Should I stay or should I go? : why SAMK’s International Students too often leave Satakunta after graduation and what should be done about it?
Sävel, Jaana (2022)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202205118486
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202205118486
Tiivistelmä
Statistics show that the population in Finland will start decreasing in 2034, despite migration, which has for several years already been the basis for the population growth. Satakunta is one of the Finnish regions of depopulation, as especially the educated young tend to move to regions bigger, more attractive, more international friendly. On the other hand, Satakunta is a highly industrial region, offering plenty of jobs requiring higher education, therefore, jobs and enterprises might be moving as well to other regions, if not finding sufficient staff resources.
The study focused on the reasons why the international students of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, SAMK, often leave Satakunta after graduation, and what should, or could, be done, so they would decide to stay. Employment was envisaged to have a major role in the decision-making; therefore, the research questions emphasised employment. To complete the statistics, previous studies and projects within the topic, this study had a qualitative approach, using interviews to collect the research data. The viewpoints were found important to represent different perspectives, thus there were four target groups interviewed – international students, employers, internship supervisors, and stakeholders.
Altogether 50 interviews of the representatives of the target groups, and eight additional interviews to reflect the outcomes of the actual target groups, were done online in 2021, a year of the pandemic. The selection of the participants was partly tendentious, to ensure a sufficient coverage of the target groups and versatile viewpoints. The interview questions and the tabled, organised responses of the transcribed interviews were summarised by each of the target group with seven key factors: Finnish language, Cultural differences, Internships, Custom pathway, Hidden jobs, Participation, involvement, and Regional international friendliness.
The suggestions and wishes from the target groups to the students, the employers, the commissioner, and the region, were collected as lists of recommendations, and based on the lists, a Recommendation Proposal was presented for SAMK for further elaboration to support the international students to stay in Satakunta after graduation.
The study focused on the reasons why the international students of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, SAMK, often leave Satakunta after graduation, and what should, or could, be done, so they would decide to stay. Employment was envisaged to have a major role in the decision-making; therefore, the research questions emphasised employment. To complete the statistics, previous studies and projects within the topic, this study had a qualitative approach, using interviews to collect the research data. The viewpoints were found important to represent different perspectives, thus there were four target groups interviewed – international students, employers, internship supervisors, and stakeholders.
Altogether 50 interviews of the representatives of the target groups, and eight additional interviews to reflect the outcomes of the actual target groups, were done online in 2021, a year of the pandemic. The selection of the participants was partly tendentious, to ensure a sufficient coverage of the target groups and versatile viewpoints. The interview questions and the tabled, organised responses of the transcribed interviews were summarised by each of the target group with seven key factors: Finnish language, Cultural differences, Internships, Custom pathway, Hidden jobs, Participation, involvement, and Regional international friendliness.
The suggestions and wishes from the target groups to the students, the employers, the commissioner, and the region, were collected as lists of recommendations, and based on the lists, a Recommendation Proposal was presented for SAMK for further elaboration to support the international students to stay in Satakunta after graduation.