Informa­tion for internatio­nal recruiting

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The institutions and various stakeholders in our region provide support for companies regarding international recruitments. This website gathers opportunities available in our region that businesses can utilize when considering international recruitment or hiring a foreign expert or employee.

International recruitments present a significant opportunity to expand business operations and to bring new expertise and diversity into the organization.

Talent Coastline

The Talent Coastline ecosystem is a form of voluntary cooperation and partnership between stakeholders and companies, under which different actors develop Talent Boost actions and services in Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia. We work to support and promote international recruitment, internationalising work communities and diversifying activities so that the region and companies can remain viable now and in the future.

Talentcoastline.fi gives information about activities and services for companies and other employers, as well as international talents. The website offers information on current topics related to the field of international recruitment, events, and networking, and gathers ongoing projects that promote the recruitment of international workforce to Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia. Meetings between employers and competent workforce are developed by an amazing group of various actors – the entire Talent Coastline ecosystem! More information: talentcoastline [at] ely-keskus.fi
Read more: talentcoastline.fi

Work in Finland

Do you find it challenging to find skilled professionals in Finland? Could your company benefit from international talents? Would you like support with your international recruitment process? Diverse teams have a positive effect on the quality of working life as well as cooperation. Skilled international employees help make your employer image more attractive.
Read more: workinfinland.com

Free advice service for all employers based in Finland

The Work in Finland International Recruitment Advice Service for Employers helps employers based in Finland with their questions about recruiting foreign labour. We provide you with up-to-date information about official processes, hiring foreign employees, residence permits and helping new employees to settle in Finland. You can ask us questions about hiring international talents who live abroad and international talents who are already based in Finland. No question is too small or too big for us. You can reach us by calling 0295 016 770 (weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or by sending an email to tyonantajaneuvonta [at] workinfinland.fi
Read more: workinfinland.com

Job Market Finland

You can publish a job advertisement easily on Job Market Finland website. By logging into the website, you can also browse job seekers’ profiles.
Read more: tyomarkkinatori.fi

Eures

The European Employment Services EURES matches employers and jobseekers within Europe (EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) by clarifying the recruitment process and thus supporting the mobility of the workforce. EURES Finland has a close cooperation with the EURES operators in other countries and an essential part of the work is the EURES portal, which can be used both by employers and jobseekers. It is possible to apply for funding to support the mobility. More information: Minna Hermanson, EURES Adviser Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia, Ostrobotnia TE services, minna.hermanson [at] te-toimisto.fi

Read more:
EURES Services https://eures.europa.eu/eures-services_en
EURES portal https://eures.europa.eu/index_en

Vaasa:

The Vaasa International Talents programme matches motivated doers with your needs

Through Vaasa International Talents, companies and other working life actors can easily find resources representing a variety of degree programmes at the higher education institutions in Vaasa. Our programme attracts highly motivated international students, many of whom already have a university degree from their home countries and prior work experience. The students and graduates have been exclusively selected to the programme, which equips them with must-know facts about Finnish working life and what kind of expectations working life has on employees.

How can we join forces?

Make use of the low threshold to find your future colleague:

  • Get to know an international talent by offering a possibility to job shadow during a work day
  • Invite us for a study visit to your organization
  • Engage a doer for thesis work, an internship or part-time work alongside the student’s studies – without any immigration related bureaucracy
  • Many students have the possibility to get part-time funding for an internship from their university
Additional advantages for you

We who work with the Vaasa International Talents programme have vast experience of multicultural working communities and team work. Our tips and recommendations can ease the onboarding process into your working community.
Read more: novia.fi

Vaasa University:
Specialists in economics and engineering for supported internships

An SME in the Vaasa region can receive an increased internship subsidy (3,600 €) when taking an international student from the University of Vaasa for a paid internship for three months. The intern can offer your company new perspectives in areas such as sustainable business, industrial management, energy technology, and computer science. In addition to the knowledge gained from studies, they have valuable work experience from abroad.
More information on hiring an intern (in Finnish)

Reach university students and graduates through the JobTeaser portal

The JobTeaser portal makes it easy to announce vacancies, internships and thesis positions to students and graduates of the University of Vaasa. The portal is used by all universities in Finland and is actively used by students.
More information on how to advertise your work or internship offer

Get to know future experts through the West Coast Gateway programme

The University of Vaasa is preparing the West Coast Gateway programme which will be launched in autumn 2024. The programme will offer companies diverse opportunities to get to know international students and their expertise through mentoring, course collaboration and projects, for example. If you are interested in cooperation, please contact: Talent Hub Manager Hanna Turpeinen, hanna.turpeinen [at] uwasa.fi.

