Way to work offers young adults with foreign backgrounds an opportunity to get acquainted with Finnish working life
5.5.2025
Our Way to Work project addresses the employment challenges of young adults with foreign backgrounds. The project offers coaching and suppors unemployed and economically inactive youth. Duuni tutuksi 2.0 offers these young adults an opportunity to get acquainted with Finnish working life. So far, experiences with the program have been positive.
Ramona completed her job try out at Lahti Historical Museum.
The Duuni tutuksi 2.0 program offers the young adults participating in the Way to work project an opportunity to get acquainted with Finnish working life and a specific field in which they are interested in. This short introduction period lasts for 5 days, 4 hours a day. Depending on the workplace and the young person’s individual goals, they can either observe or be given the opportunity to do actual work tasks.
A coach from the Way to Work project helps the young person find a job and creates a connection between them and the workplace. The job is chosen depending on the young adult’s interests: Ramona worked at Lahti Historical Museum, Ramsha completed a period at their local pharmacy, Aaesha interned at a Partioaitta store and Petro spent a week at Nelipyörä car repair and service center.
“The work try out period was very good and useful. I learned a lot about working life and myself as an employee. For example, how my daily routine goes, what is easy for me, what is difficult, what needs to be fixed when I work. The episode gave me a picture of working life and what happens in the workplace. I recommend it to everyone because it is very useful and important”, Aaesha says.
“Duuni tutuksi was a good way to create network in working life for my field of work”, Petro adds.
Ramona, sustainable design student, LAB University of Applied Sciences
“I have previous education in fashion design, so I was eager to try something new in the field of my interests. I got the opportunity to work in textile conservation at the Lahti Historical Museum.
The museum is a home to a collection of textiles that they preserve and exhibit. My tasks were very interesting and hands-on: mounting a mannequin in a way, reshaping it so that it would support the textile that would be exhibited on it, and renewing the protective and supportive elements of some of the museums’ collection items.
This experience gave me the opportunity to get to know more about something that I am passionate about. It was just four hours per day. It was a nice way to ease into the whole thing and get a real feel for the job without any pressure, as well as to build up your Finnish listening skills and learn some new words.
The most valuable aspect of this program was the chance to build connections with professionals in my field. Networking is incredibly important, especially in a country like Finland, where many opportunities arise through personal connections and recommendations. Looking ahead, I hope to continue exploring other opportunities and meet other fantastic people to learn from them. I am excited to see where this journey takes me, and I look forward to contributing to other innovative projects.”
Ramsha, completed a master’s degree in pharmacy
“I completed a four-day training period at a local pharmacy. During this time, I gained valuable insights into the daily operations of a pharmacy in Finland. I was actively involved in various tasks, which allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of the pharmaceutical system, and the services provided to customers. In addition, I familiarized myself with the legal and regulatory framework governing pharmacy practice in Finland, including patient safety, medication handling, and privacy laws.
As someone with an immigrant background who recently moved to Finland, this experience has been incredibly meaningful for me. It not only enhanced my professional knowledge but also gave me a clearer picture of what it means to work in the Finnish healthcare sector. It has reinforced my motivation to pursue a career in pharmacy here in Finland.
I am sincerely grateful to the Duuni tutuksi program for providing me with this opportunity. It has been an important and inspiring step in my journey toward building a professional life in my new home country.”
What is the Duuni tutuksi 2.0 -programme?
The Duuni tutuksi model was originally created in Vamos Espoo after a realization that young people’s experiences of working life were limited or associated with fears or inhibiting preconceptions. The model consists of a small-group introduction to working life, including concrete work in real working environments, reflection and planning.
The Way to work project developed the model in a new direction
The interests and life situations of the project’s clients were so different that it was not possible to form a small group. Instead, a personalized version of the Duuni Tutuksi model was adapted to the needs of the clients to continue to support them and transfer the individual Vamos coaching towards working life.
The purpose of the program is to offer a young adult who is participating in the Way to work project the opportunity to get acquainted with Finnish working life and a specific field in which they are interested. This short introduction to working life period lasts 5 days, 4 hours a day. Depending on the workplace and the young person’s individual goals, the young person can either observe the work being done or be given the opportunity to do actual work tasks.
Read more about the Way to work project (in Finnish)Text: Way to work coach Sanna Söderholm and Ramona, who is one of the participants of the project.