For employers

Offer your expertise in mentoring international students

The mentor search is open – register by September 7th using the online form.

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) 

1. Online mentoring (2 h)
2. Programme launch event and first online meeting of groups (2 h)
3. Meetings with the group (4-5 times recommended)
4. Networking event (3 h)
5. 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 for the next mentoring programme (November 2025-May 2026) can be found in this brochure (pdf).

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

Utilise the potential of international students in thesis or project work

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 

1. The student teams can visit or be invited to local companies
2. During the visits, the teams and employers discuss cooperation opportunities and agree on the next steps
3. 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

Offer an internship or job to an international student

Looking for a motivated intern, thesis writer or new employee? We’ll help you find the right candidate!

We collect comprehensive information about our international students – their areas of expertise, educational background and work experience. This data forms our continuously growing Talent Pool, a skills database that allows us to match the right candidates to your needs.

How Does the Talent Pool Work?

1. Tell us what you need – Let us know the kind of skills or profile you’re looking for.
2. We’ll find the right candidates – We search our Talent Pool for students who match your criteria.
3. Receive candidate suggestions – With the students’ consent, we present you with suitable profiles.
4. Meet and decide – You can meet the candidates and decide on the next steps.

Through the Talent Pool, you gain easy access to skilled, motivated international students who are eager to gain hands-on experience in Finnish working life. At the same time, you contribute to building a diverse and future-ready workplace.

Our experts will support you throughout the process – from identifying your needs to final selection and practical arrangements.

Interested? Get in touch:

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 

Identify and utilise the proven competence of international talent

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 skills passport includes feedback from vocational teachers and working life.

Skills passports are made for upper secondary-level students, such as care assistants, practical nurses, facility managers, bakers, chefs, waiters, and sheet metal welders. Draft skills 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 skills 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

Increase the diversity competence of the personnel and the work community

In the online course “Strengthening diversity in work communities”, you will explore diversity and how to enhance it within the work community. You can access the course from anywhere, at any time, through the DigiCampus online platform (in Finnish): https://digicampus.fi/course/view.php?id=6290.

What the course offers

The course aims to enhance the receptiveness of work communities, foster cultural understanding and cohesion, increase language awareness and support for language learning in the workplace, and strengthen the leadership skills of supervisors.

Upon finishing the course, the participant:

• Understands the significance of diversity in the work community for well-being, interaction and functionality
• Identify their attitudes, privileges and thought patterns that affect their actions in a diverse work community
• Can promote a welcoming, culturally aware and psychologically safe atmosphere in the work community
• Is familiar with ways to support language learning in the workplace
• Recognises phenomena that weaken diversity, such as microaggressions and discriminatory practices, and can act constructively to prevent them

The course topics include:

• The importance of diversity and cultural awareness in the work community
• Receptivity skills and interaction development
• Psychological safety and inclusion
• Language learning in the workplace
• Privileges, biases and microaggressions

During the course

You complete the online course at your own pace, at a time that suits you. The online course consists of five themes, each accompanied by online recordings and corresponding assignments. In each section, you will find a short lecture recording.

You may complete the sections in any order you prefer, or you may choose only the sections that interest you. If you listen to all the sections and finish the assignments, you can print a badge for yourself.

Credits are not awarded for completing the course, and students are not enrolled in the university’s student system, which means that you do not possess a UEF account or student privileges in the university’s systems.

More info on

If you have any questions about the course content, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Virpi Moilanen, virpi.moilanen@uef.fi, 050 576 1301

Develop language- and culture-aware guidance and orientation skills in the workplace

Workplace instructor training supports employers, especially workplace instructors, in guiding international students in the workplace. The training consists of a two-hour face-to-face training and a virtual material package open to all. The experiences and results of the Teams support sessions, a service piloted for workplace instructors, will be utilised to prepare the training and material.

Benefits for employers, workplace tutors and students

The training allows employers to increase language and cultural awareness and courage in hiring international talent. An organisation can make language and culturally aware guidance skills visible by applying for a badge. The workplace instructor receives concrete tools for guiding international students. Students benefit from the guidance skills of workplace instructors as they progress in their studies and integrate into the work community.

Service path from the employer’s point of view

YSAO is piloting the Language and Culture-Aware Workplace Instructor training as a face-to-face implementation in technology expertise and food services. The organisation receives a badge after completing the training.

Alternatively, the educational institution’s website has a material bank for Language—and Culture-Aware Workplace Instructors containing concrete everyday tools. When an employer has a workplace instructor familiar with the material, the employer can receive a badge for language and culture-conscious guidance.

Additional information

Mirja Iskanius, mirja.iskanius@ysao.fi, +358 40 558 5454
Minna Jääskeläinen, minna.jaaskelainen@ysao.fi, +358 50 300 7102
Pauliina Korhonen, pauliina.korhonen@sakky.fi, +358 44 785 3403
Maarit Paaso, maarit.paaso@riveria.fi, +358 50 347 6696

Find the right services for recruiting and supporting international talent

The service model for employers offers a comprehensive set of services aimed at responding to companies’ recruitment needs and improving the vitality of Eastern Finland. Employers receive information about graduating students and experts applying for internships, theses and project work through the service.

The service model will be developed in cooperation with the education, employment and economic development services of counties and municipalities, and it will be targeted especially at small and medium-sized employers.

Benefits for the customer  

The service model for employers offers many benefits to employers: 

• A well-functioning cooperation network that brings together companies, educational institutions and other service providers in the area
• Up-to-date and reliable information on the international workforce and its utilisation possibilities
• Practical tools and training that facilitate training, recruitment and attachment to the work community
• A better understanding of degree programmes, fields of study and the experts they offer

Service process  

The employer’s service path often begins with situations where the company has: 

• Shortage of labour
• The need to recruit international talent, but this may be hindered by, for example, perceived difficulties in paperwork, language skills problems or occupational safety issues
• A desire to develop export operations or expand operations internationally

The service process proceeds according to an individual service path, where the employer’s needs are first mapped. After that, solutions are built that connect job seekers and employers.

Additional information  

Feel free to contact us!

Sari Väänänen, sari.vaananen@sakky.fi, +358 044 785 4025
Pauliina Korhonen, pauliina.korhonen@sakky.fi, +358 044 785 3403

Build networks of experts and develop solutions together with other actors

The regions’ smart specialisation industries have formed several industry clusters. In addition, other well-established consortia in Eastern Finland focus on the needs of different sectors and are often coordinated by regional development companies.

Industry clusters create a strong foundation for developing effective cooperation models between companies, public organisations, vocational colleges and higher education institutions.

The services offered to the clusters can be tailored to each sector, communications can be targeted, and operations can be directed to the right customer group. This makes the collaboration more impactful and customer-oriented.

The objectives of cluster cooperation are to 

• improve recruitment skills in working life
• produce targeted training information for companies
• help students of different levels of education and employers working within the same field to meet each other

Benefits for the customer  

Companies and organisations in clusters and industry consortia receive up-to-date and reliable information about international students and their skills. In addition, the degree programmes and fields of study of educational institutions will become better known to the representatives of working life involved in the clusters.

The aim is that the benefits brought by international students become concrete for companies and thus lower the threshold for recruiting international experts. In addition, we produce content related to international experts for cluster- and industry-specific events.

Service process  

The services available to employers and the benefits of international experts are highlighted, for example, through case studies in meetings organised by clusters and divisions as well as other events. After this, further measures are planned together, which may affect all or only some of the companies in the sector.

Additional information  

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