AALTO UNIVERSITY COOPERATION

Trim-Upskilling™-process in the analysis of the Aalto University students

The Trim-Upskilling™ method created by Trimmi Inspiring offered substance to study for two courses in the Aalto University in the year 2017-2018. The co-operation was realized as a part of the courses Management of Networked Business Processes (responsible teacher Rita Lavikka) and co-development Interventions in Business Networks (responsible teacher Miia Jaatinen) under professor Riitta Smeds.

The Trim-Upskilling™-method speeds up the renewal and updating of competence in companies and their personnel. In the co-operation the skills and silent knowledge collected by experience in the work can be forwarded from one company to another. The individuals taking part in the learning process distribute the acquired competence in their own organization, and both participants benefit.

In the first course the students drew up a visual process model of the method and analyzed and identified the challenges and the potential embedded in the process. The students made the model and analyzed it as a case study implemented by Trimmi Inspire Oy and its network, where two companies, Grano Oy ja Suomen Telecenter Oy (later: Soldem Oy) exploited each other’s competence sharing lead by Trimmi Inspire Oy.

In the second course the students reflected the roles and the meaning of the ecosystem in the Upskilling™ process and the service offered by Trimmi Inspire. The students collected knowledge for their work not only from Trimmi Inspire but also from the two companies (Grano Oy: and Soldem Oy) who took part in the process. Under the guidance of their teachers the students designed and facilitated two workshops, where Trimmi ja the participant companies developed the future of the Upskilling™ service together.

In their exercise the students applied the participating, knowledge co-creating SimLab™ process development methods improved by the research group under the leadership of professor Smeds.

Valuable improvement suggestions from the students

At the end of the courses the students introduced suggestions for further development of the process. For instance they highlighted the need for extension of the co-operation network to simplify the finding of compatible companies and the usage of digital tools during the Upskilling™-process to collect and change the needed information. Also the facilitation of the learning process and the endorsement of the knowledge distribution in the companies after the Trim-Upskilling™ process was emphasized in the suggestions of the students.

CEO Pauliina Inervo of Trimmi Inspire Oy was satisfied with the conclutions of the students, who had delved into the work and she promised to take them up also with the companies who had taken part of the Trim-Upskilling™-process. – I thank all the students and the leaders of the course. The co-operation and the results of the work done by the student groups have given us new viewpoints and further aspects to develop our Upskilling™-process, Pauliina said.

The head of HR Pia Rannikko from Grano, one of the companies which had participated in Trim-Upskilling™ emphasized the role of Trimmi Inspire in the learning process.

- The role of the leaders of Trimmi Inspire during the Upskilling™-process was really significant. They identified the needs of competences, the coaching during the process was very important, and the quality of the process was in their hands.

Trimmi Inspire Oy with their co-operative partners served in two semesters 2017-18 as an excercise case on Aalto University industrial engineering and management courses Management of Networked Business Processes ja Co-development Interventions in Business Networks. The courses are developed based on SimLab research.