- Public transit and housing benefits have been used for a number of years to incentivize students of mechanical engineering and architecture to work in the Turku region during the summer.
- In 2020, the incentives were received by 30 tech students who will begin their career in a total of 17 different companies in Turku, Kaarina and Naantali.
- The Covid-19 pandemic that began during the Tech Summer Trainee (Kesäteekkari) campaign had an impact on international recruitment processes.
Companies in the technology industry emphasize that the need for skilled workers has not disappeared during the corona crisis. Companies in the Turku region have faced difficulties in attracting engineering students from other university cities to work over the summer in Turku. Before the current crisis, the employment situation of mechanical engineers was nearing full employment and the competition for the best talent—both now and in the future—has not gone anywhere.
– The uncertainty in the job market brought on by the corona crisis does not alter the fact that the population of Finland is aging. In addition, surviving this crisis will highlight the significance of expertise and the ability to renew oneself in a world where the old ways of doing things are no longer applicable and global competition is getting tougher. In the future, alongside finding employment and internship opportunities for those put on leave or laid off due to the pandemic, we also have to attract more expertise than ever on an international level, says Niko Kyynäräinen, the CEO of Turku Science Park Ltd.
The Tech Summer Trainee campaign helps the employee to focus on what is relevant
Turku Science Park Ltd. has, in conjunction with the City of Turku, campaigned for a number of years now in order to attract tech students by offering free housing for three months in an apartment provided by the Turku Student Village Foundation and a public transit pass for the Turku region. In 2020 the campaign was directed first and foremost to students of mechanical, industrial, maritime and construction engineering and architecture in universities of technology outside of Turku. The offer was valid for 30 students, some of which were reserved for international degree students.
A high number of companies utilized the Tech Summer Trainee campaign in their attraction of new employees for the summer, and all 30 openings were filled. One of the 2020 trainees is Anni Marttinen, who studies architecture at the University of Tampere and starts her job at Schauman Architects Ltd.
– Working at Schauman Architects is a dream summer job for me. I think that, at Schauman particularly, I have a great opportunity to develop myself because of the diversity of the office. The Tech Summer Trainee campaign gives me the chance to rest and recharge after the working day is done because I won’t have to travel to Tampere and back again every day, Anni says and goes on to state that Turku is a beautiful city also in terms of architecture and full of fascinating sites. She is looking forward to having the opportunity to help develop Turku further.
International aspect present for the first time
According to Technology Finland, international Masters of Science in engineering are an under-utilized asset in Finland. The worst-case scenario is that an international student who has received their technical education in Finland cannot find a job here and takes their expertise to abroad instead. Having a summer job increases the chances that international talents settle permanently in Turku after graduating.
– In 2020, for the first time, some of the openings were reserved for international degree students. We were positively surprised by the interest that the campaign garnered among international students of higher education. Many local companies were excited and open-minded about getting their hands on the applications. The international students already residing in Finland also get to start their work according to plan. However, the corona crisis has affected those that applied from outside of Finland by making getting into the country uncertain. We have provided support to companies and students in other ways and we hope that these students also get to experience the city first-hand, says Lotta Kujanpää, the project specialist in charge of the campaign at Turku Science Park Ltd.
The distribution of tech summer trainees into different companies in the Turku region was broad. 17 companies have new employees starting out in the summer, and one of the companies is Groke Technologies founded in 2019. Groke Technologies, which has been firmly attached to the global market since day one, is even now looking for new expertise. They have already received reinforcements for the summer in the form of Ville, who is currently studying at the Tampere University of Technology.
– We offer first-class digital solutions to the most challenging environments of the maritime industry. For this reason, we also require first-class talents. We received applications both from Finnish and international degree students. We were extremely impressed with the skill and enthusiasm of the applicants. In addition to Ville, we are also contemplating the possibility of recruiting a second employee for the summer, states Juha Rokka, the CEO of Groke Technologies.
Campaign website: www.techsummertrainee.fi
The campaign is part of the Talent Turku service for companies (www.businessturku.fi/talentboost)