cultural activities
18
finnish cultural foundation
annual report 2012–2013
T
itled Participative Integration in
Finland, its objective was to devel-
op the training for immigrants and
to improve their employment situation
and social skills.
The partners to the Participative Inte-
gration in Finland project were the Min-
istries of the Interior, Education and Cul-
ture, and Employment and the Economy,
the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Swed-
ish Cultural Foundation in Finland and the
Association of Finnish Local and Region-
al Authorities. The total costs were near-
ly EUR 9 million, the Ministries putting up
about half the funds and the Finnish Cul-
tural Foundation and the Swedish Cultural
Foundation in Finland approximately the
other half. The project was the outcome of
an enquiry conducted by the Finnish Cul-
tural Foundation in 2009 into the state of
language training for immigrants in Fin-
land and the problems encountered.
The Finnish Cultural Foundation com-
missioned the Centre for Applied Language
Studies at the University of Jyväskylä to
draw up a development plan in support
of pilot projects, allowing for immigrants’
manifold needs and backgrounds to ensure
that none were excluded. Three integra-
tion paths were tested: one for immigrants
seeking employment, one for immigrants
in need of special support, and one for im-
migrants under the age of 18.
Some 30 projects were selected in dif-
ferent parts of Finland. These became
operative in 2011 and ended in spring
2013. Thanks to funding from the state
and foundations, the local authorities did
not incur any extra costs.
The responsibility for coordination
transferred during the project from the
Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of
Employment and the Economy.
ate new networks with employers in order
to afford immigrants newmeans of access
to working life.”
The three publications produced dur-
ing the pilot period were presented at a
closing seminar in December 2013.
One of these was a report published by
the Ministry of Employment and the Econ-
omy evaluating the integration training as
a whole. The evaluation for this was car-
ried out by Ramboll Management Consult-
ing. The second, published by the Jyväsky-
lä University Centre of Applied Linguistics,
the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the
Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland,
was a collection of articles about the ex-
perimental projects and reported experi-
ences of the development work, and the
third, commissioned by the Finnish Cul-
tural Foundation, was an investigation into
partnership in integration conducted by
Hannele Lautiola, the person in charge of
multicultural affairs in the City of Vantaa.
“The best model for integration train-
ing is, we feel, a comprehensive system, and
quality, tailored training. I hope the admin-
istrators will take up the structural issues
and apply the good practices established
during the project in other spheres as well.
Implementing the new models will be up
to the government and local authorities.”
On the students’ terms
Project Manager
Sari Haavisto
from the
Ministry of Employment and the Economy
outlines the results of this major project.
“Numerous innovative ways of imple-
menting training were developed in the
pilot municipalities, even though the pro-
ject lasted for only about two years. Many
of the new forms of training will continue
even after the project funding has ceased.
The most important thing in almost all the
pilot projects was that they yielded coop-
eration networks of a new kind. Adminis-
trations discovered one another. A broad
perspective was adopted in helping immi-
grants to integrate. Old practices and op-
erating cultures were updated.”
The project’s primary objective was
to develop a comprehensive integration
training system. A model that allows for
the immigrant’s proficiency and life situa-
tion, that is flexible and cost-effective also
covers the grey areas and gives all immi-
grants a chance to acquire linguistic and
social skills.
“The people in need of training and
support differ considerably – housewives
and husbands, children, young people, and
adults hoping to gain quick access to the
labour markets – all were made visible in
the project,” says Sari Haavisto. “That, too,
was an important result. We’ve got to cre-
Crossing
the language threshold
The most extensive partnership project in the history of the Finnish
Cultural Foundation, and maybe one with the most-far-reaching consequences,
has now ended.
“The most important thing in almost all
the pilot projects was that they yielded
cooperation networks of a new kind.”
