KEHA Centre to offer work and skills support to professionals from 1 January 2025

KEHA Centre will be responsible for the national work and skills support of professionals involved in integration and refugee reception starting at the beginning of 2025. The task will be transferred to the KEHA Centre from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

According to the new Integration Act (681/2023), which will enter into force at the beginning of 2025, the Development and Administration Centre for Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY) and Employment and Development (TE) Offices (KEHA Centre) will have responsibility for supporting the development of skills and services in the promotion of integration, contributing to the coordination of services, providing legal advice related to the implementation of the Integration Act, and supporting municipalities and others involved in promoting integration and settling in at the national level from 1 January 2025.

The Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration has operated as part of the Unit for Labour Migration and Integration at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in 2014–2024 and has been in charge for providing work and skills support to professionals involved in integration and refugee reception nationally during that time. 

Due to the legislative amendment, most of the services provided by the Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration will be transferred to the KEHA Centre. These include some tasks related to the monitoring of integration, and the KEHA Centre will act as the authority responsible for monitoring the promotion of integration in future. The Kotoutuminen.fi online service and the Partnership platform connected to it will be transferred to the KEHA Centre on 1 May 2025. In addition, the KEHA Centre will be in charge of the Integration Partnership Programme as of the start of 2025. 

Ensuring the continuity of national support for professionals

The Centre of Expertise and the KEHA Centre have cooperated closely in the transfer of tasks, making use of the Centre’s experience in targeting services and communications at professionals. Following the transfer of tasks, the Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration will discontinue its activities at the Ministry. 

Transferring the responsibilities to the KEHA Centre will ensure a more strategic overall planning of national support and communications for people involved in integration and refugee reception. During the transfer of tasks, national work and skills support for professionals will continue uninterrupted, and the kotoutuminen.fi online service will be maintained as usual. 

Inquiries:
Minna Säävälä, Chief Specialist, Team Leader, Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, [email protected]
Helena Torkko, Senior Specialist, Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (esp. issues related to kotoutuminen.fi, Partnership platform and communications to professionals), [email protected]
Emine Karakan, Group Manager, KEHA Centre, [email protected]