Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Home in Finland - a nationwide project is divided in two sub-projects: Good Start and Good Path. The project is administered by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in Uusimaa region and the work of the project is carried out in close co-operation with the Ministry of Employment and Economy of Finland. Home in Finland project is financed by the European Social Fund and it covers the period 2015–2020. Good Start sub-project coordinated 28 pilot projects nationally and based on their results the coordination project has drawn 3 reports that include various recommendations for improving integration services in different stages of integration process: 1) The initial stage of integration (incl. e.g. civic orientation course in immigrants’ mother tongue), 2) the stage between integration training and finding a next step 3) solutions for long-term unemployed immigrants. Good Path subproject has been carried out by seven regional coordinators around Finland who have been identifying good practises and disseminating research-based information on integration. Regional coordinators have created several methods how to support local authorities, educational institutions and NGO´s employees work among immigrants. Good Path subproject has also produced 4 reports: Report on integration services for stay-at-home parents, Report on new models of Finnish integration training, Report on the views of immigrants on Finnish integration services and Report on the views of Finnish employers on hiring immigrants. Our poster presents the most important findings and recommendations of the reports and the work of regional coordinators.