Riihimäki internship pilot put students' knowledge into practice

The goal was development cooperation, in which the students gained practical experience of Finnish working life and the city gained international expertise and new perspectives on its own services.

The students analyzed services, identified strengths and areas for development, and based on their observations, compiled concrete improvement ideas and future plans. The work also utilized service design and strengthened cooperation between different industries.

Students were supported with weekly meetings, service design workshops, and Finnish language teaching in collaboration with HAMK and International House Riihimäki.

Good feedback from all parties

The results of the pilot were presented on August 18 at Antoni's house in Riihimäki. Students and city representatives presented their observations, concrete development proposals, and plans for how the work can be continued.

"From the perspective of the city of Riihimäki, this pilot was a success. The international students' responses to the challenges were very professionally done and the city will utilize them in the future," assures Juha Hiltunen, Integration Manager at International House Riihimäki.

During the three months, the students worked in the city's technical and vitality sectors, as well as in DEFINE (Defence Innovation Network Finland) and Business Riihimäki. The tasks were based on the sectors' own development needs and related to, among other things, map services, public transport, sports facilities, service paths and business development operating models.

“This was a good joint experiment that we hope will continue. The interns brought up good new perspectives, actively contacted companies from Riihimäki and Southern Finland, promoting networking between Riihimäki companies and students. I feel that the interns got a model of how everyday life works in a Finnish company, and it will help them in their job search after graduation. Our staff was also encouraged by the English used as the working language,” says Samuel Koivisto, CEO of Business Riihimäki.

The students themselves also praised their internship as successful. According to the feedback survey, they particularly appreciated the opportunity to work on real projects where they gained practical experience in the subjects they were studying. The students felt that they were trusted and that their work was meaningful. “Building strong professional relationships with our partners and participating in organizing our corporate event significantly boosted my self-confidence and developed my skills,” said one of the respondents.

Retaining graduating experts is a priority for the vitality and growth of Riihimäki. Therefore, building connections between students, educational institutions, the city and working life is important already during their studies. The experiences gained from the pilot support the development of a longer-term cooperation model between HAMK and the city of Riihimäki.