The City of Kankaanpää is introducing a new form of support for youth employment, the student support voucher. The new support model aims to strengthen young people's opportunities to find employment in their own field and increase cooperation between educational institutions, companies and the city. The application opens on March 1, 2026.

– We want to give young people the opportunity to gain their first work experience in their own field as early as possible and at the same time strengthen companies' opportunities to find skilled labor, describes the development director of the city of Kankaanpää Ulla Norrbo starting points of the support model.

The main goal of the student support voucher is to facilitate young people's access to their first jobs in their field, develop working life skills and support later employment. At the same time, the model encourages students to build a connection to Kankaanpää even when studying elsewhere.

According to Development Director Norrbo, the introduction of the student support voucher was prepared in extensive cooperation, and the proposal was positively received during a comment round organized in the summer of 2025.

– We received positive statements, and the views of local business associations and youth services in particular were valuable. The comments received have been used in further preparation and efforts have been made to make the rules clear and practical, he says.

Criteria for granting a student support voucher (summary)

A student support voucher can be granted for those in the final stages of their studies, for a young person aged 18–28 who is graduating from a profession, for a summer job, internship or thesis in their field at a company located in Kankaanpää.

• The amount of support is 1.000 euros per young person and degree.
• The employment relationship must last at least two months, be full-time and comply with the industry's collective agreement.
• The same company can hire one young person at a time with a subsidy voucher, up to a maximum of three young people per year.
• The support is granted to a young person only once per degree.

Norrbo emphasizes that in the City of Kankaanpää's support model, the student applies for the student support voucher themselves, but the support is paid directly to the company.

– This is de minimis support for companies in accordance with the EU regulation. The support voucher encourages companies to offer young people meaningful work assignments and enables students to have real contact with the practices of their own field even before graduation.

The introduction of the student support voucher is expected to have positive business impacts. The support model promotes the availability of labor and supports the commitment of young people who are in the final stages of their studies to local companies. At the same time, it implements the smart and diverse vitality of Kankaanpää in line with the strategy.

You can apply for a student support voucher. via the application form on the city's websiteAn allocation of 20.000 euros has been reserved for the issuance of student support vouchers for 2026. The student support voucher is the city's Innovation Working Group's flagship project for 2025.
 

Additional information:

Ulla Norrbo, Development Director, City of Kankaanpää, 044 577 5202, [email protected]