Student cooperation
Students developing the worklife
At Xamk there are around 12 500 students whose expertise can be utilized by businesses and other organizations in various ways.
Forms of student cooperation can, for example, include:
– Work-life projects
– Theses
– Student recruitment
Don’t hesitate to contact us, so we can discuss of the best way to carry out your assignment!
Below you can learn more about the different forms of student cooperation.
The client benefits from new perspectives, and the students gain valuable practical experience.
Laura Häkkinen
Alumni- and Business Relations Coordinator
laura.hakkinen@xamk.fi
+358 50 468 8082
Work-life projects
Theses
Student recruitment
Scholarships
Work-life projects
- Work-life projects are implemented under supervision or independently as part of a course.
- The course duration is approximately 2 months.
- At the beginning of the course, the client is asked to present the project and provide feedback to the students on the implementation during and at the end of the course.
- The client receives the results and development suggestions for their organization’s use as agreed.
- Projects involve learning through ideation, experiments, and practical execution.
Theses
- A thesis is a research or development task that allows the client to investigate and improve their own operations.
- The topic of the thesis can be tailored to meet the client’s needs.
- The thesis corresponds to approximately 400 hours of work.
- The student’s thesis is supervised by a university of applied sciences teacher. Together with the client, they agree on aspects such as the scope of work, schedule, reporting method, and use of the research results.
Student recruitment
- The responsibility for supervising internships lies with the employer. The duration of the internship is on average 2-3 months per year, and it can be completed in parts.
- Employers can post internship and job opportunities directly at Xamk Duuni.
- Internship positions for future professionals in the social and healthcare fields can also be posted on the Jobiili platform.
- Internships can be carried out in domestic or international companies, public organizations, or other suitable entities such as various associations or organizations.
- Ideally, a student’s path progresses with the same company: work-life project –> internship –> thesis –> employment at the company.
Scholarships
The purpose of the fund is to grant scholarships to successful or distinguished Xamk students.
Xamk’s Worklife Boom as a meeting place for working life and students
This work life -themed event brings companies, students, Xamk staff and our alumni together on each campus in January.
Event dates and times:
Kotka campus January at 9:00-14:00 Event Centre Satama
Kouvola campus January at 9:00-14:00, Paja Gallery
Mikkeli campus January at 9:00-14:00, D-lobby
Savonlinna campus January at 9:00-14:00, Restaurant Kaari
Hire an international trainee and utilise Xamk’s practical training grant programme
South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences supports practical trainings carried out by our international students in Kymenlaakso and South Savo with grants. A company or organisation operating in these regions can apply for the program and, at the end of a successful practical training experience, invoice Xamk for a grant of € 1,400/month to cover the trainee’s salary costs.
Participating in the practical training grant programme gives the company or organisation an opportunity to get to know a potential future employee with latest learnings in the field and fresh insights. The language of these practical trainings is mainly English, so the employer has the opportunity to practice their English language skills in everyday life and bring internationality to the working community at a low threshold.
Criteria for invoicing the practical training grant
- Company or organisation offers a practical training placement to Xamk’s international student. In the practical training grant programme, ‘international student’ is defined as a student whose native language is other than Finnish.
- The trainee must be paid a salary for the practical training period (€ 1400/month, max. 2 months).
- Answering the beginning and end of training survey about the training expectations and experience.
- Xamk’s integration coordinator must be informed about the selected trainee no later than 2 May 2025.
- The practical training must be completed in accordance with Xamk’s training practices, and the end of training survey must be answered no later than 1 September 2025.
How does the practical training grant programme work?
- A company or organisation operating in Kymenlaakso or South Savo interested in hiring an international trainee can apply for the grant programme by filling out and sending this form. Application deadline for employers is 13 February 2025 or when the maximum number of practical training placements that can be supported within the grant programme is reached. The maximum number is approximately 15 practical training placements, depending on the duration of the practical trainings (one or two months).
2. The training grant programme uses two methods of trainee selection. Read below how the trainee selection phase takes place in study programmes that are interesting to your company or organisation.
3. The student and the employer agree on practical matters and make a training contract. Taking care of the employer’s obligations is the responsibility of the participating company or organisation.
4. Practical trainings are carried out as full-time onsite work and mainly during the summer. Practical trainings are paid, so the company or organisation pays the trainee at least € 1,400/month for the training (according to Kela’s annual employment condition minimum wage).
5. At the end of a successful training, the company or organisation can invoice Xamk for a grant of max. € 2,800 (€ 1,400/month). A signed practical training contract and receipts for wages paid to the trainee are required as attachments. These attachments can be sent by email to henna.hirvonen(a)xamk.fi.
6. The trainee produces materials from their training experience (e.g., in the form of a video or text) and the employer has the opportunity to participate in this if they wish, by telling about the experience from their perspective. With these materials, positive training experiences can be communicated on Xamk’s channels. The company or organisation can use these materials on their own communication channels if they wish.
7. Practical trainings supported by the grant for the academic year 2024—2025 must be completed by 1 September 2025.
Trainee selection by degree programme
Digital International Business
The training coordinator of the programme chooses the trainee for the company among the applicants, based on their evaluation of who would be the best fit for the position and the company.
Environmental Engineering
The training coordinator of the programme chooses the trainee for the company among the applicants, based on their evaluation of who would be the best fit for the position and the company.
Game Design
To be confirmed.
Information Technology
Applicants’ CVs and motivation letters are sent to companies and organisations by the integration coordinator. Possible interview and the trainee selection is conducted by the employer.
FAQ of student collaboration
Yes! We organize the Xamk Worklife Boom (Työelämäpäivät) -event tour on every campus every January. You can sign up for the event mailing list and find out more about prices and other details on the event page.
We gladly welcome a wide range of assignments from working life. Feel free to contact us, and let’s discuss it together!
Our contact info is at the end of this page.
In principle, student collaboration included in the studies is free of charge. However, some implementations might incur minor costs, such as material expenses. Any potential costs are always discussed and agreed upon in advance on a case-by-case basis.
The client can choose to pay a reward to a student for meeting goals in a thesis or an independently executed project through the Xamk scholarship fund. The amount of any potential reward is to be agreed upon between the client and the student.
For more information about the Xamk Scholarship Fund, visit: Scholarships – Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulu (xamk.fi)
Contact us regarding student collaboration
How may we help?
Do you want to develop innovations, strengthen your staff’s expertise, or collaborate with our students? We can help! Fill out our online form and take the first step towards collaboration!