International talents boost growth – Talent Boost Spouse event on 22 March

International research and collaboration takes researchers and their families all over the world. Many international top researchers move to Finland with their family members. Their spouses are often highly educated and possess a great deal of international competencies that are often left untapped.

Share your ideas for harnessing the skills and expertise of these international talents. The goal is an internationally connected and thriving Finland.

The first Talent Boost event held in Tampere explores hidden potential and brings together regional developers, companies and other stakeholders. The purpose of the event is to help companies tap into the expertise of international talents who already live in the region and at the same time promote the employment prospects of international experts’ spouses in Finland.

Melanie Dower from Supercell’s Relocation & Onboarding Team introduces the audience to the theme of the day. Riku Rantala and Tuomas Milonoff of Madventures fame give a talk titled ‘Brain Gain Boosting Businesses’. Several international experts and talents who have relocated to Finland will also contribute to the discussion. The event is free and open for all. The number of participants is limited.

Talent Boost Spouse event

Time: 22 March 2018
Place: Tampere University of Technology (TUT) , auditorium in the Kampusareena building. More details and registration: tut.fi/talent-boost-tampere

Please register for the event by 16 March 2018. Welcome! #Talentboost

Focus on spouses and families brings a global competitive edge

The Talent Boost Spouse event is part of the Finnish Government’s programme titled 'Talent Boost - International talents boosting growth’. The ‘Hidden Gems’ project launched by the International HR Services Unit at TUT in March is also part of the programme. The project promotes the integration of international researchers and their families in Finnish society. The goal is to work together with local SMEs to identify potential career opportunities for international researchers’ spouses in the Tampere region. The Hidden Gems project is about bringing together an extensive selection of services to support the growth and internationalization of local SMEs. The project is conducted in close collaboration with Business Tampere and New Factory to strengthen the role of employers and utilize the competencies of international experts in the development and productization of the services.

Project Manager of Hidden Gems Marika Peltoniemi from TUT has noticed that having a well-integrated spouse contributes to the job satisfaction and well-being of international researchers.

“If a family member or spouse is not happy here, it is likely that the researchers leave their position prematurely. It is therefore very important to support the integration of family members in the competition for the best global talent,” she says.

The Tampere3-wide Hidden Gems project is the first of its kind in Finland. In addition to Hidden Gems, another project will be launched in Tampere this spring: The ‘International Business Power for Talents’ project carried out by Business Tampere, New Factory and the Baltic Institute of Finland serves as a sister project for Hidden Gems.

“We’re hoping to identify and realize all the synergies between the projects to effectively match international talents with local SMEs,” says Peltoniemi.

 

Need for support services

Humeyra Caglayan and Hasan Yasin Öztürk moved to Tampere last summer and know what it takes to adjust to a new country. The couple comes from Turkey and has previously lived in the USA because of Caglayan’s work. Caglayan is now pursuing physics research at TUT.

Software Engineer Hasan Öztürk worked in the USA as an entrepreneur. He started his integration process in Finland by conducting a Google search: ‘find software companies in the city of Tampere’. Now Öztürk is working on software development in three different companies.

Although Hasan Öztürk landed employment independently, he recognizes the potential benefits of the Hidden Gems project. Last autumn, the couple attended workshops where the needs of international families were mapped out in connection with Hidden Gems.

“It’s challenging to adjust to a new language and culture. For example, it’s difficult to find language courses, because the course descriptions are generally written in Finnish that I’m not yet proficient in,” describes Hasan Öztürk.

According to Marika Peltoniemi, the Hidden Gems partners are developing a service package to promote not only employment prospects but also adjustment to the Finnish language and culture among international talents.

“Newly recruited international researchers must be informed right away of the support services that are available to their spouses and the opportunities to build contacts with their peers. This provides a clear competitive edge to the higher education institutions in Tampere in the national and international competition for the best talent,” states Peltoniemi.

Text: Veera Reko and Laura Penttinen
Photo: Veera Reko