We have collaborated with Riveria to develop two digital solutions that modernize both education and everyday processes – one to streamline the coordination of internship placements, and another to bring mixed reality into earthmoving education.
“Fast, agile, and customer-oriented development work. This project left us with a good feeling!”
Heikki Törrönen, ICT Systems Specialist, Riveria
Riveria, officially the North Karelia Municipal Education and Training Consortium, is a multidisciplinary educational organization owned by municipalities in North Karelia, Finland. Its main office is located in Joensuu, with additional campuses in Kitee, Lieksa, Nurmes, Outokumpu, and Valtimo. Riveria provides education to approximately 14,500 students annually and employs around 700 people. The consortium also includes Riveria Koulutuspalvelut Oy.
Previously, Riveria managed internship bookings using a shared Excel spreadsheet. This method proved to be laborious and error-prone, especially when multiple stakeholders were involved.
The objective was to create a clear and functional application that supports internship coordination and simplifies cooperation between the educational institution and the organizations offering placements.
The software development process emphasized usability, including simplified authentication, a clear user interface, and high performance with large datasets.
The user management system was integrated with Riveria’s own user database, allowing teachers and coordinators to log in using their existing credentials. Separate user roles were created for external placement providers, such as health centers and other social and health sector organizations. These providers could enter the desired timeframes for receiving students directly into the system.
The compiled data enabled Riveria’s staff to match students with suitable internship opportunities based on their goals and schedules. The web application was built with the PHP-based Laravel framework, while the UI was developed using the Vue.js JavaScript framework, ensuring excellent performance and responsiveness.
The application was developed in close cooperation with its daily users and responds to the actual needs of internship coordination. The digital solution saves time for both placement providers and the school by streamlining information sharing.
Internship management and student placement now work smoothly, without the cumbersome and error-prone Excel sheets. The new digital system replaces laborious manual processes and is a significant improvement in efficiency.
“We wanted to develop our earthmoving education at Riveria by utilizing mixed reality. Using simulators and HoloLens glasses has increased our market value and boosted our profile as a high-quality education provider.”
Aki Hankilanoja, Education Manager, Riveria
Riveria aimed to incorporate virtual environments and mixed reality (MR) into earthmoving education to improve teaching methods, increase safety, and support personalized learning.
It was crucial that the implemented solutions be scalable and easy to use. The HoloLens-based earthmoving training was also designed to be expandable to other teaching contexts.
Read also about the digital learning environment we implemented for Ylä-Savo Vocational College using AR!
Adopting new technology in earthmoving education has given Riveria a competitive edge and strengthened its position as a provider of high-quality training.
Using HoloLens and Guides supports smoother onboarding of simulators and provides a more interactive learning path that caters to different learning styles. The virtual environment enhances safety by allowing students to practice using machinery in simulators before transitioning to real equipment – minimizing risks to both people and machines.
The digitalization of education brings undeniable benefits from both teaching and learning perspectives. Dynamics 365 Guides can also be used to support instruction in other fields and various teaching situations — such as pre-operational checks and component identification in the training of wheel loaders and excavators. Thanks to its user-friendliness, Guides enables Riveria to continue using the application independently in the future, as adding materials to the system is simple and straightforward.
“We’ve been able to teach with today’s technology, which takes learning to an entirely new level. Our collaboration with Hurja was efficient and flexible throughout the project.”
Aki Hankilanoja, Education Manager, Riveria
Riveria is a great example of how digital solutions can modernize education and simplify internal organizational processes. At Hurja, we’re proud to have helped create smoother everyday routines and more impactful learning experiences.
Need a similar custom system or technological solution? Get in touch – we’re here to help!