The Bettermaker Partners HAMK and 3DBear foster educational opportunities for the youth in Tanzania

Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) and the Finnish education technology company 3DBear have joined forces in Tanzania. The aim of the cooperation is to foster vocational training opportunities, especially for youth, through simulation pedagogy and new technologies. The partners see potential for expanding international cooperation in the developing African market.

“We don’t just go and tell people how to do things,” says Anna Rantapero-Laine, Chief Operating Officer of 3DBear. “Instead, together with the stakeholders in the region, we look at how the expertise of 3DBear and HAMK can best be appropriately adapted to their own context, to support the development of learning and teaching.”

This idea has led to a collaboration between HAMK and 3DBear in Tanzania. Two joint projects are currently taking place: the XR Tanzania, funded by Finnpartnership, and the Erasmus+-funded TVET@Work. These projects aim to develop solutions to help Tanzanian educational institutions train new vocational talents to meet the needs of society and the world of work.

HAMK’s role, especially in the early stages of the projects, is to work with local vocational schools, universities, and entrepreneurs to identify what skills are really needed in the region.

“The need for skills can be very concrete and technical – for example, repairing engine parts in a tea factory. Or the needs can be broader, such as meeting and communication skills or entrepreneurship,” says Ulla-Maija Knuutti, a lecturer at HAMK.

Simulation learning enables training in practical work

Once the real needs of the region and the community have been identified, educational development is carried out with local teachers and institutions to match these skills needs.

Local vocational schools often lack technical skills training opportunities – for example, with auto mechaninc students it can be difficult to find enough cars to repair or the necessary tools. VR simulations and content libraries created by 3DBear provide the opportunity to practice technical skills virtually, thus preparing students for the world of work.

“Our particular advantage is that the simulation solutions we create are among the few technical implementations that serve these purposes in environments such as Tanzania,” says Anna Rantapero-Laine. The digital learning environments developed by 3DBear do not require costly VR glasses for the students, and the videos and images used can be function even over slower network connections.

In addition to increasing skills, the exploitation of new technologies also aims to promote equality of educational opportunities. For example, technological solutions can be used to improve access to vocational training for young people living in more remote areas where practical training opportunities are more limited. This means that they do not necessarily have to move far from home to study. This can also make it easier for people who have dropped out of school or who have, for example, become parents at a young age to progress along the educational path.

Aiming for long-lasting effects

“We want to guide educational institutions to co-create digital learning materials through our carefully refined process to ensure strong user-centered content. This way, we can spread more expertise and knowledge and add high-quality learning content in schools,” says Pekka Salokannel, Creative Director of 3DBear. “When educational institutions participate in creating and developing content, the materials better meet their needs and are genuinely used,” Salokannel describes.

To ensure that new technology and learning environments provide long-term benefits, it is also important to make sure they are designed pedagogically and included in the educational institutions’ curricula. The expertise of HAMK’s specialists is key in this.

“Our common idea is that we do not only teach the use of VR/AR technology, for example, but we also make sure that the technology is pedagogically integrated into the curriculum and teaching,” says Ulla-Maija Knuutti.

Finnish expertise for international markets

3DBear is one of HAMK’s Bettermakers partners, with whom HAMK builds cooperation in a long-term and strategic manner.

“Our expertise and approach to cooperation projects lie in building pedagogical VR simulations and technological expertise, while HAMK’s core competence is strong pedagogical expertise and teacher education. Thus, our joint projects result in genuinely new, innovative content,” says Anna Rantapero-Laine of 3DBear.

“The strengths of HAMK and 3DBear support each other extremely well in developing education,” says Ulla-Maija Knuutti, a lecturer at HAMK. By bringing together the expertise of both partners, we can achieve sustainable results in the development of education that benefit learners and society as a whole.

The collaborative work between 3DBear and HAMK in Tanzania could be just the beginning of international cooperation. The partnership offers both HAMK and 3DBear the opportunity to learn and develop and to promote Finnish expertise internationally.

“Africa is a developing market with huge potential. For us as a company, it is exciting to partner with HAMK on projects to build a pathway that could allow us to expand our commercial activities to the African market in the future,” envisions Rantapero-Laine.

The Bettermaker Partners

At HAMK, we work with around a thousand companies and organisations every year. Together with our partners, we bettermake the world with commitment and a long-term perspective.

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