University of Eastern Finland
tero.karjalainen@uef.fi tel. +358 29 4453338
