InnoOmnia, a flagship initiative for vocational learning, opened its doors in August 2011. It is a lifelong learning hub located on the Omnia Kirkkokatu campus, offering a unique combination of services, including:
1) Entrepreneurship support for present/would-be entrepreneurs, mainly from arts and crafts or the service sector
2) Work-based/on-the-job learning programs for the vocational education and training (VET) of upper secondary students
3) Innovation and piloting for new pedagogy for vocational teaching and learning, e.g. gamification, mobile learning, entrepreneurial teaching methods
4) Teacher and school leader professional development for K-12 and vocational sectors
InnoOmnia aims to empower teachers, students and entrepreneurs, increase innovation at grassroots level and ensure high-quality VET. It is a community where teachers, students and entrepreneurs share the same coffee pot. All spaces are learning spaces and everyone is both a learner and a teacher. InnoOmnia’s development projects pilot different aspects of 21st-century vocational learning, e.g. teaching real-world skills, using mobile technology and cloud-based learning to improve learning outcomes, learning through entrepreneurial projects, etc. Entrepreneurs apply to join the community and receive daily community and business support. Working with students and actively contributing to the community is a requirement.
