Enhancing Employment of International Degree Students in Tampere University of Applied Sciences
Viitasalo, Alina (2018)
Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201805107594
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201805107594
Tiivistelmä
This bachelor’s thesis was commissioned by Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and the need for it arose from the KILKAS project (Kilpailukykyä ja Kasvua Ulkomaalaisten Ammattikorkeakouluopiskelijoiden Työllistymisen Edistämiseksi/ Competitiveness and Growth in Promoting the Employment of Foreign UAS Students) in which TAMK took part during the years 2016-2018.
The purpose of this study was to find out how TAMK could better support its international degree students find employment. This was done by first finding out how the students perceived the support they were currently receiving and then mapping out what kind of support they hoped for.
The data was collected by conducting an online survey that was sent to 206 international degree students of three different degree programmes at TAMK: Media and Arts, Energy and Environmental Engineering, and International Business. The number of responses was 34. The data was analysed by placing it in different charts, making cross-tabulations and categorizing the open-ended responses.
The surveys main findings were that the international degree students expected a lot more personal support with the job finding process and that they were not satisfied with the amount of Finnish language courses offered at TAMK.
Utilizing mainly the results of the KILKAS project, it is suggested that TAMK improve its alumni network to help students build their networks and create a course where Finnish students could teach the international degree students about the Finnish labour market. It could also be recommendable that TAMK inform its international degree students about the importance of networks and highlight the significance of their own activity. Adding new Finnish language courses and possibly incorporating employability skills as a part of said courses is also recommended. The aforementioned solutions are relatively easy to execute and maintain, and do not burden any department or person specifically. The suggested actions can be useful in influencing different aspects of the international students’ studies and therefore contributing to their employment over time.
The purpose of this study was to find out how TAMK could better support its international degree students find employment. This was done by first finding out how the students perceived the support they were currently receiving and then mapping out what kind of support they hoped for.
The data was collected by conducting an online survey that was sent to 206 international degree students of three different degree programmes at TAMK: Media and Arts, Energy and Environmental Engineering, and International Business. The number of responses was 34. The data was analysed by placing it in different charts, making cross-tabulations and categorizing the open-ended responses.
The surveys main findings were that the international degree students expected a lot more personal support with the job finding process and that they were not satisfied with the amount of Finnish language courses offered at TAMK.
Utilizing mainly the results of the KILKAS project, it is suggested that TAMK improve its alumni network to help students build their networks and create a course where Finnish students could teach the international degree students about the Finnish labour market. It could also be recommendable that TAMK inform its international degree students about the importance of networks and highlight the significance of their own activity. Adding new Finnish language courses and possibly incorporating employability skills as a part of said courses is also recommended. The aforementioned solutions are relatively easy to execute and maintain, and do not burden any department or person specifically. The suggested actions can be useful in influencing different aspects of the international students’ studies and therefore contributing to their employment over time.