16.4.2012

All IT Services under one roof

Companies and communities now have it easier than before to find IT Services in the ICT Building. The versatile services of TUAS and the University of Turku have been very popular and the demand is constantly increasing. The services that have previously been scattered around the building can now be found behind one door.

The newly established Project Office provides the familiar IT services, from making good use of IT to information security. The ICT Gate, ESC Finland and NESC all work in the Project Office.

Contacts to the Game Tech & Arts Lab and the Cloudit Cooperative can also be found there, even though they are still physically located in the old premises.

To locate a single and large premises in the ICT Building was a challenge that required diverse arrangements and the plans could not be realised in an instant.

The Project Office services help with various IT problems. Marika Ruohola and Jesse Kaukola wish you welcome.

Easier internal coordination

Serving clients becomes easier, and so does internal coordination.

The client’s project determines the set-up for its management. There are no degree programme specific limitations, which means that students can participate according to their competence and interests.

– We have, for example, Information Technology students from the Lemminkäisenkatu location and, if competence in electronics is needed, that can be arranged, says Project Coordinator Marika Ruohola.

– The first stage of a project is to map the client’s needs, based on which we search for the suitable teacher and students for the implementation, she continues.

Listed companies and private entrepreneurs as clients

The ICT Gate project includes collaboration with, for example, the University of Turku.

– Large listed companies such as Sonera have been our clients, but they also include private entrepreneurs, says Jesse Kaukola, a student in Information Systems Science at the University of Turku. The projects vary from research projects to website implementations, he continues.

The ICT Gate project contains e.g. creating websites for companies. Technically well-implemented solutions might look good from a student’s perspective, but the client’s needs and feedback should also be taken into account. Thus, feedback is a crucial part of the learning process.

– We have received positive feedback from clients on that we speak their language. This means that we don’t confuse them with IT jargon straight away, says Ruohola.

Petrus Tuominen (l.) and Antti Hurme work at ESCfi.

International ESC helps

Education Support Centre Finland (ESCfi) is a software support centre which provides high-quality support and implements affordable projects. The daily tasks of ESC include helping public sector educational institutes with problems related to Microsoft software.

It is not easy for foreign students to find practical training places or jobs in Finland. Working at ESCfi, client contacts and participating in working life projects have brought about jobs also for foreign degree students.

– Sixteen students from five different countries work at ESCfi at the moment, says student Petrus Tuominen.

– There is plenty of work, which is manifested by e.g. that the number of staff at ESCfi has been increased, says student Antti Hurme.