International students have shown great interest in the job opportunities offered by municipalities and companies in Central Finland.
The number of international students receiving higher education in Finland has been increasing for several years. During the academic year 2023–2024, about a thousand international students have studied at Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (Jamk).
Many international students who come to Jyväskylä are active in the integration process, study Finnish language and try to find a permanent job in Finland after completing their studies.
In 2021, the Talent Boost project was launched at Jamk UAS and many other Finnish higher education institutions. The project´s goal has been focusing on helping international students to gain better access to the job market, integrate and develop their Finnish language skills. In the years 2022–2023, Jamk Talent Boost project conducted a survey for international students, and according to the information obtained, the majority of respondents aim to find employment in Finland after graduation or already during their studies. International, talented applicants from different parts of the world would be highly motivated to integrate and look for permanent jobs and forms of living in Central Finland.
Kyyjärvi Camping sought marketing ideas from the students with the help of the workshop
In the spring of 2023, Jamk Talent Boost launched a “Career Trip” concept in cooperation with the ELY-Centre and the University of Jyväskylä, which has included visits to various parts of Central Finland. During the visits, municipalities and companies have been introduced to the students. The students visited different companies and organizations in Kannonkoski, Karstula, Keuruu, Kinnula, Kyyjärvi, Suolahti and Viitasaari, among others.
During the visits, the international students got to know the various employment opportunities, cities and municipalities in the area, and got to see the living possibilities in the area. The goal of the career trips is to present the municipality as a favourable place to live and work after graduation. After each visit, the students were asked if they might consider moving to the municipality, and many responded with the positive. The visits have proven to be interesting and fruitful for both students and companies.
This spring, Jamk Talent Boost visited Kyyjärvi with Jamk School of Tourism Management students.
“We were left with a really positive feeling and the workshop was great. The students were visibly enthusiastic about the task. We want to continue to show what kind of good gems we have in northern Central Finland and to promote cooperation. This is how international students see our beautiful side”, comments Roope Valden, director of Kyyjärvi Camping.
Open job applications have been submitted via Sydänsuomessa
Talent Boost actively cooperates in Sydänsuomessa. Together, we have created an open job application link through which international talents from Jyväskylä can submit a job application if they are interested in working in municipalities. In Sydänsuomessa foreign students have received additional information about work and housing opportunities in different municipalities. Some of them have been employed through work placements, for example, had done a practical training.
Witas Oy’s experience with the first international intern is very positive.
“Development company Witas Oy received an international intern in the spring of 2024. She worked in regional marketing in Sydänsuomessä. The international intern brought a lot of new things to our working methods, as some of the internal meetings were held in English with her. In addition, the international intern brought new skills and perspective to our community. The experience was encouraging and we hope that more and more employers will dare to hire international talents”, say Minna Jaakkola, Regional Coordinator of Sydänsuomessä, and Tapani Laitinen, CEO of Development Company Witas.
Would you be interested in an international student as intern or thesis worker?
Statistically, it is known that a significant part of students who come to study in University of Applied Sciences on both bachelor and master’s level studies already have a university degree completed in their home country. Often also several years of work experience in their field or experience in research work. Many students are already skilled workers.
At Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, international students study in the following fields of study (both AMK Bachelor’s degree and YAMK Masters degree)
• Engineer, Automation and Robotics (AMK and YAMK)
• Engineer, Purchasing and Logistics (AMK)
• Nurse (AMK and YAMK)
• ICT (Information and Communication Technology), (AMK and YAMK)
• Business, Game Production (AMK)
• Business Administration (AMK and YAMK)
Jamk students apply for internships and thesis topics from local companies. At the University of Applied Sciences, students are always encouraged to do a thesis in cooperation with real working life example. The author of the thesis can, for example, help the client solve a problem or develop and test a new concept. The cooperation is free and easy for the company and very motivating for the students. Cooperation is particularly profitable for small companies.
If your company or municipality wants to develop its operations with the help of a thesis, please contact (anna.tenhunen@jamk.fi, minna.jaakkola@witas.fi, elina.pikkarainen@witas.fi , niina.piesala@witas.fi) for more information.
Many of our students, especially those in the graduation phase, have approximately B1 (intermediate level) Finnish language skills. Degree students are looking for part-time jobs, internships (which may be unpaid) or permanent jobs. An international student can work up to 30 hours a week on a student visa.
Author: Anna Tenhunen