Get to Know SIMHE - Serving Immigrants Nationwide

The Get to Know SIMHE - Serving Immigrants Nationwide project is creating a visual, nationwide overview of the SIMHE services offered to immigrants through collaboration among the SIMHE higher education institutions (Supporting Immigrants in Higher Education in Finland).
The aim is to increase awareness of SIMHE services, make the overall service offering easier to understand and navigate, and support the nationwide use of these services. The visual service description will help both immigrants and professionals working with them to gain a clearer understanding of the SIMHE services available at different higher education institutions across Finland.

In addition, an open final seminar will be organized to present the service description developed during the project, as well as good practices from SIMHE higher education institutions and current research related to the topic.

The project seeks to enhance the visibility and impact of SIMHE services while strengthening co-development and collaboration among higher education institutions.

SIMHE higher education institutions have long been developing services that support the educational and career pathways of highly educated immigrants. In recent years, however, these activities have undergone significant changes: the content, scope, and target groups of SIMHE services have varied between higher education institutions.

As a result of these changes, the overall structure of SIMHE services and the division of responsibilities between institutions are not always clear to customers or stakeholders, such as employment service providers and integration training organizations. This reduces the visibility, accessibility, and effectiveness of the services. In addition, SIMHE services are described inconsistently on the websites of the Finnish National Agency for Education and individual higher education institutions.

The operating environment for immigration and integration has also changed due to legislative reforms and shifts in the roles of different stakeholders. Therefore, there is a need to clarify the role of SIMHE higher education institutions and the range of services they provide.

The project addresses the development needs outlined above by creating a clear and visual overview of the services provided by SIMHE higher education institutions in the form of a service map. This visual approach supports a better understanding of the available services, lowers the threshold for highly educated immigrants to access and utilize SIMHE services, and helps them find the services that best meet their needs.

The service map will also support and streamline the work of professionals who guide and advise clients in accessing SIMHE services.

In addition, the project aims to strengthen collaboration among SIMHE higher education institutions, enhance the development of a shared service perspective, and clarify the division of responsibilities within the SIMHE network.

The project will increase the visibility, awareness, and impact of SIMHE services while strengthening collaboration and co-development among higher education institutions. The openly accessible service map developed through the project can be utilized by all SIMHE higher education institutions, on the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education, and more broadly across the higher education sector and in services that work with highly educated immigrants.

Following the completion of the project, the service map will remain available for use by SIMHE higher education institutions as a tool for communicating and presenting their services. The service map will be easy to maintain, ensuring that the information remains up to date.

The service map will benefit not only immigrants who belong to the target group of SIMHE services, but also the professionals who work with and support them. In addition to the SIMHE higher education institutions, the project will provide benefits to the Finnish higher education sector nationwide.

By increasing the visibility and recognition of SIMHE services, the project will also support the adoption of good practices beyond the SIMHE network. The project results will be actively disseminated through SIMHE network channels and presented at an open national event at the conclusion of the project.

Opetushallitus (OPH)

Opetushallitus