Haaga-Helia applies for top athlete-friendly university status

Sixteen higher education institutions are applying for the status of a top athlete-friendly university, awarded by the Finnish Olympic Committee. Haaga-Helia is among the first to be awarded the status.

The dual careers of athletes have received particular attention in the European Union over the last ten years. The EU has encouraged its Member States to take action to develop solutions to support dual careers. The amendment to the Sports Act adopted by the Finnish Parliament in February 2023 includes the development of dual career paths for athletes as one of the measures to support top-level sport.

The Finnish Olympic Committee has launched quality work for top athlete-friendly higher education institutions. The aim is to improve the opportunities for athletes to pursue higher education in a way that supports sport and promotes their well-being.

– Haaga-Helia has long been working to promote opportunities for people from different life situations to combine higher education with their everyday lives. Athletes are one particular professional group that we have helped to develop opportunities for continuous learning for all students. The audit is an excellent opportunity for us to further develop our guidance practices, among other things, says Martina Roos-Salmi from the Haaga-Helia audit team.

For higher education institutions, becoming a top athlete-friendly player means close cooperation in local sports academy networks. In practice, this means, for example, enabling flexible study paths for athletes and providing adequate personal guidance. The university is committed to helping the athlete to identify the competences developed during his/her sporting career. In addition, the sports academy also provides support for post-graduate career transition.

The audit process will look at student support and guidance practices from the perspective of the elite athlete. The audit will provide higher education institutions with recommendations for improving their practices. Haaga-Helia will be audited on 25 May 2023. The first recipients of the quality labels will be announced at a double career seminar on excellence next September.