Vamia focuses on robotics with a human touch
WITH APPROXIMATELY 5,000 students yearly and over 40 study programmes (containing a combined total of almost 70 qualifications), Vamia is the largest vocational school to prepare a wide range of professionals for Ostrobothnian business life.
“We educate people in various vocational areas in order to fulfil the needs of the whole region. To successfully manage that, we have increased our cooperation with business life and established a unit specialised in providing services for working life and companies”, says Åsa Stenbacka, the principal at Vamia.
VAMIA CONSTANTLY responds to the needs of the labour market by creating modern educational environments. These environments provide students with the opportunity to acquire the relevantskills needed to work with advanced technology, machines and appliances.
“We are building an environment for robotics, which includes an advanced welding robot. There we already have three collaborative robots, a.k.a. cobots, working together with humans.”
Another project is a smart home filled with all kinds of modern technology to assist practical nurses in their work (Vocational Qualification within Social and Health Care). “The nurses can communicate with patients living in a smart home audio-visually online. They ensure that the patients have taken their medication, for example, and they can even do visual check-ups if required.”
The robotics classroom and the smart home benefit working life by providing companies with the skilled employees they need. Firms can also use the environments for staff training.
“Nursing services, for example, can experience the opportunities that modern technology hasto offer on a practical level. On the robotics side, employees can understand how a welding robot works, and our facilities can even serve as a kind of test area for companies considering whether or not to acquire a welding robot in the future.”
VAMIA IS ABLE to keep track of the educational needs of tomorrow by maintaining close cooperation with the employers of the region. Robotics, automation and sustainability are the key focus areas for the time being at Vamia.
“Every student receives an individual study development plan based on their previous experience and studies. Thanks to a flexible examination structure, employees needing a specific competence can do only the desired parts of a programme.”
