Perhaps firms hiring foreigners need to choose better candidates, it shouldn’t be up to taxpayers to foot the bill for any other needed training.
If the situation is as depicted in the article, it also highlights the problem of little to no level of skill immigration into the country. People moving here should already be able to fulfill some role, without filling up the public dole.
NOTE: I know many foreigners who have moved to Finland, some finding it easy to locate a job position, and others having difficulties, but in all cases, they work their rears off in learning the language and in whatever position they find themselves in, and work towards a better day.
Migrants to Finland should have better pre-work training
Finland’s foreign workforce does not always arrive in the country with sufficient training. Practical skills can be gained vocationally, but it takes time, finds a University of Tampere study.
The doctoral study confirmed that when it comes to employment-based immigration, trainers and employers should always take into account the person as a whole, considering their wishes and feelings.
Parella Torrabadella Alba is a qualified Spanish nurse. However, in Finland, her competencies only allow her to work as a practicum nurse in health centre wards. This is quite a usual situation for foreigners working here, due to the strict language proficiency requirements for registered nurses.
Alba had been working on her language skills in Spain and has now spent half a year brushing up in Finland. Mastering the vocabulary and pronunciation is no easy task.
“It’s difficult to remember everything. Kotiin – kotona, kahville, kahvila, kahvin,” Alba recites, then laughs heartily. A sense of humour and body language help her through a lot of the time.
Working methods also differ a lot between countries, explains Alba. For example, in Spain they tend to use intravenous treatment more often, she claims, while in Finland tablets seem to be more commonly used.
Training solutions often chosen for the wrong reasons
Master of Philosophy Pirjo Raunio has been researching training for immigrants as part of her doctoral studies. When various EU-funded projects seek employees, prior to relocating, language training is often purchased from educational institutions and private firms. Very often, the price of the training is the only factor considered.
Invitations to tender are extended, with the cheapest usually the most successful, regardless of the content or quality of the training.
“I would hope that people are not just seen as pawns, or merely in terms of fulfilling Finnish needs: in Finland we need workers, so we seek them out from other places,” says Raunio. “However, those who plan to move here think for themselves, of their families and their future. They have dreams, hopes and needs.”
