Building the Future Together: IONCOR’s Strategic Cooperation with Finnish Educational Institutions

In Finland, our most established partnerships are with Turku University of Applied Sciences and Salo Region Vocational College. These collaborations bring together education and working life in a concrete way and create real value for students, teachers, and our organization alike. Furthermore, we are in constant connection with several other schools and educational institutions through projects, visits, and other forms of cooperation.

Turku University of Applied Sciences: A strategic partnership built on a shared vision

The recently signed three-year strategic-level cooperation agreement with Turku University of Applied Sciences marks an important milestone in a collaboration that began already in 2021. The agreement reflects a shared ambition to build long-term, goal-oriented cooperation that delivers measurable benefits for both parties. At its heart is a common understanding that competence, innovation, and growth are best developed together.

This partnership supports learning on both sides. Through student projects, internships, theses, and workplace learning, future professionals gain valuable real-world experience while IONCOR benefits from fresh ideas and new knowledge. The cooperation also enables the development of our staff through competence sharing and joint learning. Research, development and innovation activities form another important dimension, while active communication increases the visibility and impact of both partners.

The work is guided by a concrete action plan, and progress is reviewed regularly in joint meetings. A steering group with representatives from both organizations ensures systematic development and continuity, which ensures that the partnership remains agile and responsive to changing needs.

Salo Region Vocational College: A long-standing and practical collaboration

Our cooperation with Salo Region Vocational College has been ongoing since the launch of the Salo battery plant in 2019. It represents a particularly hands-on model of how education and industry can meet in everyday work. The goals are closely aligned with those of our university partnership: supporting students’ transition to working life, developing staff competence, creating new operating models, and strengthening regional visibility.

The long-standing collaboration has yielded concrete and innovative outcomes. One concrete example is the presence of a vocational college teacher at the IONCOR Salo battery plant. This novel arrangement allows our employees to receive guidance and support in their practical studies directly in their working environment. Learning does not take place separately from daily operations but becomes a natural part of the work itself. The cooperation has also gained visibility in the region through articles in the leading local newspaper, highlighting the importance of our collaboration and setting an example for other companies in the area.

Creating value for today and tomorrow

These partnerships are active platforms for continuous learning. Students gain meaningful career opportunities and hands-on experience, educators stay closely connected to the needs of modern industry, and our employees develop their skills in a structured and supportive way. For IONCOR, the cooperation brings new insights, strengthens our knowledge base, and helps us engage with the next generation of experts at an early stage.

Above all, collaboration with educational institutions is a strategic investment in the future. We are building sustainable competence, enabling innovation, and supporting lifelong learning. Together, we are not only responding to the needs of today’s working life but also actively shaping the skills, knowledge, and success of tomorrow.