TraiNet-Network reaching out 15 years of pre-existence

Yes TraiNet Finland, the Network of Professionals dealing with international Traineeships in higher education institutions has already made a little bit of history. But TraiNet’s history is not so long as the history of Finland sending trainees abroad is. And that is a good 70 years. Do you believe it? These years have been sometimes glorious, sometimes less glorious. And so depending on the world history and on administrative possibilities. And on the possibilities of letting us experts creating something new.

A Short History of TraiNet

During the years TraiNet has been organized in various cities as up to Helsinki in Turku, Tampere, Pori, Sein?joki, Jyv?skyl?, Kuopio, Lahti and Oulu. Over the years there has been various themes in TraiNet-meetings, as about Cultural and Language Issues during Traineeships abroad and especially in the Working place abroad, Cooperation with Latinamerica or Asia, International and National Networks of Traineeships, Cooperation with Working Life abroad, Traineeships for Foreign students in Finland, How to motivate the one to go abroad, Preconditions of making a Traineeship abroad, Cooperation between the Higher and Vocational education. That is really a wide variety, I think. Or what do you think?

I asked from 3 experts making a speech in the TraiNet 2022, them being with lots of experience about exchanges and Traineeships in Finland/abroad - What they think, what the value of international Traineeships are:

Read Janne's wise thoughs about International Traineeships, how the coordinating and organizing the Traineeship really is in its best!

Traineeships for Finnish students and graduates:

Janne Loikkanen: you have worked very many years dealing with traineeships even if you are at the moment in a little bit of other kind of position. What do you think, what are the issues what an expert dealing with the traineeship programmes should keep in mind? And what are the issues of taking care of traineeship programmes demands from both in a concrete way and mentally from an expert?

Janne: I think a person working with traineeships in education sector should first of all have very clearly in mind what they are doing the job for. There are a lot of rules and regulations as well as different attitudes framing the work, but these should all be reflected against the ground reason why the work is done in the first place. For me that is helping a student to gain different forms of human capital and skills they can use to find the very important first job after graduation and start the process of becoming an expert. Everything should at the end serve this purpose. ?

Working with traineeship programmes is an administrative job, but there’s also quite a lot of human interaction. I guess you can usually do a job in different ways, but according to my experience this kind of work requires initiative and long-term planning. One should keep an attitude that things can work out and also very open mind towards new ideas. There are many kinds of different obstacles and problems to be faced, especially if we are talking about international traineeships. But it is possible to find solutions if one does not only strictly stick to the administrative procedures (important as they are), but keeps the clear goal in mind all the time. After all, we are here to help people!

Read Annas thoughts about this demanding, but rewarding work!

Traineeships for foreign students studying in Finland:

Anna Storg?rds: University of Helsinki has already for some years has a project concerning foreign students at the University and finding for them traineeship placements in Finland. What do you think, what kind of successes you have had in the project during the years until now? And which have been the biggest challenges?

Anyway, congratulations Anna on your long-term commitment. I know from my own experience that dealing with traineeship matters demands really tenacity and big motivation, which is not always understood by the general public.

Anna: Thank you Jaana! I agree, strong motivation and tenacity is needed when pushing for development and change. The University of Helsinki (UH) Trainee Programme for International Master students is now in its 5th year. This year 18 units across the university is offering paid traineeships, on part-time basis, to Master students from UH. Since 2018,?we have offered 66 traineeships in total. Since the start, I have run career counselling sessions and held training sessions for the supervisors.?The trainees carry out specialist level duties in their unit and are guided to reflect on competence development at the same time. At the end of the traineeship, the international trainee has not only gained work experience and a reference. The trainees are also offered 9 hours of group career counselling, an insight into what working at a higher education institution is like and a network of professional contacts. I believe also friendships are born!

At UH we invest in guidance. We offer supervisors a orientation session where we go through the most import aspects of trainee supervision, especially when introducing an international, non-Finnish speaking member to the team. I believe that well planned supervision plays a significant role for a successful traineeship. It brings structure to the activities to everybody involved. Another factor that affects success is definitely the motivation! The trainees are eager to do their best, the supervisors are keen to support the trainee and management firmly believe and endorse this programme. UH wants to walk the talk; we wish more employers would take the leap and employ international talents. UH has in fact employed some of our trainees to specialist positions after graduation. The experience and reference from UH has also helped others to find post- graduate employment.

