Sweden's most international education - in Jönköping

As such there is a growing number of business schools with a wider geographical focus, both in terms of attracting foreign students and also to provide the next generations of fully mobile employees and employers.

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Jönköping International Business School has gained in popularity as a result, providing students with one of the most cosmpolitan educational environments in Sweden, as well as a raft of career opportunities around the world.

The institution in Sweden’s tenth largest city is regarded as one of the most international in the world, with around 30% of its employees and students coming from outside the country’s borders.

When Kim Jakobsson chose to take the International Management Programme, the environment at the school was a major deciding factor.

“It is very evident as soon as you walk around just what an international environment it is, in terms of both students and lecturers,” says Jakobsson.

“There is a really strong collaboration between Swedish and foreign students and with lecturers coming from all over the world, it creates a really stimulating atmosphere,” she adds.

An extensive exchange programme is another contributing factor to the popularity of the school. JIBS has close to 200 partner universities all over the world, and equally strong ties with local businesses - today, roughly 450 companies have been started by JIBS students and graduates with the help of Science Park Jönköping.

Gustav Röcklinger, an Economics graduate, agrees that this system is a major factor in helping forge a career later. He spent a year in Singapore and Vienna, gaining experience not just of new cultures, but of the overall business of banking as well.

“The school in Singapore was related to corporate finance and derivatives. There were good tutors there and it was a door opener for me, not just in terms of career opportunities, but also to help get a feel for the business,” says Röcklinger, who is now based in London working as an analyst for McQueen Limited.

He also felt it was beneficial in his first two years at Jönköping that the students could take an active part in the business life of outside organisations.

“We had host company projects where we would actually have meetings with senior people in the firms,” says Röcklinger. “This gave me a really good insight into the business and what I wanted to do in the future”.

Academically, the close cooperation forged by JIBS and the business community has achieved great success, thanks in part to its strong entrepreneurial focus and it is no coincidence that one in ten of the school’s students start up their own business during their studies. There is also extensive help available from careers advisers Kim Jakobsson confirms.

In her current role, as CEO for the youth organisation Ungdomar.se, even though it is a predominantly Swedish organisation, the 25-year-old feels her schooling in terms of cultural awareness will be of great benefit as she implements a future strategy.

“We have plans to expand to different parts of the world and it helps working in an environment with others who are driven and interested in other cultures and businesses,” she says.

“It would be interesting to have a foreigner in this company as we expand, “she adds. “We’re small today but we are growing and it would definitely be something I would consider, because you get very narrow minded if you think only of being Swedish. You shouldn’t be afraid of letting someone else with another perspective come in.”

Meanwhile, Kim Jakobsson is also actively helping others too. “I am a board member of the alumni network and we are trying to create a platform that can foster the students who are graduating from JIBS. It’s both a professional and social network, to help open doors for each other and stimulate and inspire each other in different ways. We see it as an extra arm of the university itself,” she says.

Jakobsson and Röcklinger are just two of many students, past and present who have realised the benefits of an international education from career and social perspectives. Both agree that their studies at JIBS were just important in giving them a different outlook as much as helping them find the roles they are currently in.

Kim Jakobsson is convinced it gives JIBS graduates a vital edge.

“I would say that if you go to Jönköping International business School, you will have a different way of thinking towards foreigners, because you become more open-minded and curious. This is one of the main reasons why you choose this specific school in the first place.”

Article sponsored by Study in Sweden