For Student

We want you to secure employment, find your place and feel like an important part of life in Eastern Finland. We will help you get to know Finnish working life, build networks, learn the language, and find internships, jobs and business opportunities. Our goal is for you to feel at home and grow your roots in Eastern Finland.

Services for students

Talent Pool database

We collect information about our international students, including their fields of expertise, previous education, and work experience. This information helps us find talent suitable for employers’ needs as trainees or employees.

The information is compiled based on systematically repeated student surveys. Based on the students’ responses, an expanding Talent Pool database has already been formed. The Talent Pool enables targeted meetings between international students and employers.

Utilising the database in practice

The employer can notify the Talent Hub Eastern Finland network of their need for additional resources. Based on the request for information, the Talent Pool database is searched for students with the desired profile. With the students’ consent, they are presented to the employer, who then decides on further actions. If a suitable expert is found among the students, they get the internship, thesis or job they want, and the employer gets a new employee in their work community. Our experts are available throughout the process.

Additional information

Johanna Taavitsainen, johanna.taavitsainen@savonia.fi, +358 44 785 6142
Eini Puhakka, eini.puhakka@savonia.fi, +358 44 785 6825
Marko Pietilä, marko.pietila@uef.fi, +358 40 355 3039

Alumni activities

Educational institutions’ alumni activities offer graduates a variety of services. The services depend on the educational institution, but professional further education, alumni meetings, and cooperation with working life are common forms of alumni activities. Alumni can also participate in institutions’ activities after graduation, for example, by mentoring students or inviting student groups to workplace visits.

Benefits of alumni activities

Development of professional competence through continuous learning, further studies and continuing education
Strengthening working life networks both among alumni and between students and representatives of working life
Opportunity to participate in the development of education as a working life partner

Join alumni activities

You can register as an alumnus or with a separate form upon graduation. Check out the alumni activities of your educational institution and join us!

Karelia UAS

https://www.karelia.fi/en/alumni-activities

alumni(at)karelia.fi

Riveria

https://www.riveria.fi/riveria/alumnitoiminta

SAKKY

https://sakky.fi/fi/koulutukset/alumnitoiminta-maahanmuuttaneille

juhani.lantto(at)sakky.fi

Savonia UAS

https://www.savonia.fi/en/savonia-uas/explore-savonia/join-the-alumni-network

alumni(at)savonia.fi

UEF

https://www.uef.fi/en/uef-alumni

alumni(at)uef.fi

YSAO

Course: Towards Working Life in Eastern Finland

The online course Towards Working Life in Eastern Finland supports international students and recent graduates in becoming more familiar with the trends and practices of working life in Eastern Finland. The course contains self-study materials and resources that students can use to learn more about the local way of working, for example, when preparing for their internship.

The course also contains materials and tasks that help identify students’ strengths and competencies concerning the local labour market. The course materials are available in both English and Finnish. The course can be accessed at any time and place using the online DigiCampus platform.

What the course has to offer

The course is a MOOC (massively open online course) that aims to build competence, confidence, and comfort (the 3 Cs) in international students living, studying, and working in eastern Finland.

After completing the course, students can:

Understand some basic concepts of working life in Finland
Recognise some frameworks involved in Finnish society and culture
Describe their expertise and strengths concerning working life
Process and search for information related to the labour market and services that support international students

Some course topics include:

Working life and welfare society in Finland
Key features of workplace culture
Rights and responsibilities of employees and employers
Generic and transferable skills in modern working life
The application and recruitment process
Competence recognition
Networking

During the course

After registering to the e-learning platform on DigiCampus, students can directly access all modules and course materials. Students can flexibly use the course materials, taking course modules in any order depending on individual needs and interests. Students can also use self-assessment tools, learning tasks and a learning portfolio to explore the themes of working life and identify their strengths and skills. Coursework and learning tasks are not evaluated or accredited at this time.

More information

Do not hesitate to get in touch for questions and support related to the course content!

Sami Tanskanen, sami.tanskanen@uef.fi, tel. +358 50 355 8857
Soile Ruotsalainen, soile.ruotsalainen@uef.fi, tel. +358 50 476 5668

Group mentoring programme

The group mentoring programme brings together employers, experts from different fields, and international students (actors). An independent expert or an employer organisation with one or more experts can act as a mentor in the programme. The main role of mentors is to challenge and guide actors to develop their working life and networking skills. The mentoring language is English.

