The images of the future of craft and design students – professional narratives of working practices in 2020

This study focused on alternative images of the future of craft and design students. The main research question was as follows: What are the possible alternative futures for the craft and design field, in the eyes of Finnish craft and design students? This was examined through narrative storytelling, students’ future stories (N=72) were collected in an eDelfoi database. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Alternative images of the future were explored from four viewpoints: operational environment, professional key competences, operational model and professional identity. The results challenge educators to pay much more attention to the issue of future orientation, as well as to changes in the operational environment and operational models. Further, in design education, a transition should be made from the current product-oriented model to a process-oriented one.