Kielikoulutus valmistamassa monikieliseen työelämään

Language education for multilingual working life

Authors

• Maiju Strömmer University of Jyväskylä
• Minna Suni University of Jyväskylä
• Katharina Ruuska University of Jyväskylä
• Päivi Iikkanen University of Jyväskylä

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30660/afinla.126727

Keywords:

integration training, language requirements, vocational education and training, working life

Abstract

Over the last couple of decades, working life in Finland has become more multilingual, multi-sited, mobile and digitalised. At the same time, Finland increasingly relies on work-based immigration to fill gaps in the workforce. Since language skills are considered key to employment, language education plays an important role in migrants’ integration into the Finnish labour market and work communities. This article discusses the role of language(s) and language education in increasingly complex working life contexts with particular emphasis on Finnish as a second language. We first provide an overview of ongoing developments in Finnish working life and issues regarding recruitment, language requirements and language practices at multilingual workplaces. Second, we describe how language education in vocational education, integration training and higher education is (re)designed to facilitate migrants’ employment. Finally, we discuss how work communities and language educators can respond to the challenges of an increasingly complex and multilingual work life.