Mentors help international experts settle in Central Finland

JYU.INTEGRA's first pilot programme for mentoring is coming to a conclusion. The experiences of the programme have been positive, and the plan is to continue the training also next year. The programme has brought together 23 mentor-mentee pairs from different fields, such as education, IT, financial administration, social and health care as well as marketing. They have met once or twice a month for a year.

JYU.INTEGRA training

28.10.2024

The mentoring pilot programme is intended for immigrant job seekers who have completed or are qualified for higher education. It aims to keep the international experts in the Jyväskylä region. At the same time, the goal is to assist the international experts in finding their career path and jobs by helping them to network with professionals already in the working world.

"The main focus of the pilot programme is to give international experts an opportunity to use the Finnish language and share their experiences," says University Teacher Päivi Iikkanen, who organises the mentoring activities. "The mentees have learned about studying and working in Finland and received an experienced sparring partner whose networks can be utilised, for example, in job seeking."

The mentors have also found the programme useful. It has provided them an opportunity to get to know an international expert in the field and share their own knowledge and skills, while looking at their own work and Finnish culture through a new lens. The mentors have had the chance to learn about other cultures and the international ways in the working life.

"The mentors have kindly volunteered to do some good, that is, they are not getting paid for mentoring," says University Teacher Tuija Lehtonen from the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi).

Do you want to be part of the programme? We are now looking for new mentors for the University's JYU.INTEGRA training for the 2025-2026 academic year. For further information, please contact: [email protected], puh. +358 40 805 4693

The programme's concluding event will be held on 5 November between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. at the University Library Lähde (B247 Päätelmä).

What is JYU.INTEGRA?

JYU.INTEGRA training is a free Finnish language training programme, which supports the study of academic fields in Finland. JYU.INTEGRA training is meant for immigrants who have completed or are qualified for higher education and aim to finish their interrupted degree studies or complement a prior degree in compliance with Finnish qualification requirements. The Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi) is in charge of the JYU.INTEGRA training. The subject studies are provided by the Open University of the University of Jyväskylä, while the SIMHE (Supporting Immigrants in Higher Education) team of Student and Academic Services is responsible for advice and guidance.