Who is responsible for language skills?
Finnish is needed when working in Finland. Employer support would make it easier for immigrants to study Finnish.
“It is always useful to study,” says Estonian immigrant Katrin Kivitare, summing up her experiences of the course arranged by the Suomea työssä (Finnish at Work) project.
“We did not study grammar very much, but concentrated for example on the language skills required in job-seeking,” she continues. Kivitare feels that immigrants would nevertheless find it easier to study the local language if they could take lessons in connection with their work, maybe even at the workplace.
Kivitare and Ylle Nettan were among the 80 students studying the Finnish language and working life in Finland through the Finnish at Work project. The two women have made long careers in Estonia, but moved to Finland to take up cleaning due to the recession. The ladies say they would love to continue studying if possible.
“I enjoy theatre and would like to see some plays in Finnish,” says Nettan.
Finnish at Work is a two-year project for improving the language and working life training provided to immigrants, in order to help them find employment. At the same time, the project is looking into how trade unions could promote the employment and integration of immigrants. PAM and the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors, JHL, participate in this project organised by the Workers' Educational Association of Finland.
The project is in its final stages, and the concluding seminar was held in Helsinki last week. At the seminar, First Deputy Chairman of PAM Jaana Ylitalo reminded the participants that PAM already has approximately 10,000 members with an immigrant background, and that the union has organised language courses for them with good results. Ylitalo also called for employers to contribute and the government to provide more funds for integration.
Training Director Pirjo Raunio of the Satakunta Educational Federation Sataedu added that good learning outcomes are often reached when the employer makes a contribution – such as agreeing that one half of the lessons may be taken during working hours. In such cases, it could also be possible to tailor the contents of the course to suit the company and employees.
“We do not provide language training, as we have considered it to be society's responsibility,” Service Manager Heidi Johansson of SOL Services replied – but added that the situation could change in the future. She stated that the needs of immigrants are already being considered in matters such as orientation.
An online course related to the Finnish at Work project will soon be published at tyoelamanverkko-opisto.fi.
Text:: Tuomas Lehto