The aim of my research article was to examine the nature of professional networks of foreign-born teachers at the Finnish universities of applied sciences. The focus in on the factors, which influence the formation of networks, and the importance of networks for their professional development. Answers were sought to the following research questions:
1. What kind of professional networks do foreign-born university of applied sciences teachers form? 2. What factors influence the formation of professional networks of foreign-born university of applied sciences teachers? and 3. What significance do networks have for the professional development of foreign-born university of applied sciences teachers?

This is a qualitative research article and the data consists of semi-structured interviews of foreignborn teachers. Qualitative interviewing is used to record people’s voices (Rabionet, 2011) and to uncover participants’ individual experiences related to their professional networking experiences (Grbich, 2013). All interviews were conducted in English. The data was analyzed using a data-driven thematic content analysis.

The key findings in foreign-born university of applied sciences teachers, when creating networks were the following: personality traits, English, management role and international networks were emphasized above all in project work. According to the research results, social interaction and trust formed social capital for foreign-born university of applied sciences teachers, which supported their professional development.

Keywords: foreign-born teacher, higher education, networking, professional development

Vocational Education and Training (VET) is designed to help young people without tertiary education to gain job specific skills. However, in Finland, highly skilled adult immigrants who struggle to seek opportunities in their relevant fields are forced by the immigration system into VET. From the theoretical lens of bounded agency, the choice to study in VET by these immigrants reflects how their agency is hindered by financial obligations and legal matters along with institutional barriers concerning previous qualification, labour market segmentation and language constraints. Thus, VET serve as a pathway to improve their chances of employability.

This paper empirically analyzes the agency of immigrants in VET (students) and the professionals (staff) working with them about integration and transitions. Through biographical narratives of ten students and five teachers in an Assistant Teacher Training VET in Helsinki, this study explores how the system ‘enables’ or ‘disables’ capabilities of students and teachers to ensure a smooth transition from unemployment to education and from education to workforce.

This paper is a part of project Transforming Immigration Systems for Future Skills (TRIM) (372292), funded by the Academy of Finland. The findings are targeted for global audience keen towards labour market integration of highly skilled immigrants.

The clash between talent competition and anti-immigration legislation creates challenges for public institutions to advance international talent mobility. While talent competition is a widely accepted policy principle, the shift toward more anti-immigration policies in the Finnish political environment and low economic growth creates barriers to the enactment of talent competition. This leads to a liberal paradox (Hollifield 2004), where a nation’s economic interests call for increased skilled migration, and security actors and public anti-immigration sentiments call for migration restrictions. This article analyses: how do political-economic changes impact the talent competition imaginaries in public institutions and how do practitioners renegotiate them?

By interviewing public talent attraction specialists in state institutions and in municipalities in the Helsinki capital region, this presentation discusses the variation of responses into overcoming the liberal paradox. I examine how the liberal paradox has created variation in how talent competition specialists define the goals of public talent attraction and its target groups. The presentation will also discuss how political, economic, and social changes impact the environment in which public talent attraction is enacted, but also how these changes impact migrants’ trust with institutions (institutional trust), and trust between institutions (inter-institutional trust).

Research on global mobility highlights how language shapes migrants’ everyday professional lives and career trajectories. Within language-sensitive International Business, scholars are likewise increasingly interested in how linguistic practices influence organizational processes, interpersonal relationships and power dynamics in companies. Yet, compared to different languages, the role of accents – a typical way of speaking particular for a group of people – remains comparatively underexplored. Accented speech is often a trigger for external judgments and can reveal underlying language ideologies and assumptions about social hierarchies. Previous research has found predominantly negative career consequences for non-standard accented speakers.

This study investigates how Finnish migrants in Sweden experience and strategically use their non-standard accents in professional settings. The Swedish–Finnish context offers a distinctive lens: Swedish is a pluricentric language spoken in both countries, with recognizable Finland-Swedish and Finnish L2 varieties that carry social and historical meanings.

The analysis draws on 14 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2025 with Finnish professionals working in Sweden, including both Finland-Swedish speakers and Finnish L2 speakers of Swedish. Interviews explored career trajectories, language practices, identity negotiations and perceived reactions to accented speech. The data were thematically coded to identify patterns in how accents are interpreted, evaluated and mobilized in workplace encounters.

Preliminary findings show that Finnish-accented Swedish often generates positive social meanings, particularly linked to trustworthiness, authenticity and cultural familiarity. Participants rarely attempt to conceal their accent; instead, many strategically deploy it to build rapport, signal identity or reduce social distance.

This work-in-progress study aims to contribute to language-sensitive IB by demonstrating that non-standard accents can be resources, not only constraints. It highlights how accent influences trust, knowledge sharing, and migrants’ everyday workplace interactions, offering new insight into how language ideologies shape inclusion and exclusion in professional settings.