METKA's Statement: Internships Must Be Guaranteed For Students

On January 22, 2026, Helsingin Sanomat reported on the shortage of internships in the social and health care sector, which is delaying the graduation of thousands of students from universities of applied sciences. The issue was raised by the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (Arene). The issue is highlighted in a survey analysis produced by Arene on the availability of internships for university of applied sciences students in the social and health care sector. METKA emphasizes the importance of adequate funding so that welfare sectors can take on interns as student numbers grow.

The Helsingin Sanomat article also interviewed Heidi Rontu, Director of Lifelong Learning at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, who highlights, among other things, the HyMy Village, where some of the training can be replaced. However, this does not solve the problem, as there are so many compulsory internships required for degrees, especially in the social and health care sector, and they are strictly regulated. Studies are also guided by directives that must be met in order to graduate, for example, in the case of nurses. Midwifery students, on the other hand, must attend a certain number of births in order to graduate.

According to the article, Metropolia works closely with wellbeing service counties and Hus, but they are running out of options. An added complication is that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health pays only a fraction of the training allowance for university students to university of applied sciences students. High-quality training requires human resources that wellbeing service counties do not have when budgets are constantly being tightened.

At the same time, Finland wants more students and workers from outside the EU and EEA to meet the shortage of skilled workers and labor. There will indeed soon be a shortage, as there will not be enough skilled graduates to meet the care needs of the aging population.

At the same time as the number of study places is being increased, a larger number of people are competing for fewer training places. Although increasing the number of highly educated people is a commendable goal in itself, it must be done in a controlled manner. The number of study places cannot be increased just for the sake of increasing the number of places. Students must also have a genuine opportunity to graduate and then find employment.

Ossi Pirinen
Chairperson of the Board, METKA
ossi.pirinen [at] metkaweb.fi (ossi[dot]pirinen[at]metkaweb[dot]fi)

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