This year we welcomed guests from PIONEER Alliance and other Laurea partner institutions to participate and share their expertise at our Laurea International Week & PIONEER festival 2026, during the Laurea Job Fest “Hopeful Future of Work” on Laurea Tikkurila and Leppävaara Campuses in Finland January 26-30, 2026. Laurea is also acting as a chair of PIONEER in 2026, so event was an exciting kick off for that! (Laurea 2026.)
PIONEER Festival – a vibrant showcase of European collaboration at Laurea
Laurea International Week is the annual international collaboration and networking event. This year’s programme featured keynotes, workshops, living lab and RDI project presentations, PIONEER festival and discussions that fostered knowledge-sharing and opened new avenues for collaboration. During the JobFest, the guests presented their universities at the stands, both in Tikkurila and Leppävaara. The PIONEER Alliance plays a key role in future-oriented international education.
The international week guests commented on the PIONEER festival:
“It was a great brainstorming session of ideas and concepts”
“I could present the project I work on and create new collaborations with professors.”
“Well prepared, but too little students were interested”
“Everything was well programed and organized”
“A very interesting and enriching experience on a personal and professional level.”
We are hoping to have more students and staff members involved in the next International Week to come.
PIONEER festival, photo by Sini Aalto-Friman
Bringing together Laurea students, employers and PIONEER Alliance members to discuss Hope-centred Future Working Life
The thematic focus “Hope‑centred Future Working Life,” was bringing together international partners, students, employers, and members of the PIONEER Alliance to reflect on how hope can serve as a strategic resource in education, professional development, and labor‑market resilience. This was the first time Job Fest and International Week were connected.
The concept of hope‑centredness was approached from individual, organizational, and societal perspectives. The approach emphasizes three interlinked components: goal‑oriented thinking, identification of multiple pathways, and a strong sense of agency. Hope is created and strengthened through human encounters, interaction, and shared meaning-making, forming a foundation for well‑being and purposeful engagement in working life.
International Week 2026 served as a platform to connect Laurea’s students with employers and international higher‑education partners. The event underscored the role of international experience in enhancing employability. Global exposure cultivates adaptability, intercultural communication skills, and broader professional awareness—competencies that increase graduates’ competitiveness in international labor markets. Participating companies were able to engage directly with students, present career opportunities, and learn more about students’ expectations of future working life.
The programme also highlighted the broader academic and developmental value of international global engagement. Exposure to diverse cultures and languages fosters curiosity, expands intellectual horizons, and may inspire interest in emerging fields such as sustainability, global health, and international relations. Such experiences promote lifelong learning and strengthen students’ readiness for global citizenship.
The thematic sessions addressed international competence development, labor‑market trends, and the growing relevance of cross‑cultural skills in an interconnected world. The week’s activities reflected Laurea’s commitment to forming a more inclusive and empathetic European higher‑education community. The aim of Laurea International Week is to support community engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and active networking, which are core objectives within the PIONEER European Alliance.
Laurea’s International Week 2026 ultimately reaffirmed the institution’s dedication to building a hopeful, resilient, and future‑oriented working life in partnership with students, professionals, and international collaborators. The event highlighted how shared perspectives, dialogue, and purposeful cooperation are essential for shaping a sustainable and human‑centred future.
Programme highlights
Futurist Sanna Ketonen-Oksi from Laurea highlighted hope, resiliency and agency in her keynote in these turbulent times. She gave a broad overview of the topic and futures consciousness. What stayed in my mind was the quote from Jackie Kinley (2026 ): “We´re living through a rupture in the moral order. Not a lack of information. Not a lack of intelligence. A lack of courage.” Danilo Dominguez (2026) states “Resilience is not returning to the old self, but moving forward with greater self-understanding, integration and strength.” And the last quote that I remember is from Riel Miller (2026): “Discussions about the future are frequently frames around certainty, planning, control, and familiar ideas of progress. This is not resulting from a lack of foresight, but a lack of imagination.” So, courage and imagination are indeed needed in this world to succeed.
Tuesday started with an inspiring keynote; ”21st Century Digital Skills” from Senior Lecturer, Dr Asko Mononen, where he discussed global challenges, new technologies and hybrid and digital warfare among many other aspects. In the afternoon we enjoyed the panel discussion on PIONEER Perspectives: Shaping the Future of Higher Education Ecosystems. Thank you to the panelists: Eike Permin from TH Köln, Lizanne Richtle from Berner Fachhochschule and Petra Bujnakova from University of Zilina, and of course thanks to moderator Dr Mika Launikari and commentator Ilkka Kurkela. They highlighted that higher education institutions are not always aware of all the possibilities creating value with innovative ecosystems. This needs coordination and cooperation to bring people together where interests meet. This event was facilitating and taking responsibility by initiating discussions. Trust and value building are needed to create ecosystem collaboration. As discussed, nobody survives alone and we are the ones helping students to connect with working life. These international events are a great opportunity to learn from each other.
PIONEER panel. Photo by Sini Aalto-Friman
On Wednesday Laurea Leppävaara campus was full of international atmosphere, when we had Laurea International Week 2026, PIONEER Festival, PIONEER work package 6 meeting and Job Fest simultaneously! Our programme started with the keynote of Specialist Sanna Niinikoski: ”Towards Sustainable Future Cities – Challenge-Based Education as a Driver for SGD11”.
