How can small companies outside the central urban area of Aarhus attract IT students?
Author
Sørensen, Mathilde
Term
4. term
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-05-31
Pages
67
Abstract
Many small firms located outside Aarhus’s central urban area struggle to attract IT students to part-time positions, even though local transport is good; at the same time, students often become willing to commute or relocate for full-time work after graduation. This thesis explores how small companies outside the city core can attract IT students by examining what changes in their preferences and values from study life to early career. The study uses qualitative, semi-structured interviews with individuals from different IT programs in Aarhus who are about to graduate or have graduated within the past year. The analysis draws on theories of motivation, employer branding, consumer behavior, and mobility to understand decision processes and priorities. The findings suggest that the basic decision-making process changes little across the transition, but motivations and views on employer branding and mobility shift substantially: as students, respondents prioritize urban jobs in a young environment with other students, enjoyable tasks, and relevant experience, and they avoid travel time; as graduates, most are willing to move or commute 30–90 minutes for a job. This points to a strong urban culture during study that becomes less important after graduation. The thesis recommends that small firms listen to student preferences and strengthen their appeal by, for example, employing more than one student and offering home working to reduce travel time and foster a youthful environment.
Mange små virksomheder uden for Aarhus’ centrale byområde har vanskeligt ved at tiltrække it-studerende til studenterstillinger, selv om transportmulighederne er gode; samtidig er studerende ofte villige til at pendle eller flytte for fuldtidsjob efter endt uddannelse. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan små virksomheder uden for den centrale bykerne kan tiltrække it-studerende ved at belyse, hvad der ændrer sig i deres præferencer og værdier fra studietiden til tiden som nyuddannet. Undersøgelsen bygger på kvalitative, semistrukturerede interviews med personer fra forskellige it-uddannelser i Aarhus, der står foran dimission eller har dimitteret inden for det seneste år. Analysen anvender teori om motivation, employer branding, forbrugeradfærd og mobilitet for at forstå beslutningsprocesser og prioriteringer. Fundene peger på, at selve beslutningsprocessen kun ændrer sig begrænset ved overgangen fra studerende til kandidat, men at motivationer samt syn på employer branding og mobilitet ændres markant: Som studerende prioriterer man i høj grad at arbejde i byen i et ungt miljø sammen med andre studerende, have det rart og få relevant erfaring, og man ønsker ikke at bruge tid på transport. Som dimitteret er man derimod villig til at flytte eller pendle 30–90 minutter for et job. Dette indikerer en stærk urban kultur under studiet, der får mindre betydning efter dimission. Specialet anbefaler, at små virksomheder lytter til studerendes præferencer og øger deres tiltrækningskraft ved for eksempel at ansætte mere end én studerende ad gangen og tilbyde mulighed for hjemmearbejde for at reducere rejsetid og skabe et ungt miljø.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]
Keywords