Recognising India as a major source of international students, researchers, and workers, Finland has identified the country as a priority for the Talent Boost program, according to the Finnish ambassador to India, Kimmo Lähdevirta.
“India is one of the target countries for our Talent Boost program, which aims at attracting students to Finnish universities and other institutions but also experts to Finnish companies,” Lähdevirta told The PIE News.
The program, coordinated by Finland’s ministry of economic affairs and employment, and ministry of education and culture, encourages education-based and work-based immigration.
Following its internationalisation strategy, by 2030, Finland hopes to attract 15,000 international students and increase labour immigration to 30,000 annually.
As per the latest statistics, there are over 22,000 international students in Finnish higher education institutions, with Indian students maintaining a steady number.
“I believe there are over 2,000 students from India in Finland nowadays, the number has grown in recent years. Students from India who study in Finnish institutions usually go for science and technology courses,” said Lähdevirta.
“Many programs offer both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English, and I believe these are the ones that attract people. Business, in particular, is one of the areas that draws a lot of students.”
With the share of over 65-year-olds in Finland set to rise to nearly 30% from the current 22%, the country is also looking to attract caregivers from abroad to improve its availability of services.
“India is certainly one of the places from where we would like to recruit caregivers but that of course requires a deeper cooperation between the countries in the education sector,” stated Lähdevirta.
“I am glad that Finnish educational institutes are interested in setting up cooperation and research programs here to facilitate educational collaboration.”
With over a hundred Finnish companies, including Nokia, IQM, ReOrbit, working in and with manufacturers in India, Finnish universities can help in skilling the Indian workforce, according to Lähdevirta.
“Reskilling is really needed here in India. Many of the Finnish companies who have facilities here also say that it’s difficult to find people with the right skills,” stated Lähdevirta.
“Of course the companies do a lot for their own workforces, I hope that Finnish vocational training institutes and universities of applied sciences develop more contacts with their Indian counterparts.”
Though Lähdevirta maintained that Finnish universities are currently not looking at establishing campuses in India, the country has made significant expansions in India’s K-12 sector.
Finland International School, an initiative by Indian business conglomerate Goenka Inc. and Educluster Finland, recently opened another campus in Guwahati, a major city in north-east India.
The new campus follows the successful establishment of FIS in Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra.
FIS is also looking to launch a campus in Chandigarh, the capital of the North Indian state of Punjab, and is currently setting up the operations.
The schools, which blend the Finnish National Core Curriculums with elements of India’s National Education Policy, serve as a key component of Finland’s soft diplomacy.
With Finland’s education system influencing NEP greatly, Lähdevirta believes the Finnish model can offer some valuable contributions to India.
“Of course in India there needs to be the Indian curriculum but I also think the Finnish model can offer important advances in the learning results,” stated Lähdevirta.
“I think a key area maybe is to allow kids to search for information and solve problems by themselves. And rather than just by-hearting something by reading or repeating it, having problem-solving skills is important.”
It’s crucial for the EU and India to reach an agreement on a free trade deal … this would be foundational in many ways
Kimmo Lähdevirta, Finland ambassador to India
According to Lähdevirta, Finland is also working on enhancing educational opportunities with the private sector in India.
The Finland embassy is currently working with the Tata Foundation in its Thousand Schools program, which aims to revitalise areas of school education across India.
Finland has also been working with states across India on various educational initiatives, including Punjab in a teacher training program.
The first batch of 70-75 teachers from state-funded private schools were sent to University of Turku for an international three-week training program.
“It will be important to see how teachers from Punjab will keep in contact with trainers from Finland to address any questions, issues that they might find while practising the things they learnt in Finland,” stated Lähdevirta.
According to Lähdevirta, it is equally important for Finnish students to come to Indian universities through exchange programs as the “understanding of India is still lacking in Finland”.
Despite more relaxed policies surrounding immigration in the past few years, Finland has cancelled many residence permits for international students in the country.
By the end of September 2024, the Finnish Immigration Service had cancelled 264 permits, with 216 cases still awaiting processing.
Concerns have emerged that these students were no longer meeting some of the conditions required for permit eligibility.
“The problem right now is that the number of applicants has increased significantly, but so has the number of those who don’t meet the required qualifications,” stated Lähdevirta.
“As a result, the rejection rates are quite high. In Finland, the immigration authority is also investigating individuals who have already been granted permits to study or work, and they’ve found that some don’t actually meet the criteria to sustain themselves.”
“We really hope students avoid using dubious agents who charge exorbitant fees, make false promises, and often deliver very little in return,” added Lähdevirta.
As India and Finland celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, both countries have a lot to cheer about.
The trade volume between the two countries has reached €3 billion, with Finnish investments in India reaching €4 billion and Indian investments in Finland standing at €1.5 billion.
“I’m glad to see that even smaller Finnish companies are finding opportunities here. For instance, we have advanced technologies for wireless metering of electricity and water, including mesh technology and supporting software, which are making great progress in India,” said Lähdevirta.
As Finland’s first export promotion program with India that spans multiple sectors, DESI focuses on Digitalisation, Education, Sustainability, and Innovation.
The acronym DESI also resonates with the Hindi word for “localness,” reflecting the initiative’s intent to build localised partnerships in these key areas.
“I believe India will continue to grow. However, it’s essential to further improve the business environment here. It’s also crucial for the EU and India to reach an agreement on a free trade deal, as this would be foundational in many ways,” said Lähdevirta.
“An investment agreement and other related accords are equally important to deepen the relationship. I genuinely believe that India and Europe have much to offer each other, and strengthening this partnership would be mutually beneficial.”
