INITIATIVES

Learn more about our ongoing initiatives.

BETTER WELLBEING WITH
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

ABOUT

The initiative aims to improve the productivity and performance of small and mid-sized companies in Northern Ostrobothnia by developing their diversity and inclusion activities. Diversity and inclusion can bring substantial benefits for companies from improved wellbeing to increased productivity, hence it should be on every company’s agenda.

ACTIONS:
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1. Helping companies become more diverse and inclusive through training and workshops. 
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2. Supporting companies to recruit international talent by developing their recruitment processes.  
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3. Organizing networking, wellbeing, and career progression events for international talent working in small and mid-sized companies.

TURNING DIGITAL SKILLS
INTO EMPLOYMENT

ABOUT

The project helps young immigrants working in the service sector in Southwest Finland whose employment has suffered due to the pandemic. During the pandemic, more and more companies have adopted digital tools and services models and they need employees with a new type of skillset. That’s why during the initiative, the participants will learn valuable advanced digital skills that will help them find employment and also keep their job. The initiative is focused on employment and will provide also job-search training as well as mentoring.


ACTIONS:

1. Teach digital skills needed in work-life, especially in the service industry
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2. Teach digital job-seeking skills and support participants in their job-seeking activities
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3. Collaborate with companies to ensure that the talent returns to the workforce after COVID-19
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4. Organize career-focused mentoring programs

INCLUDING IMMIGRANTS IN
THE DIGITALIZATION OF WORK-LIFE

ABOUT

The initiative helps young international talent working in the service industry improve their digital skills and advance their job-searching skills. The initiative tackles the employment challenges that have resulted from the digitalization of all industries during the COVID-19. The initiative brings together goal-oriented training, job-search support, and mentoring to find employment and stay employed in the ever-changing work-life.

ACTIONS:

1. Teaching digital skills needed in work-life, especially in the service industry.
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2. Teaching digital job-seeking skills and supporting participants in their job-seeking activities.
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3. Creating an online digital skills training series that can be shared online.
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4. Organizing a career-focused mentoring program.

EMBRACING CHANGE TO EMPOWER
ENTREPRENEURS AND MICRO COMPANIES

ABOUT

The initiative is designed to improve the skill set of entrepreneurs and micro companies to respond to the changing business landscape after the pandemic is over. In addition to hard skills, the initiative also focuses on the well-being of entrepreneurs.


ACTIONS:
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1. Providing support and training to entrepreneurs that help them to react to quick changes in the business environment.
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2. Providing lectures, webinars, and workshops to entrepreneurs that improve their wellbeing and offer them tools to maintain good work conditions both physically and mentally.
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3. Building a social platform for entrepreneurs that enables them to create a community, share knowledge and provide support. Solo entrepreneurs are often left alone and hence can gain great value from a support network.

PAST INITIATIVES

From skills to action

Recognising the potential of immigrants

ABOUT

The goal of the Skills to action project was to advance the employment of highly educated young immigrants and help them start their careers in the IT field. It’s challenging to find work in Finland, even if you have a higher education background. Many motivated immigrants suffer from unemployment or are working in jobs that don’t match their education. At the same time, Finnish companies are suffering from a serious IT talent and coder shortage. The aim of the Skills to action project was to develop a solution to address this issue.

ACTIONS

1. A digital web application was developed during the project. The application consists of an aptitude test that helps people who are interested in working in the IT field to test their skills. The test results enable the user to find their strengths and areas of development. The test results can be attached to a CV.
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2. Training and other events were organized to help participants to map their skills, inspire them to seek employment in the IT field and support them in job search. Based on the results, a three step model was developed.
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3. Company visits and lectures were organized to help immigrants create connections with companies.

RESULTS IN NUMBERS

68

COMPANIES 
PARTICIPATED

164

INTERNATIONAL TALENT
JOINED THE INITIATIVE

70+

ORGANIZED EVENTS

30%

OF PARTICIPANTS
WERE WOMEN

78

Immigrants employed
during the initiative

PAST INITIATIVES

Employing young immigrants into technology companies

ABOUT 

The goal of the project was to improve the employment of young immigrants, especially in the ICT sector in Finland, offering them free and specific education. The unemployment of immigrants and the shortage of manpower in the Finnish ICT industry are real challenges. The growing use and need of applications that utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning and the lack of skilled employees with knowledge of these methods creates a costly and specific void in the Finnish ICT sector. This project aimed to ease the situation by organizing 3 AI & Machine Learning Programs for immigrants and after the program helping them find employment in the field.

ACTIONS

1. Planning and creating an intensive 9-month course in artificial intelligence and machine learning program for young and motivated immigrants.

2. Arranging 3 AI & ML courses for over 60 immigrants.

3. Offering participants coaching regarding job seeking and working in the Finnish ICT industry.

4. Creating connections between participants and Finnish companies by arranging company events and workshops to employ the participating immigrants.

RESULTS IN NUMBERS

3

PROGRAMS
ORGANIZED

66

IMMIGRANTS FINISHED 
THE PROGRAM

+40

OF THE STUDENTS 
WERE WOMEN

THE INITIATIVES ARE
SUPPORTED BY