Stories
New U!REKA website developed by Finnish students
Valovirta is a part of Metropolia and located on one of its campuses but operates as a real business: it provides services to clients, in return for payment. Valovirta is a digital multimedia company that offers web design, graphic design, audiovisual support, develops software, etc.
The main difference is that Valovirta works exclusively with students. About four to five students are active within the Valovirta design department every semester. Usually, this is for a five-month internship period, for which they obtain 30 credits and earn an internship salary.
Small scale
‘It’s important for students to gain valuable experience in collaboration with real clients. The fact that we mainly work with students allows us to keep our prices moderate. On the other hand, we require a bit more time for an assignment than companies in the design sector,’ explains lecturer Päivi Rantala.
‘Lecturers have the final responsibility, but the students are involved in all aspects of the business. The development of a website is not only a matter of web design, but they are also involved in meetings, presentations and project management. One student is usually focused only on project management, price negotiations and client collaboration together with lecturers,’ says Päivi Rantala.
The students are very satisfied with their internship experience at Valovirta Design. ‘The fact that the company is located on a Metropolia campus has a practical advantage, of course, but I also value the small scale of it,’ says student Maiju Toivonen.
Fellow student Anni Saarinen, who took care of the project management, agrees: ‘Because we work in a small team of students, we have to do more different tasks and are given more responsibility. That leads to interesting experiences that might not be as obvious if you do an internship in a larger company.’ Developing the U!REKA website was such an interesting experience: ‘The U!REKA website was our first international project, which made it a challenging but also very appealing assignment,’ she concludes.
Check the new U!REKA website: www.ureka.eu.
