Bilingual Higher Education BiEd

The aim of the project is to improve the employment opportunities of international students in Finland. This will be achieved by strengthening the learning of the Finnish language in English-taught degree programs. The project will develop models for bilingual pedagogy and internships, enhance the multilingual and cultural awareness skills of  staff, and support the receptiveness of the labor market.

Key actions of the project:
1. Pilot bilingual study modules in English-language UAS degrees, where Finnish language instruction is integrated with subject teaching.
2. Enhance the bilingual pedagogical skills of teaching and guidance staff.
3. Develop a model of bilingual pedagogy that can be applied to different degrees regardless of the field.
4. Develop a model for bilingual internships that supports workplaces in guiding bilingual internships and helps foreign-language students learn the language at the internship site.
5. Develop an online course on language-aware teaching for teaching and guidance staff. The online course will benefit staff working in both Finnish and English programs.

The project is led by Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), with co-implementers Humak University of Applied Sciences, Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OAMK), and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. The project runs from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027.

The number of foreign-language students in universities of applied sciences, especially in English-taught programs, has increased rapidly. However, these graduates often face higher unemployment rates or end up in jobs that do not match their qualifications, leading to underutilization of their skills or emigration.

The aim of the project is to improve the employment opportunities of international students in Finland. This will be achieved by strengthening the learning of the Finnish language in English-taught degree programs. The project will develop models for bilingual pedagogy and internships, enhance the multilingual and cultural awareness skills of  staff, and support the receptiveness of the labor market.

The Finnish language proficiency of graduates from English-language university of applied sciences programs improves when Finnish is integrated into teaching according to the model developed in the project. Better Finnish skills mean greater opportunities for employment in Finland and for graduates to stay and apply their expertise for the benefit of the country.

ESR+ Euroopan sosiaalirahasto 2021-2027

Hämeen ELY-keskus