Regional impact

Increase in the skill level and relief to the labor shortage

The University Consortium produces master's and doctorate degrees in the fields of information technology, educational sciences, business sciences, social work and applied chemistry. Those who graduate from the University Consortium are employed to a significant extent in Central Ostrobothnia and its surrounding regions, thus alleviating the labor shortage prevailing in the region. According to the Vipunen statistical service of the Finnish National Agency for Education, one year after graduation, 17% of the university consortium's master's degrees have been placed in Central Ostrobothnia, 40% in the regions surrounding Central Ostrobothnia, and 43% in other regions. About 16% of the students at the Open University come from Central Ostrobothnia, 42% from the regions surrounding Central Ostrobothnia, and 43% from other regions.

When comparing the education level of the regions of Finland, using as a measure the share of those with at least a higher university degree among the employed working in the region, it can be stated that the education level has improved in all regions from 2010 to 2021 at a more or less constant pace. Central Ostrobothnia ranks as the fifth weakest among the regions in terms of education level. Of course, development has taken place in such a way that from 2010 to 2021, Central Ostrobothnia surpassed Satakunta and Kainuu on the education level indicator in question. The University Consortium has had its own influence in this development.

Regional economic effects

In addition to the knowledge effects, the regional economic effects of the university consortium are significant. The University Consortium directly generates an economic value addition of around €5.7 million through its operations, which in practice means mainly amounts of money related to staff salaries. Taking into account the direct and indirect effects, the operation generates annual value-added effects of approximately €52 million (impact factor 9.1). Since university activities are fundamentally international and national, some of the regional economic effects spill over outside the region. In practice, this means that of the total effects of €52 million, approximately €34 million will be allocated to the region of Central Ostrobothnia and its neighboring counties, and approximately €19 million to the official region of Central Ostrobothnia.

A hub for university-level knowledge

The University Consortium functions as a network-like hub for university information. In addition to education, the effectiveness of the University Consortium in Central Ostrobothnia can be seen in development projects that serve the needs of actors in the region. In 2022, the University Consortium's project partners were 88 foreign research and education organizations, 44 domestic public organizations, 31 domestic companies, 26 domestic research and education organizations, 16 other domestic organizations or communities, 15 other foreign organizations or communities, and 8 foreign companies, i.e. a total of 228 partners.