International Students into Internships and Employment in Regional Cities – KOHTA

The main goal of the project is to promote access to internships for international students at universities of applied sciences and later employment in the regional cities of the provinces. An international student refers to a student who has completed an upper secondary degree outside Finland.
The aim is to achieve this goal by developing cooperation between universities of applied sciences, regional cities and business developers, and by strengthening student guidance and networks.

The number of international students at universities of applied sciences has increased and will continue to grow. It is particularly difficult for international students to get internships, even though internships are a key part of bachelor's studies. At the same time, there is a need for highly educated experts in regional cities, but the opportunities offered by international university of applied sciences students are not so well known. Many international students would like to stay in Finland to work after their studies, and this project supports their opportunities to settle in regional cities.

Key Measures:
1. Build a common knowledge base on the perceptions of companies and employers in
Pirkanmaa and Southwest Finland, as well as international students and degree programs, on
how employers' needs and international students' skills meet and how this matching can be
developed.
2. Organize targeted networking events and company visits for international students, aiming at
internships in these companies.
3. Support international students' internships: Produce a guide and support measures for
employers on multilingualism, language awareness, and guidance for international students,
support companies in guiding students, and pilot new guidance models.
4. Strengthen the attractiveness and retention of the regions by mapping regional networks that
promote the integration of international students and employees into the locality.
5. Based on experiences, publish the cooperation model to promote internships and
employment for international students in universities of applied sciences openly in electronic
form. The model provides a clear picture of the cooperation forms, processes, and possible
different roles of various actors tested in Pirkanmaa and Southwest Finland.

Universities of applied sciences, regional towns, their economic actors, and companies will have a functional cooperation model that improves international students' access
to meaningful internships that promote employment. The model increases the attractiveness of
regional towns and the readiness of local companies to accept foreign interns and employees.
The project supports the matching of labor and jobs, ensuring that work and workers find each
other better. Measures to achieve these goals will be developed and piloted in two regions,
Pirkanmaa and Southwest Finland, with slightly different, comparable structures. As a result
of the development work, a cooperation model to promote internships and employment for
international students in universities of applied sciences will be built

Co-funded by the European Union