1. The integration path should be developed – services should be more flexible and tailored to one’s personal needs. Cooperation between the service users and service providers has to be strengthened. A dialogue forum is a good method for listening to the experiences of the service users. Cooperation forums have made it possible for real experiences to be heard, which can be used for the development and evaluation of integration services.
2. Integration is a two-way, continuous process that takes place at different levels – this means that for some people, the 3-year integration period may not be sufficient. After the integration period, a ”continuing plan” (jatkosuunnitelma in Finnish) or additional training should be arranged, depending on the person’s or client’s own needs and life situation. According to the third country nationals, they have experienced more difficulties after the integration period and this is mostly because regardless of how developed their Finnish language skills are, for some potential employers, they have not yet achieved ”adequate Finnish language skills”.
3. Integration involves all levels of society - the discussions also illustrated how integration services are mostly focused on those who move to Finland, while the general population has fewer opportunities to participate in activities or trainings that foster understanding of different cultures as well as promote attitude change. There were some good ideas that surfaced during the forums that can be implemented. For example, organizing joint campaigns with different stakeholders (“WC sticker campaign” or by using different forms of media) so the possibility of wider influence is guaranteed, various kinds of trainings, networking events and more dialogue forums.
4. Language skills and recognition of professional qualifications – it is particularly important for the requirements to be transparent. More cooperation initiatives between educational institutions and government authorities are needed. Language courses and professional training programs should be flexible and tailored to the needs of the individuals.
The core message from the forums: "More influence can be gained through cooperation between different sectors - this is where we will go together".