Production and Project Competence

The strategic goals of Humak’s cultural management competence area are based on the development of diverse environments for cultural and artistic management and services. The strategic goals are:

• Promoting the ability of different industries to utilize Humak’s multi-professional management expertise
• Supporting and promoting the involvement and participation of citizens in cultural productions
• Taking an active part in national and international cultural networks

The goals of the competence area are to take care of strengthening and developing production and project competence. The focus here in the coming years will be

• Sustainable development (culturally, socially and ecologically sustainable cultural production)
• New technologies and digital production environments.

RDI, education and business

Continuous learning products and services are also being developed in an innovative way by actively utilizing new communication and training technologies. The tools here are

• Education provided through Open University (continuous learning)
• Joint CampusOnline service between universities and other cooperation between educational institutions
• National and international training business

The “product families” developed for the competence area can be divided into three parts:

1. Research, Development and Innovation (RDI)
2. Training
3. Business.

RDI work is carried out in accordance with the principles of research development and critical reflection of the achieved results.

Externally funded development projects are at the heart of RDI-based learning. They are also closely linked to the degree training provided and are of considerable importance for the development of the organization and the continuous learning of the staff.

RDI-based learning supports work-based projects and individual learning tasks developed by students in collaboration with communities and organisations. As the number of diverse online studies in the future increases, the entirety of cultural management and the status of RDI work as part of the activities of higher education institutions will be strengthened.

The business model of this key competence area is based on on-demand training, expert lectures and consulting and facilitation services.

Our expertise is supported by an extensive and comprehensive network. Active project and development work has helped to build not only short-term and rapid-response partnerships, but also long-term partnerships. Much of the network has been formed through project activities, but the expansion of the student internship network has also played a role.

The Need for Cultural Management Expertise

There is a growing need in society to increase cultural management competence. Superficial teaching of these skills, for example within art education degrees, does not solve the problem of competence shortage. In a multidisciplinary operating environment, cultural management experts and professionals capable of design, production, marketing and management tasks are needed.

Humak’s cultural manager training and related development activities are already able to respond extensively to these needs, and it is foreseeable that the demand for the expertise offered by Humak will continue to grow in the future. Continuous learning products and services are also being developed in an innovative way and by actively utilizing new communication and training technologies.

Cultural managers who graduated in 2013-2018 (74% graduated in 2016 or earlier), 84% have been employed within six months and a total of 87% a year after graduation. 58% of cultural managers were employed during their studies.

Key Competence Product Families

The “product families” developed for key competences, through which the strategic work of the focus area manifests, can be divided into three entities, which are research, development and innovation (RDI), education and business.

RDI activities are planned by taking into account the previously mentioned priorities in the strategy for culturally, socially and ecologically sustainable cultural management, as well as digital production environments and new technologies. RDI work is carried out in accordance with the principles of research development and critical reflection of the results achieved.

Externally funded development projects are at the heart of RDI-based learning, both for student learning and for organizational development and continuous staff learning. The priorities of the competence peak presented above determine the content of the projects planned. In addition to project work, external funding enables participation in wider networks of experts and research.

RDI-based learning supports work-based projects and individual learning tasks developed by students in collaboration with background communities and organizations. As the number of diverse online studies increases, the whole key competence area of cultural management (Bachelor’s and Masters’) and the status of RDI work as part of the activities of higher education institutions will be strengthened.

RDI work is also inextricably linked to educational activities and the goals of lifelong learning. The key competences of cultural management include:

1. developing diverse environments for cultural and artistic productions and services,
2. making the knowledge-base of professional producers available to different industries,
3. promoting management skills as inclusive activities; and
4. networking both nationally and internationally.

One of the goals of this key competence area is to create an English-language degree with a focus on event and festival production. The degree will be part of the development of in-service training in English and training packages suitable for export.

At the forefront of productivity, competencies and various pathways leading to studies have already been developed and commercialized. Competence packages aimed at different target groups will be updated to serve continuous learning, in-service training needs and degree training needs.

The business of cultural management key competence area means paid commissioned training, expert lectures and facilitation services. In terms of business, the strengths of cultural management (Culturally, socially and ecologically sustainable cultural production; New technologies and digital production environments) work together by utilizing the product services of Humak’s creative industries business service Creve.

Strategic Partners and Central Networks

An extensive network supports our key competence areas. Active project and development work has helped to build not only short-term and fast-responding changes in the financial field, but also long-term partnerships, through which far-reaching measures have been articulated in terms of development goals. Much of the network has been formed through project activities, but the expansion of the student internship network has also played a role.

The affiliate network includes

• The municipalities in Humak’s areas of operation, and in particular their cultural activities and development companies,
• provincial associations,
• Arts Promotion Center as well
• The Ministry of Education and Culture, which has funded a number of measures specifically related to the accessibility of culture and the promotion of inclusion.
• Art and culture trade union Taku ry.

In the education sector, co-operation has taken place especially between universities of applied sciences offering cultural producer education (Metropolia, Seamk, Arcada). In the future, the aim is to develop university cooperation in particular. University cooperation also strengthens the expert training provided by Humak through substance management, it increases Humak’s credibility as a development partner and enables more natural access to large-scale international project funding.

Cooperation with the University of Jyväskylä’s new Cultures and Communities in a Changing World (KUMU) degree program is already beginning. Similarly, co-operation has been tentatively agreed with the University of Turku’s Degree Program in Cultural Production and Landscape Research. Negotiations with the University of the Arts Helsinki are also being opened.