The themes of mentoring meetings can be, for example:

Professional growth and career development
Identification and marketing of one’s competence
Job search skills
Networking
Finnish culture and working life
Getting to know the organisation and industry
Entrepreneurship and (research) funding
Well-being at work and time management

Mentoring provides mentors and employer organisations with the following:

Positive employer visibility and an opportunity to implement social responsibility at the local level
A chance to get acquainted with the skills of international students and an opportunity to recruit
New perspectives and innovative ideas
Up-to-date information on fields of education and the future workforce
A chance to network and get to know different cultures
An opportunity to develop coaching, interaction and language skills

As students taking part in the mentoring programme, you will improve your skills in

job search and getting to know different career options and paths
developing professional expertise and finding your strengths
communication and interaction with others
building professional networks
developing self-confidence and self-knowledge

Stages of the mentoring programme (November-May)

Online mentoring (2 h)
Programme launch event and first online meeting of groups (2 h)
Meetings with the group (4-5 times recommended)
Networking event (3 h)
Programme closing event (3 h)

The key stages of the mentoring process are 2nd and 3rd. The program lasts approximately 20 hours per mentor. Mentoring is not tied to the locality but can be done online.

Students choose a suitable mentoring group based on a mentor profile written by the mentor/employer organisation themselves. The mentoring groups agree on the method of conducting the meetings (remote and/or face-to-face meetings).

The dates and application periods for the next mentoring programme (November 2025-May 2026) will be published during spring 2025.

Additional information

Feel free to contact us!

Marko Pietilä, marko.pietila@uef.fi, +358 40 355 3039
Minna Tarvainen, minna.tarvainen@savonia.fi, +358 44 785 6981
Sanna Jeskanen, sanna.jeskanen@karelia.fi, +358 50 462 2478

Future Talents Team

Future Talents Team bridges the gap between academia and industry by fostering collaboration between companies and students. The team meets with local employers and presents degree programmes and the competencies of international students. The aim is to achieve many kinds of cooperation: theses, internships, project and part-time work, as well as small case examples for courses.

Collaboration offers the employer

new, fresh development ideas
recruiting possibilities
an opportunity to increase the linguistic and cultural competence of the work community
an easy way to collaborate with educational institutions
engagement with higher education, research and innovation
positive employer visibility
possibility to implement social responsibility at the local level

Benefits for the students

network with other students and local employers – a chance to gain more employment opportunities
get to know Finnish working life, culture and language
participate in sales and marketing trainings held by an expert
develop their skills in problem solving, sales and negotiation, project and teamwork
possibility to gain study credits

Service process

The student teams can visit or be invited to local companies
During the visits, the teams and employers discuss cooperation opportunities and agree on the next steps
The partnership continues, and the student teams monitor the progress as agreed

For more information:

Sanna Jeskanen, sanna.jeskanen@karelia.fi, +358 50 462 2478
Johanna Taavitsainen, johanna.taavitsainen@savonia.fi, +358 44 785 6142
Marko Pietilä, marko.pietila@uef.fi, +358 40 355 3039
Sami Tanskanen, sami.tanskanen@uef.fi, +358 50 355 8857

Solution-oriented study counselling (ROPO)

The service seeks the best and most efficient way for people from different educational and competence backgrounds to progress and find employment. The persons involved in counselling work at educational institutions in the ROPO team work together to develop measures that would best enable graduating and newly graduated international students to find employment.

The counselling uses the study offerings of the student’s educational institution and partner institutions involved in the project. It also cooperates with employers and operators in the employment area.

Benefits for the customer

Solution-oriented study counselling (ROPO) serves international students and employers.

