The organization and strategy of the HEI
Metropolia is an international and multidisciplinary university of applied sciences in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, educating future professionals in the fields of Culture, Business, Health Care and Social Services, and Technology. It is the largest UAS in Finland. It forms a community of nearly 17,000 degree students, approximately 21,900 students of lifelong learning and 1,000 personnel representatives. In addition, approximately 2,700 people attended paid continuing education. In 2021, Metropolia offered
- 42 Bachelor’s programmes, six of which were provided in English
- 27 Master’s programmes, eight of which were provided in English
In terms of attractiveness, Metropolia ranks at the top of the universities of applied sciences in Finland: 4.09 primary applicants per study place in 2021. During the same year, the number of Bachelor’s degree graduates was 2,711 and that of Master’s degree graduates was 516. Lifelong learning students completed 79,905 ECTS credits. The rate of employment among the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree graduates is nearly 90% one year after graduation.
Metropolia wants to be a bold reformer of higher education and expertise and function as an active partner building society and a sustainable future by putting people first. The strategy leans on Metropolia’s values: transparency, community spirit, high quality and expertise. At the core of the strategy are lifelong learning and phenomenon-based innovation hubs. Metropolia implements them through three intersecting themes: sustainable development and growth, people and culture, and digitalization. The strategic themes form a systemic, open entity in which various contributing factors influence each other (figure 1). Metropolia’s international actions support the implementation of the strategy for university of applied sciences and encompass all operations. The objectives are laid out in the International Action Plan.
Figure 1 Metropolia’s values and strategic themes
At the core of Metropolia are ten schools and five innovation hubs (figure 2). In their respective fields of education, the schools are responsible for the performance and quality of Metropolia’s core functions, i.e. education, research, development and innovation, and business activities. RDI activities are carried out through five innovation hubs. The RDI activities and Education make use of the campuses’ collaboration platforms which offer opportunities for experimentation, testing and piloting. The Continuing Education and Enterprise Services bring the competence of the schools to companies and other external clients. The Services support all Metropolia’s operations.
Figure 2 Metropolia’s organization
Metropolia is a limited liability company owned by the municipalities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Revenue in 2021 was EUR 119.7 million, up by 7.3% from the previous year. The total volume of the RDI activities in 2021 was EUR 18.9 million, in line with the previous year.
Metropolia’s strategy is approved and the operations are directed by the Board of Directors. A management group supervises and monitors the implementation of the strategy regularly and provides quarterly reports to the Board and publishes public impact reviews. Management group members have a direct responsibility for the five themes included in the strategy. A leadership forum facilitates interaction between the management group and middle management. For individual people, the strategy directs development discussions and increases personal understanding of how work is linked to the implementation of strategy.