The economic integration and employment of immigrants is an essential theme also in the Arctic. Business Ladies and Attract Lappi projects coordinated by the Arctic Centre are both funded by the European Social Fund and aim to support employment of immigrants. 

Business Ladies strengthens the business expertise of migrant women entrepreneurs in Finnish Lapland in particular through networking and peer support. Attract Lappi aims to provide means and procedures for permanent employment opportunities to immigrants coming to Lapland for temporary work purposes. Immigrants are approached while they are still in fixed-term employment with Lappish companies. Their competencies are to be mapped in a comprehensive way to match their profiles based on the demand of private sectors to utilize resources and expertise in right place. The project will provide companies and employers new ways of sharing own value chains.

The Arctic Centre is also organizing a first ever northern conference on Arctic Migration. Conference Migration in the North was originally planned to take place in May 2020 but it was postponed due to Covid-19 situation and it will take place virtually on 29 – 30 October 2020. Conference is organized in collaboration with the Uarctic thematic Network on Arctic migration along with other several partner institutes all over the Arctic. More information about the conference is available on the conference website MIN2020. 

In addition to projects with coordination responsibility, Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland is a partner organization in several international projects and initiatives related to migration. One of these is Erasmus funded MaxiPac project that aims to ensure third-country nationals, such as refugees, with optimal opportunities in European higher education. 

Another European wide project is SIRIUS 2.0 which promotes best policies on the major education policy debates to support mainstream migration and education activities. Project is funded by the European Commission. 

An Interdisciplinary Network on Littoral Species, Settlements, and Cultures on the Move (MiH-RCN) is a major international initiative working to synthesize current research and build collaborative project teams to support a resilient, just, and sustainable Arctic in motion. This Research Coordination Network on Arctic Migrations is led by Georgetown University. 

More information:

Nafisa Yeasmin
Project Manager
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
nafisa.yeasmin(at)ulapland.fi
+358 40 484 4256

Timo Koivurova
Research Professor
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
timo.koivurova(at)ulapland.fi
+358 40 551 9522