Established in 2016, the Financial Academy is a collaborative network that connects financial sector employers and educational institutions. Its key objective is to increase and strengthen collaboration between financial sector companies and educational institutions so that the needs of working life are taken into account in teaching and training. The network also seeks to improve the sector’s employer image.
Many events to bring the Financial Academy’s members together for innovation
At the centre of the Financial Academy’s operations are different kinds of working groups and events that bring the educational and employer parties together. The network members’ active participation and interest in developing the Academy and ensuring that the financial sector has access to skilled employees have been in a key role when planning new course selections and concepts for events. They are also vital for increasing the Financial Academy’s renown to the public.
Financial Academy concepts include, for example:
- EtäTET (remote work practice), which has enabled nearly 4,000 teenagers to gain real-world work experience from the financial sector with its diverse range of tasks
- EtäFIT (remote field experience for teachers), which has enabled nearly 100 teachers to update their knowledge of the financial sector’s skill and competence requirements
- Ajatustori (ideas market), which is the Financial Academy’s newest dialogue concept focusing on fresh and emerging themes in the sector
- Get-togethers that invite the members of the network to discuss the financial sector’s competence requirements and the development of the Financial Academy in a more casual atmosphere
In addition to these events, Finance Finland’s (FFI) members and the educational institutions can engage in their own exercises and collaborative projects to promote competence and HR development in the sector.
The Financial Academy seeks to enhance its operations and reputation even further in 2022
In 2022, the Financial Academy is working on developing its operations further as well as on increasing the reputation and renown of the network. “Our members have found the Financial Academy to be a very useful and workable concept. In fact, one of our goals this year is to encourage other sectors and educational institutions to implement our model as well. This would benefit life-long learning nation-wide across Finland”, says Katja Repo, director of competence development and digitalisation at Finance Finland.
To increase awareness of the Financial Academy, we made a video to promote the collaborative network in different events and social media. Like the slogan of the campaign says: the future is already here, and its makers are born out of cooperation between the sector’s companies and the educational institutions.
