Finland Times

 

Migrants studying Finnish language in a reception center for asylum seekers in Kirkkonummi, Finland. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

The government has granted 13.1 million euros to the centers for economic development, transport and environment (Ely Centres) in the second supplementary budget.

 

The fund will be used for the education and training of immigrants to support their integration and managing structural changes in the ICT sector, said an official press release.

 

Of the supplementary appropriation 10 million euros is to be used in facilitating the access of asylum seekers with residence permits to education and training for integration purposes. 

Education has been reformed to include vocational studies at an earlier stage. 

 

The knowledge and skills of immigrants are better taken into account in the design of education and training.

 

The content of education and training has also been diversified to speed up employment and access to further studies.

 

A sum of 3.1 million euros is to be allocated to deal with the lay-offs at universities and Microsoft, for which funding has also been applied for from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). 

 

EGF funding will be available in the regions of Uusimaa, Southwest Finland and Pirkanmaa. 

 

It is used to offer further and entrepreneurship education to people who have been laid off and to support them in the search for employment. 

 

Out of the total 13.1 million euros, Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Uusimaa will get Euro 5,110,000, Southwest Finland Euro 1,800,000, Satakunta Euro 600,000, Häme Euro 1,000,000, Pirkanmaa Euro 500,000, Southeast Finland Euro 1,000,000, South Savo Euro 100,000, North Savo Euro 540,000, North Karelia Euro 300,000,  South Ostrobothnia Euro 550,000, North Ostrobothnia Euro 1,200,000 and Lapland Euro 400,000.