In early September, the Estonian Refugee Council team visited Finland to map out various opportunities for integrating refugees into the labour market as part of the joint Estonian, Latvian, and Finnish project "Knowledge exchange on labour market access modalities for refugees," which began in August. 

The project includes participation from the Estonian Refugee Council, the Latvian humanitarian organisation Shelter “Safe House,” and the Finnish humanitarian organisation Startup Refugees. The project aims to share knowledge and existing practices among humanitarian organisations to identify the best ways for refugees to enter the labour market and to create new opportunities adapted to the local environment.

According to Grete Karelsohn, a specialist in the Estonian Refugee Council's livelihood programme, the exchange of experiences between neighbouring countries' humanitarian organisations is beneficial for developing and implementing both local and international activities. "Our Finnish colleagues provided many useful examples of how they help people with migrant backgrounds enter the local labour market. One of the key takeaways was the close cooperation between their organisation and various companies and institutions, which facilitates the employment process for the target group."

The project began in August 2024 and will run until November of the same year. As part of the project, three joint study visits will take place: the first meeting has already been held in Finland in September, the next will be in Latvia in October, and in November, Estonia will host the final visit.

The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers.