UniPID is launching a pilot project funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture that enhances the role of Finnish institutions of higher education (HEIs ) in supporting the higher education of asylum seekers, refugees and other immigrants.

The aims of the project are to support the recognition of previously acquired skills and to further the higher education of people of various immigrant statuses. The aim is also to streamline such processes on the regional and national levels. The project’s purpose is to make sure that the previously acquired skills and past studies of immigrants are recognized as soon as possible in accordance with national policies so that these persons can be guided to suitable career and education paths.

The project establishes a coordination point to support the higher education of immigrants, which is in charge of coordinating the assessment and recognition of immigrants’ previous skills and education. Furthermore, the tasks of the coordination point include the coordination of educational guidance and communications. The objective is also to develop practices which could serve as examples for similar activities in other Finnish HEIs.

UniPID is looking for two coordinators to run the project’s functions, starting 1 March 2016. The coordinators will be working at the UniPID Coordination Unit situated at the University of Jyväskylä Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy. The coordinators are required to hold at least an applicable Master's degree and have excellent command in Finnish and English. 

The official call for applications, with further information concerning the tasks of the coordinators, qualifications and required skills, in addition to the electronic application form are available (in Finnish) here:

https://goo.gl/ZIz5EJ