A Christmas moment for higher education pathway students was held on December 17, 2024

EduJyväskylä’s higher education pathway students were invited to spend a Christmas moment on Tuesday, December 17, at the Kasvosali of the main campus of Jamk University of Applied Sciences. During the event, shared their experiences and provided valuable feedback on the pathway studies over glögi and Christmas tarts.

The moment was attended by students Sofia Vitie, Jussi Raivio, and Inka Kohvakka, who shared their thoughts and experiences as pathway students. Self-initiative and an interest in higher education studies are things that they all have in common. Kohvakka started her higher education pathway studies in the field of tourism and hospitality in 2023 while studying restaurant and catering at Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia. The pathway studies led her to the degree program in hospitality management at Jamk University of Applied Sciences. Kohvakka is satisfied with her choice to start pathway studies during her vocational studies. The first study autumn at Jamk has been interesting, as Kohvakka’s group is taking courses she has already completed during her pathway studies. However, Kohvakka has not remained idle but is using the freed-up time to independently take interesting cross-study courses and work in her field.

Vitie and Raivio started their own higher education pathway studies in the field of technology. Vitie is a second-year high school student who chose electrical and automation technology as her field. Raivio, on the other hand, is in his third year at Gradia studying ICT, for which information and communication technology studies were a clear and natural choice.

The higher education pathway students were brought together by Jamk’s designer Katja Räsänen and Gradia’s lecturer Mira Ruth-Viitanen, who act as EduJyväskylä’s cross-study contacts at their institutions. They listened with interest to the students’ updates and inquired about the progress of their studies. Overall, the students’ experiences were positive, and the main atmosphere was motivated. The students said that the pathway studies had clarified their future plans and brought experiences of success. Challenges included overlapping schedules and finding their own study style. However, the students shared advice and tips with each other that they had found useful.

In higher education pathway studies, a student completes university of applied sciences studies as part of a vocational qualification or high school studies. The student can choose their pathway from four different fields: technology, business, social and health care, and tourism and hospitality. After completing a secondary education qualification and higher education pathway studies, the student can smoothly transition to degree studies at Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences through a separate application process. Higher education pathway studies offer an opportunity to get acquainted with higher education studies and deepen and broaden vocational skills.