Amazing Business Train: A Good Practice Case Study

In 2014, Vesa Tuomela and Ulla Bard published “Amazing Business Train: How to Create a Life Changing Learning Experience for Students Teachers and Experts” in the University Industry Innovation Network’s Good Practice Series. Here, almost two years on, Tuomela reveals more about the origins, trends and challenges, and future progression of this case study in Finland.

Amazing Business Train or ABT is a method developed by Häme University of Applied Sciences for learning the skills necessary to grow into an entrepreneur, to teach entrepreneurship and for working in the entrepreneurial way. It is a moving and intensive way of developing business ideas, create ideas into business models and at the same time, earn credit units. The major part of learning and development happens during a 40-hour and 1200km long train trip from Hämeenlina to Oulu through Kuopio and back.

During the trip the students develop, experiment and test their business ideas and find new business partners. The students build their own network which helps them to develop the business idea.

The most important success factor in Amazing Business Train as a good practice case study, is the work of our enthusiastic staff with vision, willingness to teach and learning entrepreneurial mindset. The hard mental and physical work on the train is also a success factor; everybody is intensively committed in workshops in the train and on stops. Furthermore, an active business community, good business partners and inquisitive and committed students are also success factors.

Six Amazing Business Train events have so far taken place. One Amazing Business Train headed into St. Petersburg in Russia. The concept has developed and we have now published coach’s manual.

About Vesa Tuomela

The origin of my interest in the topic of entrepreneurship

I consider myself an entrepreneurial person, I have experience in new venture creation, and I studied entrepreneurship as major in university. I feel that entrepreneurship is key for interesting, meaningful life and success for any economy.

The biggest trends and challenges facing the area of university-industry interaction

The biggest trend is to engage the business community in curricula and conduct practical and real business projects in every business course by students.

A similar case I would like to recommend to UIIN readers:

In Uganda they have Business Bus and Brazilian teachers have tried ABT in Brazil.

You can read Vesa and Ulla’s full Good Practice Case Study, “Amazing Business Train”, here.