Record number of students apply for practical training in China

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China has become the favourite destination of choice for Finnish students who apply for placements in the student exchange and training programmes abroad.
      This spring, for example, the number of young Finnish adults applying for a placement in the practical training programme offered by Chinese universities through the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) was higher than ever before.
      One in three applications received by CIMO requested a training placement in China. The total number of applications was around 300.
     
The China phenomenon is also known for instance at the Helsinki School of Economics (HSE) and the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.
      In recent years, China has become a clear favourite, says Planning Officer Minna Pekkanen from the HSE Unit of International Relations.
      The fact is that the number of contacts in China is large, which is bound to have an impact on its popularity.
      However, the HSE students have began to take an interest in other Asian countries as well. Apart from China, other popular destinations for student exchange are Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, as well as Japan.
     
Hanna Mikkonen, the International Coordinator at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, says that for the past three to four years, China has been absolutely the most popular destination in Haaga-Helia’s international student programme.
      Even this year, the number of applicants who would prefer China as their exchange destination is ten times higher than the number of placements available.
      ”It is likely that the high number of applications in general is a consequence of the current economic situation”, Mikkonen notes.
      In addition to a number of Chinese business courses, the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences arranges courses in the Chinese language. The annual number of participants in these classes is around 100.
     
The Chinese courses organised by other universities are also very popular and fully booked very quickly.
      The interest in Asia has not been noticed only in the Greater Helsinki area. For example, the Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences has been sending some 50 to 60 exchange students a year to Shanghai for many years.
     
A total of 600 students from various parts of Finland are participating in the Finnish University Network for East and Southeast Asian studies at the University of Turku this year.
      According to Planning Officer Annukka Kinnari, the interest in China has spread in recent years from the Faculty of Arts to the economics and technology students as well.
     
The Finnish Youth Co-Operation - Allianssi arranges summer jobs, unpaid volunteer work, or work at international workcamps for more than 800 young students annually.
      The next trend will focus on Japan, according to Allianssi. The Japanese Manga culture and other kinds of interest in Japan have also increased the number of participants in the courses of the Japanese language at the University of Helsinki’s Institute for Asian and African Studies.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Recession blights young Finns´ chances for summer jobs in USA (7.4.2009)
  Competition for exchange student places tempts some applicants to cheat (15.8.2008)

Links:
  Centre for International Mobility (CIMO)

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