We have developed a joint mobility process for both students and staff members and create a cost-efficient mobility operation which meets the needs of all qualifications and departments of our college. The main purpose of the student mobility is to offer our students a good quality on-the-job-learning experience in Europe and we want to provide the labour market with professionals with good international skills. Student mobility is also seen as a way to increase the international skills of those who are staying at home. We strive to mutual cooperation with our partner colleges, both sending and receiving students from and to Mikkeli and Pieksämäki. The aim of the staff mobility is to support the student mobility and increase its quality, but also to bring international aspect to the pedagogical developement of the college. The better our staff knows the process of the student mobility and has also experienced it themselves by going abroad together with the students, the better they can support their students when they are applying for grants and going abroad. From the development point of view it would be important that our teachers have personal connections to our partners abroad.
The aim of the international activities in South Savo Vocational College is to develop both students' and staff members' international skills in multicultural, global working environment. By international skills we mean courage and initiative of using foreign languages, being aware of cultural differences and ability to solve problematic situations caused by them and ability to function in multicultural and global context both in Finland and abroad. We offer grants for mobilities for all students of our college, both young and adult, and we are mainly sending abroad 2nd and 3rd year students. They need a chance to activate their language skills and gain experience that strengthens their communication skills and multicultural awareness. Target group is all our students, both young and adult, regardless of their study field. We have granted students who have enough professional and social skills to get advantage of their mobility.