Solution-oriented study counselling offers

knowledge and skills for a successful job search
personal guidance also for graduated students
information about study opportunities from other educational institutions in the project
contacts and meetings with companies at different types of events
International job seekers for companies
opportunities for cooperation for companies with different fields of education and counsellors

Service process

Solution-oriented study counselling (ROPO) includes:

Mapping the personal situation with the educational institution’s supervisor
Familiarisation with the study offerings of different educational institutions and guidance to postgraduate studies
Job search workshops and, for example, MOOCs in different fields of education of educational institutions
Alumni activities of graduating students
Various recruitment and training events guiding and supporting individual students
Guidance assistance to students and alumni as the service process progresses

Educational institution students are admitted to the service at the end of their studies. Alumni activities allow students to receive support after graduation. The aim is to make cooperation with companies continuous, flexible, and beneficial for all parties.

Additional information

Feel free to contact us!

Juhani Lantto, juhani.lantto@sakky.fi, +358 44 785 3355
Hanna Reinikainen, hanna.reinikainen@uef.fi, +358 44 016 2643
Mervi Keinänen, mervi.keinanen@riveria.fi, +358 50 331 5823

Demonstration of competence: skills passport

Skills passports are made for different fields of study to support and strengthen students’ competence demonstration. The skills passport is a straightforward document that jobseekers use to describe themselves and their skills. This makes it easier for the employer to understand the skills and work experience of the job applicant when applying for a job. In addition to the jobseeker’s assessment, the competence passport includes feedback from vocational teachers and working life.

Competence passports are made for upper secondary-level students, such as care assistants, practical nurses, facility managers, bakers, chefs, waiters, and sheet metal welders. Draft competence passports have also been prepared for university students specialising in expert positions and chemistry.

Benefits for the customer

When looking for a job, immigrants often face challenges due to their lack of language skills. This makes it more difficult to showcase one’s skills and find employment.

Students can use the skills passport

as an attachment in a job application
in a job interview
for replacing CV and job application
when drafting a CV and job application

The skills passport brings concrete results to the presentation of skills when applying for a job. It also helps the employer find the right person for each job.

Service process

Skills passports are created for different fields together with teachers and representatives of working life. At the final stage of graduation, students fill in a competence passport in their field, in which they evaluate their working life, professional, and language skills with the teacher and write a motivation letter about themselves.

Additional information

For more information, please feel free to contact us!

Sari Väänänen, sari.vaananen@sakky.fi, +358 44 785 4025
Pauliina Korhonen, pauliina.korhonen@sakky.fi, +358 44 785 3403

Entrepreneurship path for international students

The entrepreneurship path for international students provides comprehensive support for students who want to develop their business idea and start as entrepreneurs. The service includes the following areas:

Course: The aim of the course is to help students develop realistic and feasible business ideas. In higher education institutions, the course is called Realistic Business Idea in English, and in vocational schools, it is called Realistinen liikeidea selkeällä suomella.
- Personal coaching: Students receive support in developing their business ideas in individual and group coaching.
- Business idea evaluation and development: Students work on the business idea independently and with the support of coaching meetings.
- Creating a contact network: The course coaches support students in growing their contacts and advancing their business ideas.
Digital community: The goal is to develop a digital community for international budding entrepreneurs. The community provides peer support and networking opportunities.

The course is aimed at those planning to start a business. The digital community is also intended for international students and graduates who have already started their business.

Benefits for students

Business idea development: The student receives support and guidance in developing the business idea.
Learning the language of business administration and entrepreneurship: Students learn to use business concepts that facilitate collaboration with business advisors and financiers.
Networking and strengthening of social capital: The student creates contacts with other entrepreneurs, experts and potential partners.

Service path from the student’s perspective

Course

Initial interview and orientation: Students attend a kick-off session where they get an overview of the program and objectives.
Independent work on a business idea: Students work on their own business idea independently and receive guidance and sparring at this stage.
Coaching meetings: In coaching meetings, students receive feedback and guidance on how to develop their business idea.
Final examination: Students present their business ideas and demonstrate their competence.
Letter of recommendation: Successful students receive a letter of recommendation, which can be used, for example, in funding applications.

Digital community

An international student or entrepreneur can join the digital community supported by the project. This gives them opportunities to make online and face-to-face contacts and promote networking with their operating environment and other entrepreneurs.

Additional information

Daniel Bågeberg, daniel.bageberg@karelia.fi, +358 50 324 0290
Riku Jalonen, riku.jalonen@sakky.fi, +358 44 785 8360
Heidi Wilska, heidi.wilska@riveria.fi, +358 50 577 7852