Employment Expectations and Obstacles of International Students after Graduation from Laurea University of Applied Sciences’ Business Management Degree Programme in Finland
Dang, Linh (2019)
2019
Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201903132827
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201903132827
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this research is to assist the Career and Recruitment Services of Laurea University of Applied Sciences in examining the expectations of international students after graduating or soon graduate in Spring 2018 from Laurea UAS in Business Management degree programme about their employment as well as the obstacles they confront when entering the Finnish job market.
The theoretical background part described some issues and concepts related to the purpose of this research, including the Finnish economy and job market situation, Bachelor of Business Administration degree, the Career and Recruitment Services and some information on expectations and obstacles elements. The background studies of international students in Finland were also brought up.
This research applied both quantitative and qualitative method. Quantitative data was collected through online survey with 31 responses and was analyzed using Excel Analysis Tool-pak. Qualitative data was obtained with 4 semi-structured interviews.
In brief, the results showed that international students graduated from Laurea UAS in Business Management degree programme mostly expect to have more work opportunities, find jobs and get better positions in their field of study or in a multinational company. However, they do understand that it can be very difficult to find a job in Finland. Secondly, the biggest barrier of international students in the Finnish job market is the lack of Finnish skills. Other main obstacles are high competition, lack of recommendations and lack of trust towards foreigners. Lastly, it is recommended that Laurea UAS in general and the Career and Recruitment Services, in particular, should stress to the student about the importance of Finnish skills and provide more Finnish courses in a more intensive level and offer more international projects for international students. Additionally, they want to receive counseling guidance about Finnish work environment and culture as well as workshops that focus on helping students to expand their network, gain more practical skills and how to get through CV rounds effectively. Finally, they hope that Laurea UAS could extend its network with more international companies, make an extra effort in assisting international students in finding an internship in Finland as well as integrate local companies with international students.
The author suggests further researches on international students in other degree programmes in Laurea UAS or on Finnish students in the Business Management degree programme to observe their employment expectations and obstacles.
The theoretical background part described some issues and concepts related to the purpose of this research, including the Finnish economy and job market situation, Bachelor of Business Administration degree, the Career and Recruitment Services and some information on expectations and obstacles elements. The background studies of international students in Finland were also brought up.
This research applied both quantitative and qualitative method. Quantitative data was collected through online survey with 31 responses and was analyzed using Excel Analysis Tool-pak. Qualitative data was obtained with 4 semi-structured interviews.
In brief, the results showed that international students graduated from Laurea UAS in Business Management degree programme mostly expect to have more work opportunities, find jobs and get better positions in their field of study or in a multinational company. However, they do understand that it can be very difficult to find a job in Finland. Secondly, the biggest barrier of international students in the Finnish job market is the lack of Finnish skills. Other main obstacles are high competition, lack of recommendations and lack of trust towards foreigners. Lastly, it is recommended that Laurea UAS in general and the Career and Recruitment Services, in particular, should stress to the student about the importance of Finnish skills and provide more Finnish courses in a more intensive level and offer more international projects for international students. Additionally, they want to receive counseling guidance about Finnish work environment and culture as well as workshops that focus on helping students to expand their network, gain more practical skills and how to get through CV rounds effectively. Finally, they hope that Laurea UAS could extend its network with more international companies, make an extra effort in assisting international students in finding an internship in Finland as well as integrate local companies with international students.
The author suggests further researches on international students in other degree programmes in Laurea UAS or on Finnish students in the Business Management degree programme to observe their employment expectations and obstacles.