PoriES x Suomi Areena 2025: Technology Without Borders - How International Talent and Innovation Shape the Future of Satakunta

Another year, another SuomiAreena week wrapped – and once again, we were thrilled to bring meaningful conversation into the spotlight.

This year’s side event, Technology Without Borders, co-hosted by Crazy Town Pori and supported by Wolt Market Pori, brought together professionals, students, and changemakers to explore the intersection of technology, innovation, and international talent in the Satakunta region.

From AI-driven tools to cultural mediation and onboarding strategies, we unpacked the question: Why international talent matters for the future of work and innovation?

Regional snapshot & Economic strength

Population & Economy: Satakunta has approx. 217,000 people, of which 8% non-Finnish citizens

A powerhouse in energy - 25% of Finland’s electricity, 6% of food sector, metal, engineering, maritime, and bio-economy industries.

Industrial and Tech Innovation Clusters:

- Copper Industry Park (Pori)

- Sata Industry (Pori–Huittinen)

- Suurteollisuuspuisto (Harjavalta)

- Seaside Industry Park (Rauma)

-Clusters in automation (Ulvila), robotics (Robocoast), energy, food, bioeconomy, and maritime logistics.

-SAMK R&D centers - RoboAI, Human Functioning (wellbeing and health)  Maritime Logistics (Rauma), Water Technologies (WANDER), Tourism Digitalisation, Business Intelligence.

Violeta Ivanova and Matthew Bowen leading the discussion at Crazy Town Pori’s Tapahtumatori during the event.

Discussion and Solutions

1. How Can Finnish Companies Better Attract and Retain Global Talent?

We explored practical strategies companies can adopt to create long-term inclusion:

1. Language support
   → Companies should offer Finnish language lessons during work hours, but formalize the effort: include learning milestones in employment contracts to make the investment mutually meaningful.

2. Look local before going global
   → There’s untapped international talent already in Finland. Before recruiting abroad, companies should focus on those already here — but if hiring from abroad, they must be ready to support visa sponsorships and residence permit processes.

3. Integrate people and their perspectives
   → True inclusion isn’t about people adapting to existing culture. It’s about companies evolving by integrating international viewpoints into their DNA.

4. Build gradually and with feedback
   → Start by hiring one international trainee. Ask for feedback. Next time, hire two summer workers. Small steps build strong systems.

5. Accessible internal communication
   → It’s not just about English. Clear, inclusive messaging means Selko-Suomi, easy-to-understand language, and accessible onboarding materials.

6. Give talent big problems to solve
   → Finland’s education system creates top-tier talent. But without challenging, meaningful work, that talent leaves — to Singapore, the U.S., or elsewhere. Want to keep super-skilled people? Give them something worth solving.

7. Shadowing and cross-department learning
   → Interns and new hires should be allowed to explore multiple departments and follow mentors — learning culture alongside skills.

8. Strategic onboarding
   → Don’t just drop new hires into tasks. Help them understand the why, the who, and the how. Connection drives retention.

9. Align with municipal needs
   → Cities and public actors should clearly communicate their long-term workforce goals to help companies and organizations prepare and respond with intention.

10. Rethink foreign experience
    → Right now, foreign work experience is often undervalued unless “validated” by a Finnish degree. That mindset has to change. Experience is global — not only local.

2. How Can Technology Support Integration in the Workplace?

Technology can and should make workplaces more accessible, inclusive, and human-centered:

1. AI-enhanced communication
   → Use AI to tailor recruitment messaging to different talent pools — and to ensure clarity in multilingual workplace communications.

2. Real-time translation tools
   → Especially in meetings and onboarding, translation tools can bridge gaps and reduce misunderstanding.

3. Spoken-language learning apps
   → Finnish is often taught through reading/writing, but many internationals need spoken fluency. AI-based conversational apps can close that gap.

4. Community-building through social platforms
   → Belonging happens outside the workplace too. Support social networks and hobby-based communities to help internationals feel part of the region.

5. VR onboarding & orientation tools
   → For larger workplaces, a virtual walkthrough of spaces, departments, and people can help reduce anxiety and information overload when starting a new job.

6. Global innovation, local solutions
   → Innovation isn’t always born locally. Practices and tech from abroad may be the perfect fit for regional challenges — if we remain open to learning from other systems.

7. Mediation – a must, not a nice-to-have
   → Perhaps the most important takeaway of all:

   When you bring together people from different cultural, professional, and linguistic backgrounds, mediation is essential.
   Whether done by a person or assisted by AI, you need someone who can translate between concepts, values, and fields.
   This applies to product teams (artists, engineers, marketers) just as much as it does to cross-cultural onboarding.
   Without mediation, we risk miscommunication, marginalization, racism, and missed opportunities.

Final Thoughts

Technology Without Borders wasn’t just a side event — it was a roadmap for what Satakunta (and Finland) needs to do next:

• Embrace diversity as a driver of innovation

• Use tech as a tool for faster, more human-centered integration

• Match world-class education and skills with meaningful work and inclusive environments

Thanks to everyone who participated, shared, and showed up with curiosity and purpose. Let’s keep building the kind of region where international and local talent can thrive — together.