Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences increased productivity by digitizing work training management

Digitalization has evolved from a buzzword to a core element of all organizations’ daily operations. Universities of applied sciences will no longer simply adopt tools, but rather will exploit them for better teaching and administration. 

This article describes how Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK), in collaboration with Workseed Ltd, took a significant leap towards digital reform in work training and on-the-job-learning (OJL) with digital internship management. 
 

Common challenges with internships in higher education

 
In Finnish universities of applied sciences, work training and on-the-job-learning (OJL) constitute a major component of formal studies. They offer students an opportunity to learn practical skills and apply theoretical knowledge they have previously accumulated. Through internships, students will:

• gain important skills in their domain of speciality
• develop their professional soft skills
• gain valuable work experience

This benefits not only the student, but also the training organization that gains exposure as a potential employer. 

Internship periods vary from 5 to 20 months, depending on the industry. Internships can be temporary, split into smaller work contracts, or completed in more than one workplace. Students can look for internships on their own or using internship portals provided by the academic institution. 
 

Background to the reform at JAMK

 
Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK in short) recognized the need to reform their work training process in 2021. The reform was based on the following fundamental areas of development:

• The need to reform processing and archiving internship contracts
  The university of applied sciences spend considerable time and effort administering contracts between the institution, workplaces, and students. Contracts would be printed on paper, signed by hand, delivered to the workplace, and then scanned manually for archiving. Teachers spent a significant proportion of their time with these manual processes, often being forced to spend less time with their students.

• Prevalence of human error in processing contracts
  There was a relatively high risk of misplacing or losing contracts due to the manual archiving process. Administration was worried that in some cases it would not be possible to locate legally necessary documents at the right time. 

• Inconsistent quality of support to students and technical limitations to tutoring
  The tutoring and support provided by teachers to students and training supervisors was perceived to be inconsistent and insufficient. A teacher would coordinate dozens of students at the same time, usually using a mix of email, internship reports, and remote meetings. Scheduling meetings and receiving reports was perceived as cumbersome and increased teachers’ workload.
  Required solution: An automatic, fully digital tool to approve and archive contracts to eliminate manual work.

JAMK decided to reform the process in order to increase efficiency of administrative work and to create flexible ways to work. New tools for improved internship management were needed.
 

How internship management was improved with Workseed

 
JAMK and Workseed Ltd initiated a collaborative project in autumn 2021 to design a fully digital project for internship management. The Workseed platform was deemed a suitable tool as it is designed specifically to support on-the-job-learning. Among other perks, the platform allows training supervisors direct access to legal documents and training assignments. 

A pilot phase of the project lasted for six months. During this period, JAMK perceived the following positive impacts of digital internship management on administrative work:

• Increased flexibility: The platform was seen to adapt well to the special needs of different departments. For instance within the context of health and social studies, the most common practice is to use framework contracts that do not require separate contracts for individual students. Other study areas may require individual internship contracts to be approved by multiple parties (school, student, workplace). In these cases, JAMK was able to streamline the process to take place entirely through the Workseed platform. 

• Streamlined communication. Signing and archiving contracts takes place faster due to automatic notifications. Improved internship management eliminates waste and improves workflows.

• Easy archive management. JAMK now archives legally required documents and contracts automatically. No separate archive or database is necessary. The platform automatically conserves all documents during studies and five years after graduation. 

• Increased quality of tutoring. Workseed gives teachers the necessary tools to tutor and support their students better and more regularly. The platform keeps documents, assignments, and feedback tools in the same place. Teachers can follow up their students easily, give feedback, identify need for support, and message flexibly. 

• Ease of identifying problems. Extensive visual dashboards and reporting tools allow JAMK teachers to identify situations where students are struggling or falling behind schedule faster than before. Interventions and individual support are easy to offer with better internship management.

These experiences clearly demonstrate the benefits of digital internship management and the opportunities to streamline on-the-job-learning.