Find Your Future fair connected students and companies

Text: Janna Peltola

Turku University of Applied Sciences wants to support and promote the employment of our international students as well. Therefore, there was an International Stage that organized activities also in English, while in Taidon portaat had a Finnish program. In the International stage, there were panel discussions and Q&A sessions with International House Turku and DigiMESH project .

With advisors from International House Turku, the international students discussed life and opportunities that Turku offers for international people. Roza Pambukhchyan and Jonathon Murphy are the ones to contact if you are wondering about life in Turku as an international person.

The international stage also offered two panel discussions. Lucia Vuillermin from International Working Women of Finland, Roza Pambukhchyan and Jonathon Murphy from International House Turku and Anu Lehtinen from Turku UAS stopped to discuss digital networking in Finland. The discussion dived deep into the core of networking. They reminded that networks are the key to find employment in Finland as we have a huge hidden job market. Networks offers also more than job offers, they can provide valuable, correct, and reliable information.

However, the panelists reminded the audience that everyone networking professionally should google themselves time to time. On all channels, it is good to remember that if you stalk companies, the companies do the same. And therefore, your digital footprint is important.

The second panel discussion focused on career stories and opportunities in Finland with three international talents. They were Mikkel Klinge Knudsen, Customer Service Coordinator from Ewals Cargo Care Nordics, Francois Simon, Sales Manager from ATR Soft and Ajaya Joshi, Senior Lecturer from Turku UAS. Their message was to approach especially small and medium-sized companies which are those who employs the most in Finland. And international students should not forget to create connections with locals.

The panelists highlighted that international students and talents can be an asset for companies. The international talents and students bring diversity to the companies as many surveys have proved. Also, in time of recession, Finland cannot afford to lose those talents abroad. However, the challenge is to make the international students and companies connect. Find Your Future career and recruitment fair is exactly what we need to make that happen. And it did!

And finally special thanks to project hatchery students, who have been planning and organizing the International Stage activities in collaboration with DigiMESH project, especially Tuomas Mäkelä, Klaus Rapudé, Adam Mowjun, Daniah Almuwali, Valtteri Matomäki and Jalmari Kovaleff.

DigiMESH project is funded by European Social Fund (REACT-EU funding) from 3 Jan. 2022 to 31 Aug. 2023. The REACT-EU project are financed as part of the European Union's efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.