Overall, the objective of INTERLOCALITY was to contribute to the increase of local employability among international HE degree students within the fields of engineering and business administration. It has been widely acknowledged that there is a gap between HE studies, and employment and INTERLOCALITY aimed to bridge that gap by supporting 1) the international degree students, 2) staff at HEIs, companies and 3rd sector actors – in the project it is referred to as the Quadruple Helix Approach. It was evident for this project to act as a testing ground for new and innovative approaches to attract, retain and integrate international talents locally and thus also affecting governments in providing experiential data on the needs and challenges of the stakeholders connected to the topic. The aim of the INTERLOCALITY project was to create sustainable systemic change in the surrounding societies and organisations affected: first in each partner location and then beyond as the result of the project dissemination. The project took on a Quadruple Helix approach to the local environments and strived to increase cooperation in local ecosystems as well as learn and benchmark between local ecosystems both nationally and internationally.
While companies have experienced (and still do) an increasing need for qualified workers, international degree students and graduates have struggled to find their way into local companies despite the outspoken need. The aim of this project was to bridge the gap between the two groups by supporting both sides, ensuring continued growth and innovation within companies and local regions. The COVID-19 pandemic only illuminated the importance of inclusion and equality of opportunities in education. Additionally, the unemployment in Europe rose to 7,5% in 2021. More than 3 million were youngsters under the age of 25. Especially international students which were in one of the vulnerable migrant groups were in high risk of being significantly affected. Nevertheless, common for all local regions of the participating HEIs was a basic and increasing need for skilled and qualified workers in the fields of business administration and engineering. While all partners have tried to solve these challenges within their own institutions and local environments, the need for joined forces to find a common, sustainable approach was evident and has been reinforced by the realisation of how similar the challenges and environments across the regions are.