An audit that promotes high-quality everyday higher education has been launched at Jamk. The audit, to be carried out in 2026–2027, will assess the quality of Jamk’s operations and the effectiveness of its quality system. The audit is part of the national quality assurance framework and ensures that Jamk’s education, RDI activities, and cooperation with the world of work meet high national and European quality standards.
Jamk staff, students, and stakeholders will participate in the audit, bringing diverse perspectives to the process and supporting open and transparent evaluation. At the same time, the audit strengthens Jamk’s interaction with the surrounding society.
The audit is conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC/Karvi) and is a statutory part of quality assurance in Finnish higher education. Karvi has appointed Jamk’s audit team, chaired by Rector and CEO Susanna Niinistö-Sivuranta from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. Other members are Director Piia Tienhaara from Tampere University of Applied Sciences, student Tuomas Virtanen from Lapland University of Applied Sciences, and education policy expert Matti Tujula from the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL).
What Is the Aim of the Audit?
The purpose of the fourth audit cycle is to:
- ensure that higher education institutions maintain and develop the quality of their operations and to support continuous, comprehensive, and long-term development
- ensure that the institution’s quality work complies with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG)
- support strategic management as well as the achievement of the institution’s profile and core mission objectives
- produce information on higher education institutions and the development of their quality for stakeholders.
What Does the Audit Mean in Practice?
The two evaluation areas of the audit model focus on strategic management through the quality system and on teaching and guidance that support learning. The assessment examines, for example, how Jamk’s strategy guides everyday operations and how teaching and guidance support students’ learning and graduation.
Jamk has chosen Working Life Connections of the University of Applied Sciences as the strategic cross-cutting theme of the audit. These connections are a core part of Jamk’s operations and its cooperation with companies and other working life partners. Close interaction with working life is one of the cornerstones of Jamk’s activities and therefore a natural choice for the audit’s cross-cutting theme.
The audit will be conducted using the audit manual for the fourth audit cycle of higher education institutions, to be published in autumn 2026. After successfully passing the audit, Jamk will receive an audit certificate and Karvi’s quality label, which is valid for six years.
