Quality and development of operation

The aim of the quality system of Centria University of Applied Sciences is to structure and systematise the organisation’s operations, and to provide tools for everyday work and continuous quality development.

The quality system of Centria University of Applied Sciences

The quality system is based on our Strategy 2021-2024(30), specifically the target states and key projects specified in it. The strategy guides our operations and decision-making, laying the foundation for the management system. The quality system consists of the management system, core and support processes and their management, and the continuous assessment and improvement of the success of operations.

Quality is created in everyday work. Centria’s management and staff are committed to continuous improvement of their operations and operating system. All Centria staff participates in quality development and, in their respective roles, are responsible for quality implementation and performance. A key principle for operational development when operations are planned, implemented, evaluated and further developed on the basis of analysed data is the PDCA cycle of continuous improvement.

Centria’s quality management principles are as follows:

• Quality management is a key part of our operations and the enterprise resource planning. They support reaching the goals defined in the strategy.
• Our key principles for comprehensive quality management are customer-oriented operations, continuous evaluation and development of operations, process thinking and large-scale staff commitment to developing operations.
• We use targeted quality tools and learning from best practices in our everyday development work.
• Our operating system guides and supports the operation and management of core and support processes, as well as the continuous improvement of operations.
• In the development work, we use documented data produced in our operations. We communicate openly about the development of operations both within the university and to key stakeholders.

Centria ensures quality by conducting internal quality management audits and regularly participating in external audits. The external evaluation partner is The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC). FINEEC’s audit assesses the quality system. It also assesses meeting the national criteria for quality management in higher education institutions, as well as European principles and recommendations.

Audit 2023

Centria University of Applied Sciences passed the audit conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) on 26.5.2023.

Passing the audit shows that the activities and the quality system of the university of applied sciences meet both the national criteria and the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area. The audit focuses on higher education institutions’ procedures for maintaining and enhancing the quality of education, RDI activities and societal interaction. The audit criteria have been published in FINEEC’s Audit manual for higher education institutions. The audits of higher education institutions’ quality systems were launched in Finland in 2005.