Statement from engineering students regarding the changes in language education for academic year 2024- 2025
The amount of offered Tampere University’s Language Center language courses are heavily cut down for this academic year. The most significant change is the considerable reduction of Finnish language courses as well as the termination of Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Portuguese language teaching for the foreseeable future. In addition, the number of students that can be accepted to remaining language courses for example in German, French and Spanish is also reduced.
These cuts affect international students, who are exceptionally numerous in engineering fields. Among the cut courses for academic year 2024-2025 there are three S2-courses that focus on independent usage of Finnish language in working life. This significantly reduces the chances for international students to get into the Finnish job market, where almost every company requires fluent Finnish regardless of the actual language used at work.
Finnish language courses are of course also offered in workers’ institute and in private sector, but these are either intensive courses aimed at the unemployed to study the language full-time, or expensive private tutoring. These options are unsuitable for engineering students and cannot replace courses formerly offered by the university, which were naturally the easiest to attend along with their other studies.
Cutting resources from Finnish language education may in worst case reduce student’s motivation to stay in Finland after graduation. Among international students, including both degree students and exchange students, there are many who’d like to stay in Finland. However, insufficient language skills are the most common obstacle in getting a job.
The changes in language education affect also engineering students, who already have difficulties getting accepted to language courses. The importance of language proficiency and versatility has grown in technological fields and presently it is a central working life skill. We engineering students are disappointed that students’ views were not considered when this decision was made and that we initially got information about this decision through unofficial channels.
Presently engineering students have two mandatory language courses: Multi-lingual introduction to academic communication and language studies and Swedish for working life. The first one of these especially is considered very detached when compared to other language courses and it’s not found to be worthwhile as a separate course. Tampere University has declared that resources have been prioritized to language courses that are deemed essential for graduation. Students have been baffled, why the cuts are aimed at the courses mentioned in the policy, rather than at courses, whose necessity as separate courses is deemed questionable among students.
Finland needs skilled engineers, who can work in global environment. Therefore, it is important, that we know other international languages in addition to English. It is regrettable that opportunities for learning these is reduced, when engineering students could rather use some incentives to learn new languages or to maintain previously learned skills.
Language studies are also an excellent counterbalance for intensive and taxing engineering courses and for many students, language courses mean more than just getting credits and more content for CV. With these reduced resources engineering students have even greater difficulties to get into language courses, since the available spots go inevitably to university students in fields where those courses are mandatory.
Courses held by a professional teacher are essential in learning a language, especially when the language in question differs significantly from the major languages of the world. Different online applications meant for independent studying, for example Duolingo, do not teach grammar, and even native speakers may not be able to explain properly certain grammatical mechanisms if they’re not teachers themselves.
We engineering students demand reconsideration on the offerings of Language Center and redistribution of resources to more relevant language studies for academic year of 2025-2026 at the latest. Since teaching of some languages is temporarily on hiatus, restarting the courses may be challenging, which Tampere University should take into consideration. We also hope for more open cooperation between the university and the student body when making these decisions in the future.
On behalf of engineering students,
Tampereen Teekkarit ry
Ville Niemi
Supported by:
Ranskalais-Suomalainen kauppakamari
Saksalais-Suomalainen kauppakamari
Suomalais-Japanilainen Yhdistys ry
Robotiikan kilta ry
Omar Harb
Tampereen TietoTeekkarikilta ry
Joona Syrjämäki
Tampere University Students of Sustainable Urban Development Urbanum ry
Aino Leppiniemi
Ympäristöteekkarikilta ry
Veera Hursti
Tampereen Rakentajakilta ry
Iida-Mari Ranta
Tuotantotalouden kilta Indecs ry
Otto Tikkala
Bioteekkarikilta Bioner ry
Markus Parviainen
Materiaali-insinöörikilta ry
Elli Oksanen
International Teekkari Guild INTO
Pyry Lehtonen
Tampere ry Sähkökilta ry
Kaisa Kjellman
Tampereen Arkkitehtikilta ry
Camilla Heiskanen
TaSciEn ry
Diego Velasquez
Energiamurroskilta ry
Pieta Mäkäräinen
Tietojohtajakilta Man@ger ry
Anni Vierimaa
Koneenrakentajakilta ry
Elina Jaatinen
Teknis-luonnontieteellinen kilta Hiukkanen ry
Salla Partanen
Automaatiotekniikan kilta ry
Tino Laine
