Finnish Institute of Occupational Health news 10 April 2025
The ongoing joint European project Synclusive is developing a new ENGINE model to support both employment and professional development. The target groups are thus job seekers and employees. In Finland, the model is being piloted in collaboration between FIOH and the City of Kokkola.
“The aim of the model is to establish a regional coalition and to develop and implement new tailored solutions to finding and providing jobs for job seekers and developing skills and mobility of employees,” says Mervi Ruokolainen, Specialized Researcher of FIOH.
The goal is to offer job seekers, employees and employers various complementary support measures. These may include measures such as strengthening job-seeking skills, developing job coaching to be taken to workplaces as well as supporting the competence development of employees by coaching supervisors, for example.
Taite coaching supports job-search skills
The Taite job-search coaching programme launched in Kokkola is a key part of the Finnish Living Lab.
Taite coaching is a peer group-based method aimed at unemployed job seekers to strengthen their job-search skills, support mental well-being and improve employment opportunities. FIOH has trained instructors from the employment services to carry out coaching in Kokkola.
"The participants have felt that the atmosphere is encouraging and that support from their peers has helped them in their job search. Many people have gained increased resilience and are now more confident than before in trying to find employment," says Research Scientist Miia Wikström from FIOH.
“It has been great to see how the participants identify new strengths and gain confidence in finding employment,” adds Petra Komulainen, a Taite coach from the City of Kokkola Employment Services.
The Taite coaching groups are heterogenous, and participation is based on motivation. “The desire to find employment and develop your own job-search skills is most important,” Komulainen continues.
“Iisirekry” recruitment events bring together employers and job seekers
The City of Kokkola’s employment services have also organised low-threshold recruitment events where employers and job seekers can meet. The events offer an opportunity to get to know companies and participate in short job interviews.
"Iisirekry was a welcoming and relaxed event, even though other job seekers competing with you were there also. You got to ask questions and have them answered. It was a great way to get to know potential future colleagues," says one job seeker who participated in the event.
The coaching and recruitment sessions have provided participants with concrete tools for finding employment, and the experiment has already produced promising results. The ENGINE model will be further developed, and the project will continue until 2027.
“During the project, we collect research data and lessons on which methods and practices work best, for whom, and how they can be used more widely,” Ruokolainen summarises.
Further information
- Mervi Ruokolainen, Specialized Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, +358 30 474 2106, Mervi.Ruokolainen@ttl.fi
- Miia Wikström, Research Scientist, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, +358 30 474 2164, Miia.Wikstrom@ttl.fi
Study
- Follow the results of the project by subscribing to the newsletter: Newsletter - Synclusive Project
- More information about the project: SYNCLUSIVE | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
- The Synclusive project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (grant agreement number : 101094526).
See also
- Upcoming TAITE coaching groups in Kokkola: https://tyomarkkinatori.fi/tapahtumat/TAITE-valmennus
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