After PIONEER Festival I facilitated the session about COILs, where Eva Zielasko from TH Köln explained what COILs, COIL initiative and COIL network all are about. COIL network is created by TH Köln and the purpose is to inform PIONEER universities about Collaborative Online International Leaning possibilities. Materials have been created and trainings are organized in the alliance to organize COILs. A new online platform will be launched, where teachers can present their COIL ideas and connect with other teachers in PIONEER Alliance. So far, the matching has been done live in TH Köln, where I presented the ideas of interested Laurea teachers and online after that.
The session continued with hearing about COIL best practices of Senior Lecturer Elina Wainio, who is very internationally oriented and our guest Halyna Levkiv from University of Freiburg in Germany. The day ended with PIONEER Ecosystem Collaboration presentation by Director Ilkka Kurkela.
Thursday Week started with the presentation of EDI at Laurea: ”Current Practices and Future Vision” by HR Coordinator Miika Mäki-Torkko. Then we continued to Laurea Living Lab Avenue and RDI presentations and enjoyed mocktails containing zero waste cordial prepared by Bar Laurea. The last day of PIONEER Festival included great discussions, and the students collected many brand-new Laurea & PIONEER badges! Director Pauliina Nurkka and Senior Lecturer Dr Niina Kovalainen had an exciting workshop about International Competences in the new Laurea Curriculum. The day ended with the presentation of HRD Manager Eriika Rieppo about Competence Development at Laurea.
Moctails at BarLab, photo by Sini Aalto-Friman
Networking sessions were about organizing Blended Intensive Programmes, Collaborative Online International Learning and Entrepreneurship, Partnerships and Innovation. During the last day we dove into Laurea alumni career stories, when we heard the inspirational speeches of Pauliina Törnqvist from Meta, USA and Sonja Tammentie from IBSA Nordic. The day ended with the session by Jyrki Innanen from Laurea and Pasi Petäjä, from Eximia, the key partner of Laurea.
International Curriculum Session, photo by Sini Aalto-Friman
Entrepreneurship, Partnerships and Innovation networking session, photo by Sini Aalto-Friman
Excellent feedback from participants
Participant’s feedback was exceptionally positive. Attendees praised the warm and inviting atmosphere, and commented:
“The international week was well organized” was evaluated 5/5 among all answered participants
Most found that international week was useful to them professionally
All respondents would recommend attending Laurea International Week to colleagues
All respondents found the presentations to be “great”
“Everything was appropriate and well organised.”
“Everything’s perfect”
“Please stick to this nice timetable which leaves time for individual sightseeing in the afternoon/ evening. It was very well organised! Thank you!”
The development idea for future is to have more interactive sessions for participants and a high level of participant engagement through discussions, working groups, and similar interactive formats.
Many participants reported gaining new ideas and contacts for future collaboration. Our international guests were impressed by the active and helpful involvement of Laurea’s staff in organizing the event.
A result of careful preparation and teamwork
Large international events require long-term planning and preparation. Annual Laurea International Week is an inspiring example of how thorough preparation leads to satisfied international participants. Organizing the event is always a major effort, but the most rewarding aspect is to see the satisfied international guests gaining new inspiration for the work and future collaboration.
Hosting comes with responsibility – and opportunity
Serving as the host institution is much more than providing facilities. It is an opportunity to:
- show who we are and what we value,
- build relationships and learn from others and
- share our expertise.
At the same time, hosting carries responsibility: creating an environment where every guest feels welcome and inspired. A heartfelt thank you to the colleagues who contributed to the success of Laurea International Week, whether you were organizing, presenting, facilitating or networking during the event.
Conclusions and future actions
Laurea International Week is a recognized initiative that highlights the value of international education, employment and cultural exchange. This annual event is an important arena for educational institutions, organizations and communities, offering benefits such as promoting global understanding and fostering cross-cultural awareness and appreciation (Laurea 2026). In these turbulent times with insecurities and fast changes we need hope more than ever. As discussed during the week hope can be seen in everyday actions. Common hope makes us resilient, brave and creative and these skills are needed in working life more than ever.
Now it is time to plan the next events, mark them in your agendas and stay tuned!
- The next PIONEER event is the EDI& Mobility pilot kick off BIP April 13-17, 2026, on Leppävaara campus, called “Co-creating Inclusive Mobility Possibilities and EDI Awareness in PIONEER!”
- The next Laurea International Week 2027 will be organized March 15-19, 2027, on Leppävaara campus. Please contact Sini Aalto-Friman for participating in the ideation of this event.
“Getting to know people from different horizons made my week diverse and rich. I came back to work talking about this great experience and encouraged my colleagues to participate in events of this type.”-Feedback from a participant
Together we created a memorable experience of PIONEER and the European cooperation!
Group photo, photo by Mila Kajas
References
This article has used Copilot artificial intelligence to assist in summarizing and editing the content in chapter ”Bringing together Laurea students, employers and PIONEER Alliance members to discuss Hope-centred Future Working Life”.
