International students bring new perspectives to the city of Riihimäki

The city of Riihimäki is piloting a new internship program in collaboration with Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK).

In the international internship program that started on May 11, ten students will work in different sectors of the city for the next three months. The interns come from HAMK's English-language education programs and work in the technical sector, the vitality sector, Define, and Business Riihimäki.

The aim of the experiment, which was initiated by Mayor Jouni Eho, is development cooperation in which students gain experience of Finnish working life and the city gains international expertise and new perspectives on its own services.

“It's not just about providing internships, but about joint development that benefits all parties – now and in the future,” says Eho.

The aim of the pilot is to collect experiences and operating models that will help establish the internship program as part of the cooperation between the city and HAMK.

“It is really exciting to pilot this new internship model! Our cooperation with the City of Riihimäki is agile and enables various experiments. Our international students gain important experience in Finnish work communities and bring added value to industries with their multidisciplinary expertise and experience base. Our common goal is to strengthen Riihimäki's talent pool and sustainable internationalization,” says Kati Heikkinen, Head of International Affairs at HAMK.

New thinking and development approach

Riihimäki is rapidly becoming international, and the city's population growth has been largely based on immigration for some time. This creates opportunities for labor availability, vitality and investment, but also requires the development of operations and services.

In 2025, the International Riihimäki Action Plan was launched, which serves as a roadmap for promoting the internationalization of Riihimäki and strengthening its vitality.

The internship program that has just started supports Riihimäki's internationalization in two ways. The city as an organization gains experience in how international experts can be brought into work communities, and at the same time serves as an example for other employers. In turn, the interns bring new development ideas to the city's services and urban environment from the perspective of a foreign-language user.

The Mayor thanks the employees of the sectors who have been open-minded in making the internships possible, even though it has required additional work.

"We want to use our own example to show that integrating international experts into the work community is possible. The most important thing is the organization's will, because many things are ultimately just a matter of organization," Eho states.

Need-based tasks motivate

The aim of the internship is to produce comprehensive development proposals. Students analyze services, make observations and, based on these observations, compile concrete improvement ideas for the city.

The tasks include examining the accessibility and usability of city services from an immigrant's perspective. The objects of the review include map services, public transport and sports facilities, service paths and business development operating models. At the same time, shortcomings or ambiguities, such as translation needs, are identified, which helps to develop services that are more accessible to different language groups.

"The internships are not "general internships", but are based on the sectors' own development needs. The key challenges were mapped out in advance and clear, project-like assignments were formulated based on them," says Eea Vatanen, who coordinates the collaboration and works as a shared resource at HAMK, Hyria, SYKLI and International House Riihimäki.

Students are supported through weekly meetings and service design workshops in collaboration with HAMK. They are guided in, among other things, structuring their work, communicating, and understanding working life practices.

In addition, HAMK conducts research during the internships, the aim of which is to highlight the effects of the internships on the city's services, operating methods and development thinking, and to compile students' experiences of participation and significance during the internship period.

Based on the data, a model for cooperation between the university of applied sciences and the city organization will be created.