Finland focuses on English to attract foreign talents. The Nordic country will introduce the possibility of following an English curriculum in secondary schools in 2026, according to a law that entered into force on Friday, to attract a qualified foreign workforce. By offering these programs in English, Finns expect to attract qualified foreign workers accompanied by school children.
This teaching will be available in August 2026, once the Ministry of Education has approved the courses presented by the establishments. Then it will be possible to take the end of the secondary studies exams in English from the fall of 2028. Currently, students can only take these exams in the two official languages of the country: Finland and Swedish.
Nurses, welders and teachers
English courses will mainly address those who do not dominate official languages enough. If the current Finland government hardens its immigration policy, it seeks to remedy the scarcity of qualified labor in the labor market by promoting professional immigration, mainly from the European Union, but also from other countries such as India, Vietnam, Philippines and Brazil.
Finland is desperately looking for Labor to overcome his demographic crisis. In 2021, the country believed that it needed a positive immigration balance from 20,000 to 30,000 people each year to support its economy, and in particular preserving its precious public services. According to a barometer published by the Local Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Finland is now looking for nurses, doctors, teachers, welders or even security agents.
However, the Nordic country has high -performance public services, a school system recognized worldwide and a certain quality of life. Almost as large as Germany but populated for only 5.5 million inhabitants, it also has an exceptional environment to resell, thanks to forests as far as it is seen, more than 1000 kilometers of ribs and hundreds of islands and lakes. But Finland is also long and very cold winters, they discourage certain cold strangers.
Considered complicated to learn
But the cost of living is particularly high compared to France: keep in mind that unlike Sweden or Denmark, Finland has adopted the euro. Foods cost an average of 26% more expensive than in other parts of Europe, says the Infofinland site.
But it is often the necessary control of the Finn who slows the installation projects in Finland. Although the Finns generally have a very good English level, companies work in Finnish and very few offers are accessible to those who do not know the local language at all, considered complicated to learn. The Finn, as well as Estonian and Hungarian, is a Finno-Ugrino language. Its spelling and grammar differ radically from French.
In fact, Finn is no more complicated to learn from another language. His learning, often attended by employers or offered by local organizations, requires six months of intensive efforts to be able to do an average qualification work, notes that the site here is Finland. In addition, the Finn is based on a simple and easy phonetic writing system.
Source: BFM TV
