Collaboration

“Talent Traction: Co-creating Multicultural Workplace” benefits both professionals and companies

Published on 7.12.2021

Tampere University of Applied Sciences

Johanna Koivulampi- Howard and Kati Lammi showing thumbs up

Johanna Koivulampi-Howard from Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Kati Lammi from TE Office work together to help companies in Pirkanmaa region to employ experts with a foreign background.

Currently, there is an interesting phenomenon in the Finnish working life: there is a labor shortage in companies, yet many experts with foreign backgrounds are unemployed or have jobs that don’t match their education. Employers often have a high threshold for recruiting the first person with a foreign background, which can be due to, for example, uncertainty or lack of resources.

Tampere University of Applied Sciences' new education “Talent Traction: Co-creating Multicultural Workplace” offers professionals with foreign backgrounds a diverse work-based education. Simultaneously, companies benefit by getting relevant information about development opportunities with the help of students.

Johanna Koivulampi-Howard, Key Account Manager of Internationalisation and Business Operations at TAMK, explains that in addition to studies, the students will also make a development project in different companies. All selected students have a higher education degree in various fields.

“This is a completely new concept and vocational labour market training organized together with TAMK Proakatemia. The entrepreneurial and coaching approach of Proakatemia gives students tools for example to service design, facilitation and dialogue,” Koivulampi-Howard continues.

Finnish language studies are also included in the education. There are two study groups: beginners and more advanced, depending what is the starting level of the student.

The students are the developers of the companies. The assignment gives the company new relevant information and the participation for companies is completely free of charge.

“Companies receive a situation analysis and an action plan. The students will also implement some of the necessary development measures in the companies. The assignment can for example focus on employer image, recruitment, employment issues, orientation or translation needs. Students can utilize the expertise of TAMK's trainers along the way,” adds Kati Lammi, Consultant at Enterprise and Training Services team at TE Services.

The new education has been planned together with the TE-Office. City of Tampere, Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, Business Finland and Tampere Chamber of Commerce and Industry are also involved in the cooperation.

The gap in the recruitment services gave the impact to a completely new type of education

Although there are services available for employers related to international recruitment, there is a clear gap in the range of services. Most of the services focus on the stage where the employer has already decided to recruit. The aim of this education is to provide concrete support for companies that don’t yet have experience in hiring a professional with a foreign background.

“We hope that companies from Pirkanmaa region that have a labor shortage and don’t have yet experience with hiring international employees would join in. We believe that such companies will benefit the most from this education. We are still looking for new companies to join in,” Lammi adds.

Both Koivulampi-Howard and Lammi believe that this new type of education will also have an impact on the business life of Pirkanmaa.

“The social impact of this education is significant. Companies receive innovativeness and improve their competitiveness. Thus the entire business of Pirkanmaa becomes more diverse and international. This education enables students to pursue a variety of career paths and their employment improves,” Koivulampi-Howard sums up.