Every year, around 3,000 jobseekers take part in the integration training organised by Helsinki Employment Services. In addition to Finnish or Swedish, the programme teaches workplace and civic skills that support employment, further study and participation in society.
Integration courses can currently be accessed quite quickly in Helsinki. The client will be able to take the initial language proficiency test in a couple of weeks, after which they will receive an invitation to the course within about a month.
“A short waiting time helps clients integrate, as they do not have to spend time waiting to start their training. Our service processes have also become significantly faster," says Chief Specialist Taneli Kuusiholma, who is responsible for integration services at Helsinki Employment Services.
Every year, thousands of people move to Helsinki from abroad, most commonly for work, study or family reasons.
“People who have moved here from abroad have played a key role in the growth of the number of people in employment in Helsinki during this century. Around 95 per cent of the growth is thanks to immigrants.”
People moving to Helsinki are of different ages and have varying educational backgrounds. Around a third of integration services’ clients hold a higher education degree. Roughly one in ten clients lack literacy skills. These different starting points are also taken into account in integration services.
Education strengthens language skills and prepares people for the world of work
A lack of proficiency in Finnish or Swedish is the most significant barrier to employment for people seeking to integrate in Finland, according to a study published by the OECD and the EMN. This is why Helsinki has invested in integration training.
Integration training is an intensive, approximately one-year-long induction programme into Finnish society and work, delivered in Finnish or Swedish.
“Language learning goes hand in hand with the teaching of workplace and civic skills in education. The aim is for students to have a concrete plan for how they will move on to work or further studies by the end of the course,” says Senior Procurement Specialist Minna Lohikivi at Helsinki Employment Services.
Lohikivi is responsible for the procurement and quality monitoring of integration training. Given the demanding objectives of the training, the teachers’ competence is one of the key quality criteria. The quality and delivery of the training influence the students’ chances of achieving the learning outcomes. Language proficiency is assessed in accordance with the so-called Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
“The course demands a great deal of hard work and commitment from students. There are 35 hours of lessons and homework per week. Reaching level B1.1 in a new language in just over a year is a significant achievement,” Lohikivi concludes.
Among those with a higher education degree, nearly nine out of ten achieve at least language level B1.1. Many students achieve an even higher level of language proficiency. In groups progressing at a slower pace, on the other hand, half achieve level A2.2 and a third achieve level B1.1.
A student who has reached level B1.1 is able to discuss familiar topics, understand the main points of clear speech and text, and deal with everyday matters in a foreign language. The level corresponds roughly to the target level for intermediate Swedish at general upper secondary school, which is usually studied in Finnish schools from year six onwards.
Benefits passed on to the next generation
There is long-term research evidence on the importance of integration services. Ten years later, the incomes of those who had taken part in integration services were around 47 per cent higher than those of the control group. These findings are set out in studies published by the VATT Institute for Economic Research in 2016.
“The benefits of integration training are also evident in how well a person fares in the world of work years later, and research suggests that these benefits can extend to the next generation,” Taneli Kuusiholma adds.
According to a follow-up study by Aalto University, the average mark on the comprehensive education certificate of children of parents who completed integration training was higher than that of children in the control group. As adults, they earned around 7,000 euros more than those in the control group.
Strengthening cooperation with employers
Taneli Kuusiholma has been working in the field of integration for over 10 years. During that time, many things have changed, such as the fact that responsibility for integration services has been transferred from central government to local authorities. At the same time, the importance of integration has only become more apparent, and this encourages Helsinki to develop its services.
According to Kuusiholma, the aim is to identify clients’ needs even more effectively and to be able to offer more personalised solutions to help them find employment. Another key area for development is cooperation with employers on integration.
“We want to strengthen our cooperation with employers so that we can find even more job opportunities for our clients right from the early stages of their integration. Not all jobs require a perfect command of Finnish or Swedish straight away; language skills can also be developed while working.”
Service path designed with the client’s needs in mind
This is how the integration service path works:
- The client’s current situation and objectives are assessed
The client’s skills, language proficiency, work experience, goals and service needs are assessed. Based on these, an integration plan is drawn up, to which the client commits. - The client uses the services that suit them
The services often include multilingual civic orientation and an integration programme with a duration of roughly one year. - The path is continued towards work or study
Following the training, the client moves on to work, further study, skills development or other services appropriate to their circumstances.