Audit Highlights Xamk’s Key Strengths: Regional Impact and Strong Cooperation with Working Life

Xamk’s operations have been audited as part of the regular quality audits of Finnish higher education institutions. The published audit report identifies Xamk’s key strengths as its strong regional impact and close cooperation with working life. According to the report, Xamk plays a significant role in the development of its operating region. The successful audit confirms that Xamk’s operations and quality system meet the national and European quality requirements set for higher education institutions.  

In addition, strategically managed Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) activities, an open and inclusive organisational culture, and effective leadership and quality management were recognised as Xamk’s key strengths. Particular praise was given to Xamk’s continuous learning provision, which enables the university to respond agilely and efficiently to the changing competence needs of working life. 
 

“The audit result confirms that Xamk’s operations are built on a solid foundation and that we have succeeded in our work. We serve our region and society through impactful research and development activities, degree education, and continuous learning opportunities. At the same time, the audit results provide direction for the future and help us identify the areas where development efforts should next be focused. We want to make active use of the findings and continue to improve,” says Heikki Saastamoinen, CEO and President of South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences.  

“It is particularly pleasing that the audit recognised our continuous learning provision and our open and inclusive organisational culture as strengths. At the same time, we received valuable feedback on areas where we can continue to improve so that we can meet the evolving needs of students and working life in the best possible way in the future,” says Katri Ryttyläinen-Korhonen, Vice President, Education.  

Based on the development areas identified in the audit, Xamk will continue to improve the evaluation of educational quality, leadership structures, and the systematic use of feedback gathered from education. At the same time, the university will strengthen its risk management and further integrate education with RDI activities. 

“We can be genuinely satisfied with the audit. First, on this audit round, RDI activities, as the university of applied sciences’ second core mission, were assessed more extensively and thoroughly than before. The final report describes Xamk’s RDI activities as strategy-driven, impactful, goal-oriented, and knowledge-based. One development challenge identified is how to engage a larger number of small and medium-sized enterprises as development partners and encourage them to make broader use of innovations in practice,” says Kalevi Niemi, Vice President, RDI. 

As a result of the successful audit, Xamk has been awarded the quality label of the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) for the period 2026–2032.

As a result of the successful audit, Xamk has been awarded the quality label of the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) for the period 2026–2032. The quality label demonstrates that Xamk’s operations and quality system comply with the national and European quality standards required of higher education institutions. 

The operations and quality systems of Finnish higher education institutions are audited regularly to support continuous development and help institutions make better use of their strengths. The audit outcome is based on the evaluation of an external audit panel, an audit visit, statistical data provided by FINEEC, and the institution’s own self-assessment. Xamk students, staff, and stakeholders participated in the audit process. 

The audit report is available on the website of the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) in Finnish