The Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology held an Industrial Collaboration Day, bringing together students, companies, industry representatives and career and student services.
Aimed at students of the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, the Industrial Collaboration Day showcased the field’s future employment prospects and companies.
Held on the Joensuu and Kuopio campuses on 28 September 2026, the event brought together more than 300 students and company representatives. The aim was to provide students with information about employment prospects in the coming years, facilitate networking and help students establish contacts with companies, and showcase the university’s career and student services. Loimu, the Union of Professionals in Natural, Environmental, Food and Forestry Sciences, and Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK held their own workshops on the campuses.
The event was part of the Technology Education at the University of Eastern Finland (UEFDI) project, which is co-funded by the European Union through the Regional Council of North Karelia and the Regional Council of North Savo.
A turn for the better lies ahead – new jobs will follow with a delay
Touko Apajalahti, Head of Education Policy at Technology Industries of Finland and Mikko Salo, Chief Executive Officer of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland, gave students an overview of the employment outlook in industry.
Although the employment situation in Finland has been difficult for some time, and unemployment among highly educated people is also causing concern, the industry representatives saw brighter prospects ahead. The expected turn for the better is highly significant for both the technology and chemical industries, which play a major role in employment, investment and exports in Finland.
“It is estimated that Finland’s technology industries will need 140,000 new employees over the next decade. Nearly three quarters of them should be highly educated. International experts are also needed, and four out of five technology industry companies are considering recruiting international professionals in the coming years,” Apajalahti said.
Employment in the chemical industry has remained very stable since the beginning of the 2000s. The industry employs, directly and indirectly, approximately 100,000 people.
“Based on our own surveys, it looks like a turn for the better lies ahead, and new jobs will follow with a delay. In any case, employment among highly educated people is increasing in Finland, which means that education does pay off,” Salo said.
Last year, the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland asked its member companies which skills would become increasingly important in the future. Respondents most frequently highlighted adaptability and the ability to learn (68% of respondents), teamwork and collaboration skills (66%) and digital and AI skills (64%).
Although many people are concerned about the impact of AI on labour demand, Apajalahti takes a different view: AI will change the roles of people employed by IT companies, but based on current indications, labour demand does not seem to be declining.
Employing international professionals requires close collaboration with companies
The employment of international professionals was also discussed at the Industrial Collaboration Day. While Finns with a higher education have generally had difficulties in finding employment, international professionals face particular challenges in this regard. More accessible internships and summer job opportunities have been proposed as a solution.
“If international students don’t have existing contacts within companies and also face a language barrier, there is an even greater need for collaboration between universities and companies. This lays the foundation for international professionals to find employment in small and medium-sized enterprises. Recruiting international professionals is more common in large companies,” Salo said.
Since launching education in technology, the University of Eastern Finland has actively worked to expand its collaboration with industry by, for example, organising themed events that bring students and companies together.
“We began systematically building links with industry and our aim is to help our students develop professional skills from an early stage of their studies. We have now succeeded in extending this initiative into a faculty-wide Industrial Collaboration Day,” said Markku Hauta-Kasari, the faculty’s Vice Dean for Education.
