Turku University of Applied Sciences received an AASE certificate
Turku University of Applied Sciences' degree programme in sales engineering has among the first received an AASE certificate. The certificate has been awarded by the International Academic Association of Sales Engineering, which aims to promote sales engineering education in Europe.
Text: Siiri Welling
– The certificate means a lot to our education. It shows that our curriculum in sales engineering is exactly what it is supposed to be. Now everyone who studies the field and graduates from our institution can mention the AASE certificate in their own curriculum vitae, says Degree Programme Leader Rauni Jaskari from Turku University of Applied Sciences.
Turku University of Applied Sciences' sales engineering education has started last year. There were about fifty people who started in the first year, similarly this year. Sales engineers are placed in the degree programme in industrial management and engineering, but they have their own learning plan that includes the development of knowledge and skills in sales competence each academic year.
According to Jaskari, there is a great need for the expertise of sales engineers in companies in the region. The technical knowledge of sales engineers helps in selling technical products and services.
The sales engineer understands the customer’s needs even in terms of the most technical features or performance and can take those needs forward in the organization smoothly. One of Turku University of Applied Sciences' strategic spearheads is to increase sales expertise in the region.
– With the AASE certificate, the value of our education increases. Sales expertise is really needed in Finland and Europe. The increase in the appreciation of sales has increased the amount of sales teaching and research. Based on the research results, sales skills need to be further developed. If we think, for example, of Finland's sales abroad, exports and its growth, sales expertise plays an important role in this. Plenty of jobs also seem to be available for sales engineers, says Jaskari.
Turku University of Applied Sciences has been a member of
AASE
since 2017. In addition to Turku, AASE universities of applied sciences are located in Germany, France, and Austria. A similar learning plan has made it possible to conclude several double degree agreements with European universities of applied sciences, which is an advantage for the sales engineers of Turku University of Applied Sciences.
– AASE cooperation and certification help us find more suitable international partners, Jaskari concludes.