Who is Juha Knuuttila?

Updated 30.11.2025

I work as a lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences. I am training Bachelor of Social Services and early childhood educatiors mainly for the social welfare working life in Southwest Finland.

My career as a lecturer ends on 31.8.2026. From 1.9.2026 it is the right time to focus on other things and roles after my prolonged "schooling".

As a Practitioner -  Learning Designer and Coach

Table of contents

1. Juhaknuuttila.fi is a gateway to collaboration with me
2. Why I am this kind of person?
3. At work
3.1 At work 2025-2026
3.2 My education in the social welfare sector
3.3 My experience in customer service and management in social welfare
3.4 My experience in teaching
3.5 Involved in research and development activities at Turku University of Applied Sciences
3.6 Other things related to my teaching work
4. My own time

1. Juhaknuuttila.fi website is a gateway to collaboration with me

I am Juha Knuuttila, age 64. My page is my personal virtual office and an open partner gateway to my digital activities, materials and collaboration with me. The page contains, among other things, contact information, blog posts and videos, news, information about me, information about my activities and a link library.

2. Why I am this kind of person?

I was born in Finland in 1961. I spent my childhood and youth with my mother, father and my younger brothers, born in 1962 and 1969, in Pori, living in the city centre and Vähärauma (my first two or three years were spent in Honkajoki/Kankaanpää).

My youth was spent in Vähärauma, Pori. Home has always been a source of strength for me. In the winter, we watched and played ice hockey with a group of friends. In the summertimes we went fishing and swimming. On weekends, we went to the cinema, hung out and did things together with friends. Mainly in Länsi-Pori, less often in the city centre.

I went to school in Vähärauma. I graduated from Länsi-Pori high school in 1980. In 1980-1981, I got to know Turku as a conscript, from the Heikkilä barracks area, at the Turku Air Defense Battery. After the army, I worked as a forest improvement worker and a substitute teacher, and began studying social policy at the Summer University of Western Finland.

In 1982, I began my studies as a student at the University of Turku, Faculty of Social Sciences, majoring in social policy, and graduated with a Master of Political Science in 1989. Already in 1986, I moved into permanent jobs and working life (as a social worker at the Turku Child Welfare Office 1986-1989 and as the social secretary of the municipality of Vahto 1989-1990). I also worked as a substitute social worker and in internships in 1982-1985. In 1990, I started working as a teacher at the Kaarina Institute of Social Studies (Kaarinan sosiaalialan oppilaitos in finnish).

Since 1985, my home has been in Turku. In 2025, I will be active, live and do my work mainly in the city center of Turku, in the Puistomäki district. I have lived in Turku for 40 years now and that is why I dare to say that I am a true Turku resident. However, I am also a mixture of Satakunta and Western Finnish. Through my parents, my blood heritage is also from Southern Ostrobothnia, the land of the knife junker (puukkojunkkari). This "mix of my provincial roots" is certainly visible in "both good and bad". However, because of my roots, there is something more in me than the Turku resident.

In working life, I have had a long career in social welfare and social services, teaching, development work and administration, with Turku University of Applied Sciences as my employer. Before working as a social worker, I worked as a child supervisor, built sewers, planted seedlings, measured and marked/measured ditch lines in forests, took care of lawns, was an office secretary, and was a paternity determination authority (i.e. I handled matters related to establishing paternity, child custody and maintenance).

3. At work

3.1 At work 2025-2026

In working life, I work as a lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences and train Bachelor of Social Services  and Early Childhood Educators mainly for the social care working life field in Southwest Finland. My career as a lecturer will end on 31 August 2026, because now is the right time to focus fully on my own time and life after a long "schooling".

3.2 My education in the social welfare sector

My background education is a Master of Social Science and social work from the University of Turku (1982-1989). I studied teacher pedagogy at the Helsinki Institute of Nursing (1995), and my specialist professional qualification as a product developer / service designer at Verutum (2022). I have also completed studies in social and health care information management at the University of Eastern Finland, equivalent to a bachelor's degree (2004-).

3.3 My experience in client work and management in social welfare

At the beginning of my career, from 1982 to 1990, I worked as a substitute or full-time child supervisor, a child welfare social worker and a social director in a small municipality. From 1990 to 2020, I have worked in voluntary work: as a mediator in disputes related to child custody and access rights, a mediator in criminal cases (City of Turku), in the administration of child welfare organizations (chairman of Kota ry) and as an on-call person in a children's chat service (Sos-Lapsikylä).
Through my long work experience, I have the identity of a social worker (BA in social work), a teacher, a tutor and a developer of educational work. But what is hidden behind the scenes? Social work

3.4 My experience in teaching social welfare

I have been working in teaching at Turku University of Applied Sciences since the early 1990s in various roles: as a teacher tutor, department head, program manager and education manager. Since 2003 I have held the position of senior lecturer.
My work as a lecturer mainly includes teaching and supervision. My professional area of ​​expertise in social policy, social security, social welfare, social services, public administration, entrepreneurship in the social and educational sectors, and service planning and service management. The main teaching areas in 2025 are public administration, organization and production of social welfare services, leadership and entrepreneurship.

3.5 Involved in Turku University of Applied Sciences' research and development activities

Part of my working time is also spent on research, development and innovation issues. For the past 20 years, I have been particularly interested in product development and design of learning environments.

3.6 Other things related to my teaching work

I have also worked as an AKAVA JS shop steward for teachers at the Kaarina Social Welfare Educational Institution.

4. My own time

I am a married man, from Turku, a father of two adult children and a grandfather of two grandchildren. Outside of my duties as a lecturer, I can be found doing a variety of things. I will tell you more about these on the activities tab.