Energy Academy

About Energy academy

Energy Academy is a cooperation model between universities and leading companies in the Vaasa region.

It is designed to increase the appeal of the area to students and graduates as well as to create better connections between working life, RDI and young talents.

We bring together all six universities in Vaasa: University of Vaasa, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, Novia University of Applied Sciences, Hanken School of Economics, University of Helsinki and Åbo Akademi University. Companies and hubs involved are ABB Oy, Danfoss, EnergyVaasa, Hitachi Energy, Merinova, City of Vaasa, Vaasan Sähkö, VASEK and Wärtsilä Finland.

The model is tightly connected to the Nordic Battery Belt, making Vaasa area an essential link in the sustainable value chain in Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Energy Academy insists on healing the planet for future generations – and making Vaasa a better place to live, study and work.

STHEC Innovation Challenge 2023

STHEC – the Sustainable Technology Hub Ecosystem Challenge – is a 2-day innovation challenge where students solve challenges together in smaller teams. The idea is to connect students, companies and professionals together and offer a showcase of how it is to work in an ecosystem of different players.

STHEC offers students the possibility to network and showcase their capabilities to the companies and hiring managers in the Vaasa region. STHEC 2023 is organised by Wärtsilä in collaboration with Vaasan Sähkö, Wasaline, Hitachi Energy, Danfoss and City of Vaasa.

The challenges this year are:

Decarbonisation: Decentralised green energy production
Rebuild trust in an unstable environment
The future of Energy Academy: A competent and prosperous Vaasa

Read more about STHEC and apply: https://www.smarttechnologyhub.com/campus/sthec/

Mentoring program takes you towards working life

*Mentoring program picture from Hitachi Energy*

How to move on to working life after studies? What kind of opportunities do companies offer? What skills should I improve? Among other things, these matters are discussed in the mentoring program that supports students in developing their skill set and preparedness for working life. The next mentoring program starts in December 2022.

Further information: Marika Kuusisto, marika.kuusisto@hitachienergy.com, p. +35850 335 8700

The next program starts in December 2022.

Read (in Finnish) about the experiences of those who have already participated in the mentoring programme:

STHEC – Smart Technology Hub Ecosystem Challenge 2021

*STHEC picture from 13.11.2019, photographed at Wasa Innovation Center.*

STHEC – the Smart Technology Hub Ecosystem Challenge – is a 2-day innovation challenge where students on bachelor and masters level get to team up and solve real challenges together in smaller teams. The idea is to connect students, companies and professionals together and offer a showcase of how it is to work in an ecosystem of different players and co-create new solutions together. It furthermore offers great possibilities for networking and for students and companies to get to know each other and show one’s potential.
STHEC was first organized in 2019 by Wärtsilä in collaboration with its partners. You can read more about 2019 year’s STHEC here https://www.smarttechnologyhub.com/smart-technology-hub-ecosystem-challenge-showcased-the-outstanding-potential-of-students/.

This year the event is organized virtually under the umbrella of the Energy Academy. Read more about STHEC and sign up for the challenge on https://www.smarttechnologyhub.com/campus/sthec/

The goals of the Energy Academy include:

Supporting students by being approachable and present in their studies
Bringing students and companies closer to each other, from an early stage to support recruiting
Increasing interdisciplinary cooperation
Making connections between education and work life
Reaching mutual understanding between schools and companies on the needs and challenges in the industry
Achieving local synergies in attracting and retaining talent