Self-motivated studies as part of the integration

 

Please note: This blog posting contains partially outdated information. The new employment services model has come to effect 2.5.2022. This blog posting will be updated.

Are you a jobseeker in the TE Office or in the Municipal Employment Services and have an integration plan? Do you want to study? You can apply to the TE Office or municipality for the support of your studies by unemployment benefit. In this text we refer to the TE Office and the Municipal Employment Services as PES, as in Public Employment Services.

A language course as self-motivated studies

Once you have registered as a jobseeker and an integration plan has been made, PES invites you to the integration training. It includes learning Finnish or Swedish and offers an introduction to the Finnish society and working life.

At times, a jobseeker may need to wait for the integration training to start. While waiting, you can search for a training or language course yourself and ask PES to approve it. In order for PES to approve a course of your choice instead of PES integration training, it must consist of at least 20 hours of studying per week. For instance, there could be 16 hours of lessons and four hours of homework per week. When a course is approved instead of PES integration training, it means that it is supported as self-motivated studies.

Other studies as self-motivated studies

Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration (Integration Act, Laki kotoutumisen edistämisestä) allows PES to approve studies that are taught mostly in Finnish or Swedish and that promote integration and employment. In addition to language courses, PES can approve vocational education, pre-vocational preparatory education, studies in an open university and university of applied sciences. Also, basic education or learning to read and write can be supported. Studies taught in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, however, cannot be supported.

Applying for approval

Once you have been granted admission to a school or institution, you need to apply for PES’s approval by sending in the form 0714. It should be filled in by a school representative. PES may also ask you to fill in the form 623. The forms must be submitted to PES before starting the studies, preferably as soon as you have been granted admission. If PES approves your studies, it sends a labour policy statement to Kela or an unemployment fund for you to claim unemployment benefit and expense allowance while studying. Please note that if your course has a tuition fee, it is not compensated.

Monitoring of studies

PES follows the progress of the studies approved. Usually, a jobseeker should notify PES about the progress of their studies every 6 months on their E-Services (Oma asiointi) account. When your studies have progressed according to the plan, you can mark the corresponding task completed by ticking the box "Yes" ("Kyllä").  Include a transcript of records (opintosuoritusote) or other study progress report. If your studies have not progressed enough, still provide PES with the transcript of records.

Studying is mandatory

When studies have been approved according to the Integration Act, it is mandatory for the jobseeker to study. If you interrupt your studies without a valid reason, you have no right to receive unemployment benefit for 60 days. However, studying itself is not a valid reason to quit a job or to reject job offers.

Approving studies by Integration Act or Act on Public Employment and Business Service

In addition to the Integration Act, PES can approve jobseeker’s independent studies by the Act on Public Employment and Business Service (Laki julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta, JTYPL). JTYPL allows a jobseeker to apply for support if they are at least 25 years old and entitled to unemployment benefit. For PES to approve your studies, you must have a need of training according to PES’s estimate. It is also required that completing the studies fundamentally improves your possibilities of finding employment. It is possible for PES to approve independent studies according to the JTYPL also for foreigners. However, during the time of integration, the preferred option is approval by the Integration Act.

Approving jobseeker’s independent studies by the JTYPL differs somewhat from approving them by the Integration Act. Studies approved by the JTYPL must have vocational orientation. Thus, language studies cannot be supported. On the other hand, it is possible to support vocational studies taught in other languages than Finnish or Swedish, if the school is based in Finland. Other differences are the possibility to withdraw from the studies without losing the unemployment benefit and that the expense allowance is not paid. If you want to apply for PES to approve your studies by the JTYPL, submit the forms 621 and 623 to PES at least two weeks before starting your studies.

Other possibilities of independent studying with unemployment benefit are short-term studies and part-time studies. See also the blog postings (in Finnish) on applying for the support for independent studies according to the JTYPL and on financing your studies, as well as the Finnish language version of this posting.

Katja
Service Specialist 

References

Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration. Laki kotoutumisen edistämisestä (30.12.2010/1386)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2010/20101386

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland for the application of the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration in the Employment and Economic Development Office (unofficial translation of the title by author). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö: Ohje kotoutumisen edistämisestä annetun lain (1386/2010) soveltamisesta työ- ja elinkeinotoimistoissa (01.04.2015 TEM/642/07.10.02/2015)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/42077

Unofficial English translation of the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration
https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2010/en20101386.pdf

Integration.fi
https://integration.fi

Act on Public Employment and Business Service. Laki julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta (28.12.2012/916)
https://finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2012/20120916

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland for the application of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service and the Decree on Public Employment and Business Service (unofficial translation of the title by author). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö: Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ohje julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta annetun lain ja asetuksen soveltamisesta (19.12.2017 TEM/2376/00.03.05.02/2017)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/42910

Unofficial English translation of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service
https://finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2012/en20120916.pdf

Unemployment Security Act. Työttömyysturvalaki (30.12.2002/1290)
https://finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2002/20021290

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland on the duties of the Employment and Economic Development Office in the implementation of the unemployment security system (unofficial translation of the title by author). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö: Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ohje TE-toimiston tehtävistä työttömyysturvajärjestelmän toimeenpanossa (20.12.2018 TEM/2414/03.01.04/2018)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/42905