ACA's Finnish member CIMO (Finnish Centre for International Mobility) has published the results of a study on the relevance of international student mobility to work and employment. The issue was examined from the perspective of Finnish employers. The study shows that international experience does not automatically give an advantage to new graduates when they apply for a job. From the questionnaires that were distributed it emerges that 50 per cent of the interviewed employers take international experience into account when they recruit new graduates. The other half, however, value work experience gained in Finland over the studies and work placements abroad. The main factor dividing employers’ opinions is whether the work place is locally or internationally oriented. According to Finnish employers, studying and training abroad are valuable in providing students with generic skills (e.g. adaptability, initiative, social skills) and international skills (e.g. language skills), but not necessarily in providing subject specific skills.

The report is published in Finnish, however a summary in English is available from CIMO's website.