Turku UAS responds to the lack of experts in ICT and early childhood education with international degree programmes

The group on Salo campus, which specializes in early childhood education, consists of 37 students. They represent several different nationalities: China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka constitute the largest participant groups.

By 2030, Finnish higher education institutions need to be able to produce about 15 000 new early childhood education professionals with a higher education degree, to be able to guarantee high-quality early childhood education for every child.

- The significant lack of personnel in early childhood education is a result of the new competence requirements, retirement of the current staff and the expansion of early childhood education to cover even more children. The degree programme which is now starting is a way to increase the number of experts, says Head of Education and Research Katariina Felixson from Turku University of Applied Sciences.

The Bachelor’s degree in Social Services provides students the abilities to work as professionals in social services and early childhood education and in different guidance, planning and development duties in health and well-being services. The extent of the degree is 210 ECTS credits and the duration is 3.5 years.

The English-language degree programme in ICT the most popular

In the first joint application round of the spring, Turku University of Applied Sciences offered two Bachelor’s and three Master’s degree programmes conducted in English. The English-language Bachelor’s degree programme in Information and Communications Technology attracted the largest number of applicants.

- The interest indicates the degree programme’s quality and topicality. Those who graduate from the degree programme are e.g., future information network and cybersecurity experts, software developers and health technology experts, and their skills impact e.g., on the future of society and industry, says Head of Education and Research Tero Reunanen from Turku UAS.

About 90 students from all around the world start in the degree programme in ICT. International students also relieve the profound lack of experts in the field of ICT.

- Our degree programme meets the current needs. Our next challenge is to integrate the students as quickly as possible in Finnish society and working life, so that as many of them as possible stay in Southwest Finland after graduation, Reunanen says.

The second most popular study option was the new degree programme Bachelor of Social Services. The others were Master’s degree programmes in Service Design, Creative Design Management and Industrial Quality Management. The applicant numbers rose in all degree programmes conducted in English compared with the previous spring.