Can a university change the world?
Creating change together.
Creating change together.
At University West we are driven by creating change - through our research and our education.
We are convinced that new knowledge is created when a university meets partners outside its walls, and that knowledge can be found everywhere. In a world facing enormous challenges is it our duty to contribute to a better future, regardless of what sector we work in. And the way we view knowledge creation at University West means that our door is always open to new collaboration and initiatives.
University West strives to be a university right in the middle of our community, constantly engaging with business, municipalities, civil society, and the public sector.
So my answer is yes - of course a university can help change the world!
Mats Jägstam, Vice-Chancellor
The leading university for WIL in Sweden
For over 20 years , we have had the Swedish government’s mandate to develop Work-Integrated Learning, WIL. Through WIL we create arenas where academia and the outside world meet, facilitating the creation of new knowledge, societal development, and education.
WIL allows us to:
Conduct future-oriented research and education: together with the outside world we systematically create and develop education and conduct research relevant for the needs of society.
Simplify recruitment and skills development: We enable early contact between students and employers, which facilitates future recruitment.
Help lay the foundation for a successful professional life: Our education allows students to become change agents who can quickly establish themselves on the labour market and manage different professional roles.
Enhance lifelong learning: By teaching students to reflect on their own learning we provide them with the tools to shape and develop their own knowledge and skills over time.
Help meet future societal challenges: Through co-creation with our partners outside academia we ensure the dissemination and impact of new knowledge.
At University West academic education is not inherited
Sweden has not succeeded in breaking the socially skewed recruitment to universities. If you come from a family with an academic background the odds of you pursuing an academic education are twice as high, a number that has remained constant for many years.
University West breaks the norm and is one of the national leaders when it comes to recruiting students from homes without an academic background, which is something we are really proud of. Because we believe that everyone has the right to reach their full potential.
Our students get hired
Over a third of our students are enrolled in programmes vital to society, such as teaching, nursing or engineering.
For these, and most other students , the goal is to get a job in the field you are studying. According to reports from the Swedish Higher Education Authority, University West is among the best in the country when it comes to graduates’ establishment on the labour market. A clear indication of that our profile WorkIntegrated Learning works.
Work-Integrated Learning also increases students’ chances of creating valuable contacts during their studies and gives them useful work experience - simply put, a head start on working life.
World-class research
We conduct world-class research in active collaboration with our partners, not least within our two complete academic environments:
• Production technology - cutting-edge research in a unique laboratory environment together with industry.
• Work-Integrated Learning – unique research on work, learning and knowledge production.
In the research environment Primus, research in production technology is linked together with research within learning in working life. One of the core areas is Industrial Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL).
In a sense, we are a profitable venture for “Sweden Inc.”. With relatively small means we manage to upscale our resources. For each Swedish krona our researchers receive in government research funding they manage to generate almost as much in external financing.
Collaboration that opens new doors
In order to meet the challenges of the future we need new ways of thinking, cooperating and solving problems. That is why University West leaves what is familiar and finds solutions where other universities often do not look. Through our collaboration we open new doors to knowledge, also outside the walls of our university.
We influence, and allow ourselves to be influenced by, the community around us. Through our close collaboration with regional and local partners, we are flexible and agile and can adapt to the needs of individuals and society.
Together with partners both inside and outside academia, we tackle big issues such as digitalization, sustainability, electrification, diversity and the transformation of the labour market.
Through strong partnerships, we increase accessibility to higher education and ensure that new research can better meet the demands of individuals and society.
An international player
In order to conduct cutting edge research and education we need to be a part of the global community. Therefore, we view internationalization as a strategic, central and integrated quality aspect in everything we do.
University West is the European office of the global organization World Association of Collaborative and Work-Integrated Education (WACE). Within WACE, we contribute knowledge and research but also methodological development of education, such as the WIL certification of our educational programmes that we have developed.
Since 2023, we are part of the alliance for the European University STARS EU. Together with eight other universities around Europe we aim to develop the universities that are part of the alliance, as well as the regions where they are located. The goal is to increase the capability of partners, students, and the universities as a whole to meet societal challenges such as climate change, digitalization and energy transition.
Curious about how many enrolled students or employees we have? Want to read more about our research or the education we offer? Our website is always updated with the latest information.
We act and work together with society to create a more sustainable world.
Together with a wide range of partners we create knowledge and strive to make it more accessible.
(Our vision)
Creating change together.