
Time to strengthen employment pathways for international talents in Finland
Published: 27.05.2025 / Projects
International students and talents in Finland face significant barriers to entering the workforce. Despite their skills and education, many struggle to find internships, thesis assignments, and employment opportunities – challenges that sometimes even prevent graduation. These difficulties often lead to highly skilled international talents leaving Finland after completing their studies, resulting in a loss for the Finnish labour market.
To tackle this issue, Arcada University of Applied Sciences has launched a new project, ANCHOR – Anchoring Career Support in Working Life. Supported by funding from the European Union and Svenska kulturfonden, ANCHOR aims to develop new concepts and models to enhance career pathways for international students, recent graduates, and alumni from Finnish universities of applied sciences together with employers. The project also seeks to identify employers’ need for support when hiring international talent and assess the relevance of the services that are already offered to them.
“Through this initiative, we aim to create stronger links between international talents and the Finnish labour market, ultimately helping more graduates stay and thrive in Finland.” says project manager Maria Jurvelius.
The project is backed by a broad steering group that includes representatives from the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa, Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), and the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland. The steering group also includes an international alumnus from Arcada, a representative from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, and a representative from the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre). The ELY Centre manages the European Social Fund+ funding mechanism.
At the moment, the project is in the information-gathering phase, and the project team is analysing existing data and planning further data collection as basis for mapping stakeholders, as well as for planning interviews. This will be followed by piloting new forms of internship collaborations and innovative career support.
For more information about the project, please contact