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 Rekruu.
- 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 Thu 15.1.2026 at 9-14 Event Centre Satama
Mikkeli campus Thu 22.1.2026 at 9-14, Campus Gymnasium
Kouvola campus Tue 27.1.2026 at 9-14, Paja Gallery
Savonlinna: Recruitment Fair in cooperation with Samiedu on Samiedu campus on Pohjolankatu Tue 20.1.2026
Xamk Award – Students involved in associations, clubs, volunteering, and projects
Xamk Award is part of Xamk’s scholarship scheme for international degree students, encouraging students to be active participants in their local communities in Finland. A student can accumulate Xamk Award hours by, for example, taking part in hobby, club, or volunteer activities, participating in various projects, or through work. The collected hours can influence the amount of the student’s tuition fee for the next academic year.
For local actors (associations, clubs, organisations, companies, and others), Xamk Award is an opportunity to gain more participants from international students. If your activities can be joined in English and you would like more participants and contributors, take advantage of the Xamk Award opportunity!
How does Xamk Award work?
- The student participates in an activity of interest.
- After participating, the student asks the organiser for confirmation (signature and email address) on the Xamk Award hour activity timesheet.
How do I announce my activity as a Xamk Award opportunity for students?
- Via the Padlet wall: Padlet wall for announcing activities to students
- By email to the contact person: henna.hirvonen@xamk.fi
Tips for announcing your activity
- Specify in the announcement the desired participation time and, if possible, the number of hours (1-60 h), what the activity involves, whether any prior skills are required, who organises the activity, until when and through which channel students can register.
- The activity can be, for example, a volunteer project or communal task, participation in a hobby group or leading such a group, taking part in an event or in organising an event.
- Write the announcement in English.
Contact person:
Henna Hirvonen
henna.hirvonen@xamk.fi
Xamk’s practical training grant programme
South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk) supports practical training carried out by our international students in South Savo and Kymenlaakso during the academic year 2025–2026 through grants. An employer can apply to join the program and, after a successful training, invoice Xamk for a grant of €2,800 to cover trainee’s salary costs.
Participating in the grant programme gives the employer an opportunity to get to know a potential future employee who can bring the latest knowledge and fresh perspectives from the field. These trainings are mainly conducted in English, offering employers a chance to practice English in everyday work and introduce internationality to the workplace with a low threshold.
How to join?
Application
- The application period for employers is open until May 1, 2026, or when the maximum number of grant-supported trainings has been reached.
- Employers can apply by filling out this form.
- In the application, employers indicate which field they need a trainee for. After receiving the training placement notice, Xamk will internally assess its suitability for studies. The employer will then be informed of the decision.
- Once the training placement is approved for the grant programme, it will be announced to students in the relevant field for applications.
- The student and employer agree on practical matters and sign a training agreement.
During the training
- The training lasts 2 months and takes place on-site as a full-time position (37.5 hours per week), usually during summer (May–August). The training location must be in South Savo or Kymenlaakso. Trainings are mainly in English. Trainings supported by the grant for the academic year 2025–2026 must be completed by September 1, 2026.
- These are paid trainings, so the employer pays the trainee a salary of €2,800 for the training period.
After the training
- After a successful training, the employer can invoice Xamk for a grant of €2,800 (incl. VAT). Billing details are at the bottom of this page. Attach the signed training agreement, work certificate and receipts for wages paid to the trainee. These attachments can be sent by email to henna.hirvonen@xamk.fi.
- We encourage sharing your training experience, for example, as a short text or video, preferably together with the trainee through the employer’s own channels. Materials can also be sent to Xamk at henna.hirvonen@xamk.fi. Good training experiences can encourage others to hire an international student as a trainee.
Good to know
- The trainings under the grant programme are Bachelor-level basic or advanced trainings. A basic training means that for many students, this may be their first itraining position. In an advanced training, the trainee already has a bit more experience.
Contact
Henna Hirvonen
henna.hirvonen@xamk.fi
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!