"We don't need you — not even for free": Internship squeeze hits students

Serhii Denichenko, a 21-year-old business student from Ukraine, has been unable to find an internship for over a year in Finland. Frustrated with the situation, he recently held a sign in central Helsinki asking for a job. Despite receiving some contact details and even a company's initial interest, Denichenko was turned down when the company learned he was not enrolled in a university.

Omnia's business studies program head, Tarja Koskinen-Nisula, has observed that students are increasingly struggling to secure internships in business. The issue has become more pronounced in recent years, partly due to automation and artificial intelligence taking over basic accounting tasks. As a result, companies now rarely need interns for basic bookkeeping roles.

Koskinen-Nisula attributes the trend to the growing use of AI in the workplace, which has reduced the need for manual transaction recording. Additionally, internships are now more common among students at universities of applied sciences rather than business programs. Kia Wilenius, chair of SAKKI, which represents vocational students, said the difficulties are particularly pronounced in communications, marketing, and sales fields.

Denichenko, who came to Finland in March 2022, believes that improving his Finnish language skills could help him find an internship. As he continues his studies, he hopes to secure an internship soon and eventually graduate and pursue higher education in Finland.