International talents in Finland often face additional barriers when seeking employment. To address this, the Future in Finland 2026 mentoring programme is aimed at international students and recent graduates from Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences, particularly in the Helsinki Metropolitan area.
As a continuation of last year’s Future in Finland pilot programme, the upcoming six-month programme will involve over 100 participants in one-to-one mentoring with experienced professionals, focusing on integration into Finnish society and improving access to jobs, internships, and thesis placements.
Multidisciplinary programme for international talents
Conducted in English, the programme supports participants in entering the Finnish labour market and building a long-term future in Finland. Mentoring offers a valuable way to support integration into the Finnish job market by enabling in-depth discussions with a mentor familiar with Finnish working life. The programme focuses on international degree students either at a Finnish university or a university of applied sciences. Mentees should be past the initial stages of their studies, and seeking to find career opportunities in Finland.
More information on the mentee and mentor applications can be found here.
The Future in Finland 2026 is based on the pilot programme Future in Finland 2025
Based on the results of the Future in Finland pilot programme, the perceived benefits of personal mentoring were promising: the results indicated that mentees’ job search became easier and faster, their understanding of Finnish society deepened, and they received valuable support for networking, while also strengthening their understanding of Finnish working life and culture. As shared by a mentee from the Future in Finland pilot programme: “Finland began to feel less like a temporary stop and more like a place where growth and contribution were possible.”
Further benefits were also highlighted by mentors: “As a first-time mentor, I was able to practice the mentoring techniques and ideas I had in practice. I used my knowledge and combined it with provided materials, which worked very well. In addition, I can use these skills I strengthened also professionally in the future.”, as described by one of the mentors from the pilot programme.
The findings of the pilot programme highlighted the importance of providing support for both mentees and mentors. These findings have been taken into account in the planning and design of the programme; In addition to the one-to-one meetings, the programme includes complementary events designed to strengthen mentoring competences and to facilitate networking among participants.
A joint project of Finnish organisations
At the heart of Suomen Mentorit is supporting educated young talents in finding their first job that matches their education, or in reflecting more broadly on the direction of their career or life. This year’s Future in Finland programme is supported by City of Helsinki, City of Espoo, and 3AMK (Haaga-Helia, Laurea and Metropolia). Further collaboration partners include Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), Väestöliitto and Boardman Advisors.
The call for mentee and mentor applications is open until 9th of August 2026.
For further information, please contact:
Mari Pollari
Executive Director
Suomen Mentorit
mari.pollari (at) suomenmentorit.fi