Support for international employees’ spouses

The Vaasa Spouse Programme helps spouses of international employees and students to settle in the region and thus supports companies in retaining talent. The programme provides spouses with a community and extracurricular activities and supports them in finding their own career in Finland. Through the career activities, companies can get to know the diverse expertise of talented spouses.
More information on Vaasa Spouse Programme

Recognition of qualifications and language courses

The SIMHE services of the University of Vaasa may help you with matters related to the identification and recognition of a person’s degree or qualification and prior learning. In addition, SIMHE services offer Finnish and Swedish courses open for immigrants.
More information on SIMHE services

Digital DEI tools for SMEs

DEI4SME project produces open digital tools and materials that help SMEs to promote diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) in the company. The tools produced will help SMEs to plan, implement, and report measurable DEI activities in line with the ESG requirements in the EU. The EU funded project is coordinated by the University of Vaasa. The project ends in December 2026.
More information on the DEI4SME project
Join the DEI4SME project

Business Lead – Hanken & SSE Executive Education

Business Lead is a fast-track for unemployed academically educated refugees and immigrants into Finnish work-life by combining education, mentoring and a 3-month unpaid internship (from March 2024 to 6 June 2024) in a company in Finland. The programme benefits all parties involved. It helps companies find new international talent, explore new commercial opportunities and markets and get an outside-in view on your business. In addition, it is a unique opportunity to make a difference, it is Corporate Social Responsibility in action. Since the beginning, 270 participants and 160 companies have enabled the programme. Hanken & SSE Executive Education runs the program together with Hanken School of Economics. Business Lead won the award for best Talent Development program in Europe by EFMD in 2018.
Read more: hankensse.fi

Vaasa Welcome Office

Newcomers in Finland, employers hiring internationals or organisations can get information, counselling, and guidance at Welcome Office on matters such as immigration and integration in Vaasa and Vörå. You can call, send e-mail, book an appointment or drop-in to the service in Vaasa at Tammipiha servicepoint, Teräksenkuja 1. For more information, contact details and booking an appointment, go to webpage vaasa.fi/welcomeoffice

VAMK:
VAMK Work – Discover the future talents

VAMK Work service is a digital meeting point for students and the working life at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, making job posting and application processes more seamless. Through the electronic service, employers can announce open positions, internship opportunities, thesis topics, and smaller project works directly to students. Employers can also browse students’ skill profiles and directly contact potential talents if desired. Through the application, employers can collaborate effortlessly and simultaneously with several different educational institutions.
Read more and register as a partner with VAMK

Vaasa University of Applied Sciences Career Services

The goal of Career Services is to support students in career planning, strengthening job search skills, and identifying their own competence and personal strengths throughout their studies. We actively collaborate with local businesses through expert lectures, planned recruitment cooperation, and development of content for degree programs.
Read more about the activities of Career Services

Talent Coach

At VAMK, international students are assisted by a Talent Coach who provides personalized career guidance around employment-related themes. In addition to individual coaching, the Talent Coach organizes various workshops and events to promote the employment of international students.
Read more about the services of the Talent Coach

Alumni Activities

The aim of alumni activities is to enhance the workplace relevance of Vaasa University of Applied Sciences and support the establishment of students’ connections to the working life. Through active alumni engagement, we provide a platform for our alumni to engage in multidisciplinary professional and social networking and develop their own professional skills.

Alumni can contribute to education by giving expert lectures, inviting student groups for study visits to their workplaces, offering internships, projects, and thesis topics to students, and serving as industry mentors. Our international alumni are an important and active part of our alumni community.
Read more about our alumni activities

Jakobstad:

Centria:

Cross-Cultural Career Catalyst is a mentoring project funded by the Ostrobothnian Regional Council (AKKE) to address the challenges of the Ostrobothnian labour market, especially in the Pietarsaari region. The two-year project aims to build bridges between local companies and international students in the form of mentor-mentee pairs. The mentoring programme is not about recruiting labour, but about introducing students to Finnish working life and culture in general, giving them a wider network and contacts, and lowering their barriers to staying and working in our region.

