Gaining employment in Sweden can be difficult, especially for immigrants. For this reason, the Swedish government took proactive steps to set up immigrant job training programs in Sweden that will help foreigners settle into the country’s job market faster. While some of these programs are fully sponsored, you may have to pay part fees for some. Also, the training is mostly a combination of academic learning and hands-on skills. However, there are cases like the Praktik program where the focus is on job experience.
This article will discuss some of the top integration programs that you can register for provided you have a residence permit in the country.
1. Establishment Programme (Etableringsprogrammet)
The establishment program is also known as the introduction program. And the agency known as the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) runs it. This program is meant for refugees, resettled refugees, persons in need of protection, or close relatives of those in one of these categories. Also, the person must be an immigrant who just arrived in Sweden and has a residence permit. The age bracket for this program is 20 to 65 years.
This is one of the broadest immigrant job training programs in Sweden. It helps you in a number of ways to settle into the country including language training, civic orientation, skills training, job search, validation of competencies, etc. Typically, you work with an employment officer to plan the initiative that best suits you for you to learn and secure a job quickly.
You will have to be on this program full-time for 24 months. However, in special cases like disability, ill health, parental leave or working part-time, you may receive special consideration for a part-time program.
2. Vocational Packages
If you are an immigrant in Sweden without the needed education to get a job, the vocational education and training (VET)is a helpful program that can get you started. The program helps people with basic education get upper-secondary school training and other forms of adult education. It also helps them transition smoothly into the labour market. Hence, overcoming the human, social and cultural capital barriers that would have prevented them from thriving.
This is one of the job training initiatives that offer an opportunity for one of three qualifications. These qualifications include; vocational upper secondary qualification, further vocational qualification, and specialist vocational qualification. Additionally, you can choose to complete a full degree, a qualification unit, or a competence area depending on your needs.
Usually, the studies here are practical and contain on-the-job training periods. You get to learn skills that qualify you for higher education and also make you more employable. It does not matter your age, the qualification is the same for young people and adults. The program is also flexible, allowing you to study at your own pace. Vocational education is mostly taught in Sweden, but there are also a few English options.
3. Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) Program
Although this program does not exactly train you for any particular job, it is still considered one of the immigrant job training programs in Sweden. This is because you get to learn Swedish on this program which can help increase your chances of getting a job. The SFI program provides fundamental knowledge of the Swedish language. Once you have your personal identity number, you can enrol for SFI for free in any school. Also, you only need to be up to 16 years old. Typically, the program offers:
- Opportunity to learn a functional second language.
- Language-based tools to actively participate in daily life, society and work.
- Verbal and written communicative language training.
- Social orientation and knowledge about the Swedish job market.
- An introduction to different study techniques.
4. Intensive Year Programme (Intensivår)
In 2021, the government added the intensive year program to the establishment program. This program is to help newly arrived seekers secure employment more quickly. Typically, the participants are expected to find their first job within a year after completing the first intensive year. The intensive year offers both language learning and employment skills training. With this, you can easily fit into the labour market that is relevant to your experience and qualifications.
Aside from its overall goal of immigrant workforce integration, this program also seeks to promote gender equality. Hence, men and women receive equal opportunities to participate in the program, as well as equal access to job opportunities and success in securing employment. Hence, it is one of the inclusive immigrant job training programs in Sweden.
The program is full-time, but you also have the opportunity to combine it with other formal studies. Upon completion, you will receive a certificate of knowledge from the Swedish Public Employment Service.
5. Munucipal Adult Education (Komvux)
If you lack an education from compulsory or upper-secondary school, this program will help you find your feet in Sweden. You can either supplement your prior education or choose to begin a new educational specialisation. The best part about his program is that there are study and career advisers available. So, should you need information or help at any point, you do not have to struggle by yourself. Additionally, there are different educational programs that you can choose from. Hence, to help you know which is best for you, study and career advisers can assess your knowledge and experience.
Although you need to be at least 20 years old to qualify, sometimes, there are exceptions for younger people. Furthermore, you can study at a full-time or part-time level. You can also study onsite or via distance learning. And there may also be a possibility to take certain courses, or parts of courses, at a workplace. This program typically entails;
- Supplementary learning for your previous education
- Language courses
- Vocational training
- Test of knowledge on a subject
- Previous knowledge validation
6. Fast Track (Snabbspår)
Fast Track has a similar program offering as other immigrant job training programs in Sweden. For this program, the Employment Service collaborates with universities and colleges on commissioned training. The Employment Service finance this course and apply to training in occupations where there is a need to hire staff. So, with your previous degree, and a supplement from this course, you can increase your chances of passing the knowledge test in a profession of identification.
The education is at the university level and in some cases given university credits. Also, it is a full-time remote program. So, you can live anywhere in the country while studying. To be eligible for this training, you need to have registered at the Employment Service as a jobseeker and hold a relevant degree in your course of choice. Some of the courses that you can train for in this program are;
- Agronomist/hortologist
- Apothecaries, pharmacists
- Controller
- Electrical engineer
- Energy engineers
- Intensive Swedish for five professions in healthcare (doctor, nurse, x-ray nurse, physiotherapist, midwife or dentist)
- Doctor
- Teachers and preschool teachers
- Nurses
- Accounting economist
7. Job Experience (Praktik)
This is one of the immigrant job training programs in Sweden that helps you to get work experience by trying out working in a workplace. So, if you have a profession or trade, but have little or no experience of Swedish working life, this can help you. A supervisor will assess your competence during your work experience and this assessment will be useful when you are looking for a job. The assessment takes up to three weeks and you can receive it at a workplace, a vocational college or similar.
When you indicate interest in this program, the organizing body will do the following;
- First, assess if a work experience placement would be a good support for you.
- Next, help you find a work experience placement or allow you to do so by yourself. The workplace must be a legal entity or an individual engaged in business.
- They will then plan your placement with you and also contact the union.
- At the end, you will receive a certificate from the work experience place that describes the experience you have received. If the program includes an assessment of your professional competence, you will receive a written result of the assessment.
To qualify for this program, you need to satisfy one of the following:
- You must be at least 25 years and registered as a jobseeker with the Public Employment Service, and are or are at risk of becoming unemployed.
- You must be at least 18 years old and are far from entering the labour market.
- You must be a participant of the Youth Job Programme (jobbgarantin för ungdomar) or in the Job and Development Programme (jobb- och utvecklingsgarantin).
- You must be a participant of the introduction programme (etableringsprogrammet) either currently or in the past.
- You have a disability that affects your ability to work.
Job Coaching and Internships
We included job coaching and internships as an extra to the list because although it is not necessarily a government initiative, they are still part of the immigrant job training programs in Sweden that can help you improve your skills and chances in the job market. These programs are usually offered by organizations and big companies. The internship program you can apply for depends on your field of interest. Hence, you need to find companies in your field that offer internship programs and reach out to them directly. Some common ones are;
- IAESTE – in engineering, natural sciences and technical fields
- ELSA – trainee exchanges for law students
- IFMSA – trainee exchanges for medical students.
Finally
To decide which of the immigrant job training programs in Sweden is best suitable for you, you need to consider a number of factors including your current educational level, experience, profession, etc. However, whether you decide to register for the establishment program, a vocational package or the work experience program, the overall aim of all of them is to make you employable and give you a fair chance in the Swedish labour market.
