Immigrant entrepreneurship services are being promoted in South Häme with a new project

A two-year, ESF+-funded development project, Entrepreneurship Service Ecosystem for Immigrants, will be launched in the South Häme employment area in May, with the aim of strengthening entrepreneurship services for foreign speakers and the vitality of the area. The employment area includes Riihimäki, Janakkala, Hausjärvi and Loppi. The project is implemented by International House Riihimäki and the South Häme employment area, and co-implemented by Hyria and Häme University of Applied Sciences HAMK.

Business coordinator Juha Haukka, who has a diverse background in education, business consulting, project development, and networking, has been chosen to lead the project.

The goal is a new, clearer operating model that can be utilized nationwide

The Entrepreneurship Service Ecosystem for Immigrants project promotes entrepreneurship, regional integration and the development of permanent operating models for foreign-language experts. The aim is to create a clear and nationwide operating model that brings together entrepreneurship, employment, integration and education services for immigrants into accessible and practical entrepreneurial paths.

The project's target group is international professionals interested in entrepreneurship, unemployed or studying, as well as immigrant entrepreneurs who have already started their business. The goal is that several dozen new companies or paths leading to the establishment of a company will be created during the project.

“The aim is to show that entrepreneurship can be a realistic path to employment, livelihood and attachment to the region,” says project leader Juha Haukka. He has experience in supporting entrepreneurship, working life-oriented development and building operating models related to internationalization. He also has extensive knowledge of the region’s field of actors. Before his new role, Haukka has worked, among other things, as a vitality expert providing services to municipalities and as the CEO of Hämeen Yrittäjät.

"There is now a strong pull in the Riihimäki region. The region's success is built on expertise, entrepreneurship and the ability to utilize diversity as a resource. It is important to create practical and permanent solutions that support both entrepreneurs and the vitality of the entire region," Haukka states.

The permanent outcome of the project will be an operating model where the roles of actors are clear and immigrants are directed to the right service at the right time. The model brings together services, actors and advancement opportunities so that support for entrepreneurship does not remain the responsibility of one organization, but forms a regional entity that can later be extended to other regions.

"This project aims to develop a permanent, scalable ecosystem that makes it easier for immigrants to start businesses and become self-employed. We are building something new at the national level in this regard, and the goal is that this model can continue to operate throughout Finland," says Juha Hiltunen, Integration Manager of the City of Riihimäki.

For more information about the Entrepreneurship Service Ecosystem for Immigrants project, please contact:

Juha Hiltunen
integration manager
International House Riihimäki
juha.hiltunen@riihimaki.fi
040 183 7711

Juha Hawk
business coordinator and project manager
050 433 01334