KATE Project: creating a hybrid service model for international comers in Finland

The main aim of the project South Savo easily accessible services model to international comers - paths to working life and entrepreneurship is to create a hybrid service model, which builds and provides a variety of innovative services to entrepreneurs, international comers and public authorities in South Savo, Finland. A hybrid service model implies a combination or integration of the strengths of face-to-face interaction with technologically mediated interaction (Boelens et al., 2015).  

The effective integration of both components depends on context factors such as learning goals, target group, size of the target group, and/or content. Blended services have attracted renewed interest in the light of the new demands on European education and job market systems led by  increasing numbers of international comers arriving in Europe (Castaño-Muñoz, J., et al., 2018). 

In South Savo, the blending service model of the KATE project offers a tailor-made training and employment plan for international comers based on their educational background and work experience. By understanding and capturing the requirements of working life, this model creates a value chain for every project participant in terms of education and employment paths. The educational pathway is going to be built and supported through studying counselling, educational cards (hygiene passports and occupational safety cards) and apprenticeship contracts. The work pathway is going to be supported among other things by job coaching and counseling, and by familiarizing with Finnish working practices and rules. A very important pillar of our services is business establishment counselling, whereas business ideas are evaluated and possibly supported at every stage of business building. The project services are provided mostly by our team, but also they are bought from external providers.

As for the digital services, project' participants and other interested parties can contact us directly through our website chat, www.katehanke.fi.  Outside working hours we answer within 24 hours. For entrepreneurs, the website provide up-to-date information on, among other things, the employment of a foreign employee. Our objective is also pilot different types of digital tools (for example video interaction) through which clients can easily contact us. 

KATE project works closely with other projects as well as with regional, national, and international actors dealing with the employment of international comers. Tight collaboration avoids duplication and fragmentation of services, and enables us to create a functional and easy-to-use service model for our target group.

KATE project is funded by the European Social Fund and the South Savo ELY Center (Otava Opisto is the coordinator, and Mikkeli Development Company Miksei Oy is the co-partner). The duration of the project is 1.1.2019-30.6.2021.

References
Ruth Boelens, R., Van Laer, S.,  De Wever, B., and Jan Elen (2015). Blended learning in adult
             education: towards a definition of blended learning.
             https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/6905076/file/6905079 

Castaño-Muñoz, J., Colucci, E., and H. Smidt (2018). Free digital learning for inclusion of migrants   

            and refugees in Europe: a qualitative analysis of three types of learning purposes.

           International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. Vol. 19 (2), 1-21.