In order to receive the credits for the practical trainings, you have to register for Practical training 1 and/or Practical training 2 in Sisu. After the registration you will have access to all documents and instructions on Itslearning.
Teacher in charge of work placement: Mia Halmén
Work placement in general
One of the great benefits with studies in a university of applied since is the fact that part of the studies is really happening in work life. Since the education leads to a job in the chosen professional field, work life experience, the work placement, is integrated in the studies. Through the work placement the student will gain work life experience and firsthand knowledge in the chosen field/sector. Additionally, this creates network for the student that may very well lead to employment after graduation.
The placement is part of the curricula and has clear learning and competency goals that are to be met. There are two placement periods, work placement 1 and work placement 2. In total the placement is worth 30 ECTS credits, which in turn is about 20 weeks of full-time work (10 weeks per placement period). The work load for a student during the placement should be the same as for a full-time employee during a week. Full-time is defined separately in the branch specific agreements. A part time work placement period is calculated based on a 40-hour workload per week (400 h = 15 cr). This has to be mentioned in the work certificates of the student.
The placements are, according to the study plan, placed in the fourth period for second and third year students. This is more of a recommendation than a rule. The student can decide to do the work placements during other times of the year, for example during the summer or whenever it fits into the individual study plan or life situation.
Please note that the practical training placements are to be found by the students themselves
Requirements
Eligible work placements should always be related to the field of study. For the more generic or basic placement (work placement 1) this is the only criteria (customer service and various office work do count).
The more professionally oriented or advanced placement period (work placement 2) requires a placement where the student can specialise according to his/hers competence area specialisation (major). This means that the work should support and relate to the student’s specialisation (logistics, marketing, tourism or financial management). The work tasks should on top of this the have a degree of self-directedness and own responsibility.
The work placement can also be done abroad and for this the student can apply for scholarships that are administrated by the International affairs. All documentation should in this case be handled before the work placement period starts. Please read more about it here: Practical Training Abroad and remember to register your planned practical training abroad in our mobility database before you leave here: Register planned practical training abroad.
Procedures and documentation
If you have a salary during your work placement this is considered a regular employment and in this case you should get a work certificate from the employer.
The work certificate should contain:
- length of the employment
- a detailed work task description
- the amount of completed hours has to be mentioned if it is a part time employment (job)
If you do not have a salary during your placement period you should have a work contract (see itslearning) signed by the employer, by the employee and by the teacher in charge of placements at Arcada before you start the placement. The employer is the first to sign the contract and to check the details related to the tasks etc. After this you bring it to the teacher in charge of the work placement at Arcada.
You have to register for work placement 1 or/and 2 in ASTA in order to obtain the necessary documents and the full instructions in itslearning.
The accreditation or application for study credits from the placement have to be handed in no later than one month after the placement period ended. In order to get the credits registered on the correct year the application has to be done before September 1st.
If you have a longer employment period before you started your studies at Arcada, you can possibly validate these as you work placement. Contact the teacher in charge of the placement to see if the previous work experience is eligible and can replace a work placement period.
The work placement is graded as passed/not passed.
Final Reporting
After finalised placement period see to that you have it documented in the correct way. Instructions on Itslearning.
Please note that you can conduct practical training 1 and 2 in the same company, if it meets the requirements of practical training 2. This means that the work should support and relate to the your specialisation (logistics, marketing, tourism or financial management). If practical training 1 and 2 are done in the same company, only one practical training report needs to be handed in. Additionally. you need needs to hand in a certification of employment (minimum 800h working hours) and a practical training request where it is clearly marked that the student is requesting credits for both practical trainings.
Looking for a practical training placement?
You can find practical training placements at:
- Arcada Job Portal External linkwhere you can register your profile and upload your CV, find jobs, get support for job seeking, take part in online events, follow companies and more. Arcada Job Portal is based on an international tool, JobTeaser, which is an international portal with companies, practical training placements, job ads, career support material and events both in Finland and abroad.
- My Future Work is Arcada’s annual networking and recruitment event for students, work life contacts and staff. It connects companies and organisations looking for future talents with students on the hunt for practical training, commissioned thesis work, summer jobs or first job after graduation.
- Other places
- LinkedIn External link
- tradenomi.fi External link (provides career coaching External link for members that include job search and career development)
- Different social media channels
- General job portals (e.g. Oikotie, Duunitori, Jobly)
- Private recruitment & employment services
- Company career pages
- Recruitment ads in newspapers
- The Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE-Services)
- Direct contact with companies
- Networking and recruitment events
- Private contacts (family, friends, acquaintances etc.)
Arcada Internship Program
Every year we offer international business students an internship in a Finnish company. This gives the selected students 30 cr of practical training but more importantly a possibility to complete their internship in Finland with tasks that help build their business competences and also give them a business network in Finland. The aim is to integrate our international students into Finnish business life. This is usually something that you are able to apply for during your second year and onward. Please contact the teacher in charge, Linn Hongell, for more information about this opportunity. Info on the positions will be available on start.arcada.fi and all IB students get emails when the applications are open. We normally have applications in December, April and September.
Please note that we can unfortunately not guarantee that we have companies that match every specialisation.
The Career Centre Team
Book an appointment with a career counsellor who can help you with your thoughts about work, studies or finding the next goal in life. All services are completely free of charge.
Book an appointment External link
Contact information
Teacher in charge of practical training
Mia Halmén
Senior Lecturer in Business Administration