Our humanities students in technology companies, Part 1: What is this all about?
Like many good stories, this one also began with a single, emerging idea. We wondered how learning and RDI activities could be brought closer together, while also combining students’ creativity with the evolving needs of the business sector in a fresh, new way. From this thought grew the idea of bringing humanities students and engineers together through an innovation process.
Where did we start?
Humak’s curriculum includes a course on innovation activities, during which students explore the concept of innovation and practice it through various exercises. For the online version of the course, we introduced an alternative, practice-based completion method that allows students to work directly with companies.
Planning the innovation process was not without its challenges. The course had already begun according to the academic schedule, whereas the Climate Engine project’s operating models and guidelines were still being developed. As a result, company recruitment had to be launched with incomplete information and under considerable time pressure. Fortunately, despite the circumstances, we succeeded in bringing together ten motivated students and three companies.
From planning to smooth collaboration
Technology companies Alleco Oy, EPSE Oy and Loopshore Oy approached the process with an open mind and genuinely encouraging attitude towards the students. In practice, the collaboration comprised three intensive workshop sessions: the first to identify the companies’ needs, the second for students to present their preliminary ideas to one another, and the third to refine these ideas together with the companies. Before the final session, the students even pitched their concept at the Climate Engine project’s international innovation day.
Although the technological field was new to the students, it was inspiring to witness how boldly humanities students embraced the challenges and set about tackling them. At the same time, the companies were keen to explore what fresh perspectives the students might offer. Ultimately, the students and companies discovered significant common ground – ideas flowed freely, discussions were lively and focused, and the outlines of concrete solutions gradually took shape. The outcomes were bold, inventive and convincingly argues innovations.
What we learnt for the future
Development projects offer excellent conditions for experimentation, but they also demand flexibility and readiness to adapt. Coordinating the schedules of the project, course and companies was not easy, but we succeeded – and with good results!
Looking ahead, it would be important for the online course to continue offering a practice-based completion method, enabling students to collaborate with companies and with each other in live settings. This supports diverse learners and ensures that experiments like this innovation process do not remain one-off initiatives, but instead begin to take root as part of Humak’s broader operational culture.
Read the second part of the blog series to learn how the students describe their experience.
The blog series Our humanities students in technology companies is based on an innovation process carries out within the Climate Engine project (2025-2027). Students from Humak’s innovation course worked together with engineering-sector companies. The series consists of three parts: the first explains how it all began, the second presents the students’ experiences and the third explores the companies’ perspectives.
Climate Engine is a two-year international project aiming to develop higher education students’ and staff’s climate competence, while promoting multidisciplinary collaboration between companies, higher education institutions and international partners.
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