International talents for South Ostrobothnia
For companies, international talents, and stakeholders the purpose of the cooperation is to:
- Maintain an up-to-date picture of international talent recruitment perspectives in South Ostrobothnian companies, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders,
- Increase the interaction between companies and international talents through various match-up events and tailored guidance to facilitate recruitment,
- Connect international students with companies and other employer organisations from the start of their studies,
- Strengthen the attractiveness of South Ostrobothnia,
- Develop activities and initiate new needs for international talent recruitment and retention in the region,
- Gather current information on international talent recruitment and retention factors in South Ostrobothnia.
- The cooperation was created as part of the “Kokka kohti Etelä-Pohjanmaata” project.
INTERNATIONAL TALENT – international student, worker and professional – a significant part of the success of South Ostrobothnia!
Services for companies
- We help companies acquire international talent for their workforce.
- We connect companies with international students and workers in the region.
- We organise business events and networking opportunities for companies and international talents, such as students, workers and professionals to connect.
Services for international students and professionals
- We assist international talents in finding employment in local companies or starting their own businesses.
- We organise opportunities for international talents to get acquainted with local businesses.
Developing regional attractiveness and retention
- We promote the attractiveness and appeal of the region.
- We work together to strengthen the region’s international development.
- We utilise jointly developed models and tools.
- We communicate current issues.
News on the topic
Contact information
Services for companies
talentboost@seamk.fi
Projects and integration
Maiju Kinossalo, maiju.kinossalo@seamk.fi
Maiju also maintains the regional SENSE network for promoting integration, which focuses particularly on enhancing integration and retention in South Ostrobothnia.
Further reading
Operation models and tools
T – Training places
A – Attractive region
L – Language skills
E – Entrepreneurship
N – New talent
T – Total commitment
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Operation models
1 Internship processes for international talents
- International talents can get acquainted with local companies without commitment.
- Company visits offer international talents the opportunity to explore companies in various sectors and determine which ones might be suitable for future employment and internships.
2 Entrepreneurship training and pathways for international students and rofessionals
- The cooperation supports and promotes entrepreneurship among international professionals.
- We make the entrepreneurial region attractive to immigrants who consider starting their own business.
3 Promoting Finnish language, culture, and integration
- The core of the model is peer mentoring, which supports employees or interns as international students or professionals in a Finnish work life environment, helping them to feel a sense of belonging in communities.
- Typically, the mentor has undergone the same process.
- Finnish language learning and mentoring can also begin before the person moves to Finland.
- Studying Finnish is a compulsory part of the English-taught degree programmes at SeAMK. Read more here >
4 Supporting and training employers to receive international interns and employees
- We provide companies with support in engaging with and integrating international talent already present in the area into their work communities.
- Employers are provided with information from the national Kielibuusti project on a) how to develop a multilingual work community step by step and b) how to support the language learning of an employee who is learning Finnish alongside their work. This aims to lower the threshold for hiring international interns or employees.
- Together, we strive to retain the skilled professionals already in the region.
5 Regional recruitment process for international talents
- Together with multimodal cooperation, the SENSE network for promoting integration, companies, and international professionals, we examine and develop the service pathways for the reception and settlement process.
- This strengthens local business operations and increases the availability and retention of the international workforce.
- As a result, more permanent and stronger commitments are formed: the company and the international professional create continuity.
6 Increasing support services, attractiveness, and retention for companies
- We provide support and tools (below) for successful talent recruitment and the integration of international professionals into the region and the workforce.
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Tools
Get Hired! Events for International Talents are targeted at a wide audience (50-100 participants). These events provide general information and experiences: companies share their experiences in recruiting international talent, and international students and workers share their experiences with local companies. Additionally, the event features company presentation stands and networking opportunities.
Talent Boost Breakfast is an event where students and companies meet over breakfast. Each event invites representatives from two to three companies to present their operations, and 10–20 students. The Talent Boost Breakfast events focus on a specific theme (e.g., technology sector, healthcare sector, summer jobs, geographical area). After the company presentations, there is time for discussions and networking.
Company visits are low-threshold opportunities to get to know companies and international talents. Company visits are organised according to the situation, in small or larger student groups. Company visits also motivate local businesses to invest in developing staff language and presentation skills.
Finnish language learning materials and peer mentoring offer international students and workers the opportunity to start learning Finnish before arriving in Finland and continue it here in collaboration with the educational institution, mentor, and employer.
Online entrepreneurship training in English provides early-stage valuable information about entrepreneurship in Finland and gives international professionals the opportunity to decide whether starting their own business is a viable option for them. The training can be attended regardless of the participant’s location, and Finnish language skills are not yet required at this stage.
Materials, summaries, and webinar recordings provide companies with useful information, such as experience stories in an appropriate format and at the right time.