Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

Within the field of health care and social services, Metropolia UAS provides Finland’s largest offering with 43 Bachelor’s (of which six in English) and 26 Master’s degree (of which six in English). Our extensive education trains experts for almost all professions in its field in Finland. Cooperation in the Helsinki metropolitan area with the major social and health care stakeholders produces new product innovations, operational models, methods, environments, tools and services in addition to knowledge.

In Metropolia Master’s degree programs provide new expert knowledge for tackling demanding change and development projects at work. In the Master’s Metropolia is Finland’s largest University of Applied Sciences with 16 400 students and 920 staff members. It educates the professionals in the field of Culture, Business, Health Care and Social Services, and Technology. Through four fields of study; degree programmes; international activities, services and know-how for industries, organization, and education export.

Degree Programme in Social Services (Master) has around 50 students and 9 lecturers. The objective of the MPSSis to educate professionals who can work in tasks developing basic and special services of social services and assume managerial roles in client service, work as special experts of their field. The competences are special expertise in the field of social services, management and development in the field of social services and research and development. The degree places considerable emphasis on the promotion of social welfare of children, young people and families. Example during programme students can analyse the global changes in society critically and anticipate the social impact of these changes on people’s wellbeing. 

Regarding our role in the project, we will be working onIntellectual output 1, creating and designing the Pedagogical Framework for Transversal Skills (critical and creative thinking, social- and emotional skills and Learning to learn). We will also be involved in overall developing work, like improving these competencies during new innovative teaching and learning strategies in Finland in MUA and stakeholders.

PRINCIPAL INVETSIGATORS: 

Eija Raatikainen (PhD / University of Helsinki) is a Principal Lecturer in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Social Services programme. She has done part of her PhD studies in University of Cambridge (3 months). Her academic focus is “Trust” and “Qualified Empathy”, as phenomena in different fields, such as social work and educational practice. She has also worked as Vocational Teacher Educator in HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences in the teacher education programme (2012-2016).

In addition, she has five years of experience as an academic coordinator in multicultural and multiprofessional Erasmus Intensive Programmes: Poverty and Social Exclusion (2011-2013) and Combating Risk Behaviour Among Youngsters (2014-2015). Project tasks included applications work, teachers’ team leading & reporting. She has also worked in the national project concerning multiculturalism in Metropolia (KAMU), mostly academic writing, and in other projects such as OTTO, Tutu, Kapu, Verkkovirta, MATTI, SOCRE & ISTHEC (ERASMUS Plus). She has also worked as Project Manager in NORDPLUS project (Qualified Empathy) and MOTIIVI (ESF) including funding applications, team leading, budgeting and reporting (Finland, Norway and Denmark). Currently she is working as Project Manager in the FUTU project (ESF). She is a visitor chief-in Editor of Journal of Social Pedagogy (Finland).

Katriina Rantala-Nenonen (M.Soc.Sc.) is a Senior Lecturer at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. She teaches social sciences and works as a supervising teacher of professional growth both in bachelor’s and master’s Programs in Social Services. She has also been Head of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Social Services and been responsible for the curriculums of these programs. She has experience as a project manager, project worker and counsellor in student welfare of vocational education. She is interested in issues of the welfare state, social participation and exclusion as well as the professional growth of students.