University of Jyväskylä (FI)

The project Supporting Immigrants in Higher Education in Finland (SIMHE) by the Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID -network) is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC). SIMHE acts as a pilot project for facilitating immigrants´ access to higher education. The project co-operates with a simultaneous pilot project of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The services are offered both online and via the SIMHE-desk located in Jyväskylä.

Students at University of Jyväskylä. © University of Jyväskylä Communications

Tiedon portti University of Jyväskylä campus © University of Jyväskylä Communications

SIMHE-desk offers personal guidance and counselling for adult immigrants who are looking for suitable higher education and career paths. We inform them about study opportunities offered by the Finnish HEIs and the ways to continue studies through the HEIs. We also offer practical support with questions regarding the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Services are offered to adult immigrants residing in Finland who are eligible to apply for higher education, or who have prior studies in higher education and are interested in continuing their studies in Finland. In the first phase, services are especially aimed at asylum seekers. The Jyväskylä SIMHE-desk is located at the University of Jyväskylä’s Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Online contact is available regardless of location.

Impact

Supporting Immigrants in Higher Education in Finland - SIMHE initiative - has been running since early 2016. It is based on a steering group assembled by the Ministry of Education and Culture in November 2015. Included in the procedures presented by this steering group were the supportive measures to be taken in the higher education institutions, e.g. universities and universities of applied sciences, and targeted to the growing number of immigrants and asylum seekers. These measures consist mainly of guidance and counselling, mapping and disseminating best practices nationally and streamlining RPL.
Approximately 350 prospective students from a refugee or asylum seeker background (persons who are interested in higher education and are eligible to study at different levels) have been reached so far, either through personal guidance discussions (130 persons), provision of general study information, provision of information in reception centres (180) or basic email consultations (40 persons).
Approximately 10 researchers who have refugee background were also consulted.

Collaboration

SIMHE’s guidance and counselling rests upon the idea of tailor-made services. That means that the guidance process always starts from the questions of the counselee and throughout the process supportive consultation and options are being searched based on the counselee’s interests and plans. To enable relevant support and further paths, the nation-wide network consisting of national administrative organisations such as the Finnish National Agency for Education, Finnish Immigration Service, higher education institutions and their collective forums as well as regional networks of such organisations as employment offices, education providers, NGO’s and projects, must have been created and maintained by SIMHE. On many occasions the counselees are also encouraged to make inquiries into guidance networks independently or with subtle support from SIMHE counsellor. Strengthening the stakeholder network and disseminating information about SIMHE, as well as best practices, found, is one of the core aims of current SIMHE work.

Practice testing

In 2016, SIMHE functions and its activities were piloted by two nation-wide projects realised in Jyväskylä (organiser: UniPID at the University of Jyväskylä) and Helsinki (organiser: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences). In the pilot projects, the approaches and implementation of guidance and counselling offered to migrants, streamlining of RPL via thorough guidance discussions and network cooperation between SIMHE guidance and RPL authorities, as well as adaptation of virtual studies to face the new target groups’ needs, were all tested. More information offered by the pilot projects’ organisers available here and here.

Sustainability & Funding

SIMHE is not of limited duration but the idea is as follows:
1) at first piloted by two higher education institutions (03/2016-02/2017) then
2) expanded from two HEI’s to six altogether and
3) within these six (3 universities and 3 universities of applied sciences) to be embedded in regular services and structures and to develop the SIMHE activities in close and multidisciplinary collaboration from 2017 to 2020. Benefits will therefore be long-term. Also, other vulnerable target groups such as prospective students with problems in coping or, for example, suffering from dyslexia, might benefit from guidance services developed for newly arrived migrants.