The mentoring programme trains experts from the working life to act as mentors and at the same time creates new links between the working life and the core activities of the UAS. The project will contribute to solving the challenge of finding skilled labour in the region and strengthen the link between working life and the education sector. By participating in the mentoring programme as a mentor, you will have the opportunity to develop your leadership and language skills, gain new perspectives and have the chance to contribute to a more inclusive society. Duration: 1.1.2024-31.12.2025.
Read more: net.centria.fi

In the InnoShare project, the goal is to investigate the possibilities of competence sharing, exploring how companies and organizations can share expertise with each other. The project will test this by having individuals exchange workplaces for a certain period of time. Networking events for companies and organizations in the Jakobstad region will be organized, focusing on the theme of sharing competence. Additionally, a “competence pool” and a prototype platform for sharing and finding expertise will be created. Duration: 1.1.2024-31.12.2025. The project is carried out by: Centria University of Applied Sciences and Nykarleby Innovation Center r.f.
Read more: www.innoshare.fi

The inclusive workplace

The Inclusive Workplace project is a way to solve the labor shortage of companies. Through the project, we want to support companies to include the international workforce in the workplace. People with different backgrounds should feel welcome and included in companies, enjoy their work and stay in the workplace. Leisure time and the well-being of the employee’s family are also important.

The goal is to work with a group of companies to find working methods and models that will eventually help a large group of companies in the Jakobstad region to develop into inclusive workplaces. Cooperation with companies will take place at different levels – information packages or broader cooperation on concrete tools and methods. Implementers: Centria-AMK, Bildningsalliansen rf and Kredu. Funding: European Social Fund (ESF+) and Svenska Kulturfonden. Project time: 1.1.2024-31.12.2025
Read more: net.centria.fi

Kokkola:

Welcome Office

Are you planning on employing or have you employed foreign workers in your company?
Welcome Office offers help e.g. with international recruitment, employee residence permits, settling in Kokkola and Central Ostrobothnia, everyday life and leisure time and organizing language courses in Finnish and Swedish. The service is free of charge for employers and personal customer.
Read more: mykokkola.fi

Centria (Kokkola and Pietarsaari):
Employment and Career Services

Employment and Career Services works with businesses and communities. Through internships, student projects and degree projects, our students get a taste of the world of work. At the same time, companies and communities meet the future experts and potential employees.

– Recruiting an employee, trainee or international student
– Provide a topic for your thesis
– Offer project work
– Visit the campus

Contact us: urapalvelut [at] centria.fi

Talent Boost

Talent Boost is about attracting and retaining international talent in higher education and promoting education-based immigration and integration. Talent Boost activities focus in particular on employing and promoting the employment of international talents in Centria UAS’s area of operation, as well as on better meeting between companies and international talents. In line with the government programme, the Talent Boost programme period has been extended until 2027.
Read more: net.centria.fi

AIMlearning Project

In the project, young people under 29 years of age living in Central Ostrobothnia hone their skills related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, well-being, and sustainability. For businesses, the project provides an opportunity to network with international experts in our region. Companies can support the development and employment of young people by providing work-based exercises to the project. Implementation period: February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2027. The project is co-financed by the European Union.
Read more: net.centria.fi

Recruitment and employee satisfaction

Remote recruitment & well-being Strategy Canvas supports companies in recognizing remote work opportunities and to adapt the open positions in a way that is suitable for remote work. Canvas can also help when recruiting international talents. The Canvas acts as the starting point of the company’s remote (international) strategy that should be in line with overall strategy and goals.
DistanceLab offers support for enhancing the plan, introducing ideas, giving new perspectives and development points. After completing remote recruitment & well-being strategy Canvas, it is easier to start the practical actions towards the remote strategy.

Canvas can be done independently by uploading remote recruitment & well-being strategy Canvas and filling up details step by step utilizing guidelines provided in the Canvas. Or alternatively in a workshop setting; for sharing ideas and utilizing peer support. In the workshop each participant/company can fill up their own Canvas, but also discuss and share ideas with others. The material is available here: interreg-baltic.eu remote recruitment & well-being strategy Canvas. Should you be interested in workshop, please don’t hesitate to contact kirsi.palomaki [at] centria.fi by email to ask for more details or agree time for workshop.