So what challenges have there been? Well, I’d say that there have only been positive challenges. Internationalizing UH work communities which function in Finnish of course brings some practical challenges. For instance, what language do we speak in team meetings? And during the coffee break? How do we include an international team member to the group? Experience shows that open dialogue is beneficial and that in many cases a flexi-language policy is adopted. Everybody is encouraged to speak English, but Finnish of course is fine too. It’s important to discuss language issues with the trainee as well, s/he actually may wish to practice?Finnish! The traineeship should offer a safe space to practice language skills. Having had one international trainee in the team always paves the way for a smoother process next time.

Other positive challenges regard more thorough explaining of?HR matters, the way a team works and communicates and what carrying out specialist duties mean (not too different from supervising higher education training in general). Here we have an engaged HR team offering its expertise and matters related to supervision are supported from career services.?To this day we have not experienced any major challenges. On the contrary, we can definitely say that it is success story and will continue offering traineeships to our international students in the future.

Read Kaisa's thoughts - She is very experienced too as you can notice!

Some opinions of an ex.trainee already in working life:

Kaisa Kurki: What do you think Kaisa, what your exchange periods abroad especially the internship periods have brought to you when you think about your working life? And think up to that also about when getting a new job? So the joy and the usefulness all the way.

Kaisa: I completed internships abroad both during my studies and after graduating. During my university studies, my aim was first and foremost to improve my language skills and gain a deeper understanding of the society and culture in the host country. I definitely achieved these goals. However, I was also able to acquire other skills relevant in working life. I gained self-confidence and self-reliance in managing any type of a task, I learned about work dynamics and interaction, professionalism, cultural sensitivity and working culture in different settings. Additionally, I learned about my own strengths and weaknesses and was able to reflect upon my own cultural identity. The working experience gained through my internships abroad was definitely useful in my career. Because of my student exchange periods and internships abroad, I first got an internship in the University’s international affairs office, then later a position as a coordinator of international education and finally head of the office.

?I also consider internships abroad both challenging and rewarding. On many occasions, an intern is the only non-local employee and thus truly immersed in the local working environment, whereas study abroad typically brings together a plethora of students from different countries. Being an intern abroad, you are on a fast track learning about work and culture, which can bring you so much more. Not to mention the joy and pride when you learn to appreciate the peculiarities of that particular working culture and environment and feel part of the team.?

My Internships abroad:

Nordjobb seasonal work, customer services and sales department, Falcon Brewery, Ume?, Sweden – 1999 (Using Swedish too)

CIMO internship, student exchange office, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland - 2001 (Using German too)

Trainee translator, Translation Division, European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany – 2003 (Using German-English-Finnish)

My Studies abroad:?

Bilateral exchange student at the University of Leipzig, Germany, 1997-1998 (Using German too)

Summer school in Spanish language and culture, grantee of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Spain, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain, 2000 (Using Spanish too)

My Summer jobs abroad:

Au pair in Klosterneuburg, Austria, 1994-1995

Office clerk in invoicing at Brüder Nowotny KG, Vienna, Austria, 1996

Au pair in St Albans, UK, 1998

TraiNet-Network is heading where-to?

I think in the future there should be more and more talks about look-ahead in international exchanges and in this case especially in international Traineeships. Even if it is not an easy subject to talk to. To forsee more often and more strongly together with experts of higher education and in connection of existing strategies, what the future of international Traineeships looks like on basis of Trends-Megatrends-VagueSignals-WildCards.

In the Programmes of Traineeships the Making-changes more rapidly on basis of the context of the world in which we live, ought to be possible also in the governmental organizations. But anyway, one specific issue should be kept always in mid: ?The long-term cooperation between two organizations has to be valued in any times. As in the Building-up the Traineeship Networks and quality-based Placements time and patience is needed.

And the Traineeships should be more highlighted and valued in the daily work of the Universities too, if I may point it out. As the students do appreciate the Traineeships and international Traineeship, that we know already for very many years and this is no secret.

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Jaana Mutanen 12/2022 – EDUFI-OPH/ex.CIMO