MANU – training for immigrant youth

Training for immigrant youth (MANU) is intended for you if you are an 18–30-year-old immigrant and you have registered as a customer of employment services.

Description of the training

MANU is an integration training and labour market training. The school year 2026–2027 runs from 7^th of September 2026 to 11^th of June 2027. The training is free of charge for you. During the training, you will learn a lot of Finnish, as well as knowledge about Finland, Finnish culture and working life. You will also likely make new friends who are the same age as you.

There are two groups in the training, and the school staff includes two Finnish language teachers, a student welfare counsellor and a career guidance counsellor. Students in the training are officially unemployed job seekers, which means you cannot receive student financial aid or student discounts, but you may be eligible for general social security and compensation for expenses.

The holiday periods are 12.10.–18.10.2026, 21.12.2026–3.1.2027 and 22.2.–28.2.2027. Labour market training is primarily intended for people who are unemployed or at risk of becoming unemployed and registered as job seekers with Employment Services.

Who can study in the MANU training?

The training is suitable for you if:

• you are an 18–30-year-old immigrant when the training begins
• you have completed at least basic education (8–10 years) in your home or country of origin
• your Finnish language level is 0–A2, but you can read and write well in your native language and using the Latin alphabet
• you have a residence permit or an EU citizen’s registration certificate
• your municipality of residence, as defined in the Municipality of Residence Act (201/1994), is in Finland
• you are an unemployed job seeker
• you are able to attend school on weekdays from 9:00 to 13:45

The training is primarily for Employment Services customers who live in Espoo or Kauniainen and are eligible for an integration plan. If there are places available, others may also be selected for the training.

If your Finnish language level is 0–A1.2, you can start the training only in September. If your level is A1.3–A2.2, you may be able to start during the school year, if there is a place available.

Content and objectives of the training

You´ll study Finnish language, social studies and working life skills 24 hours per week in the training.

Daily attendance is mandatory in the training. During the training, you will do individual assignments, pair work and group work every day. Distance learning or self-study are not possible. The goal is, among other things, to learn enough Finnish so that you can apply for further studies or a job during the training.

During the training, we support you with matters related to studies, working life and integration:

• A career counsellor helps you find your next school place or job.
• A student welfare counsellor helps you with issues related to money, family and health.
• All staff members help you with you integration into Finland.

How can I get into the MANU training?

If you want to join MANU training you can:

• ask your Employment Services Advisor to help you get into the training
• fill in the form which helps you to inform that you want to join:

After this, you may receive an invitation from an Employment Services Advisor and an e-mail from Omnia with an invitation to an interview and test on 24^th of August 2026 or 27^th of August 2026. You will receive the invitation if you meet the selection criteria. You must reply to the invitation and confirm that you will attend. You cannot cancel without a valid reason.

You may also receive an invitation later if there are free places during the school year. Information about available places is published on this website.

You must bring the following to the interview:

• an official ID document with your photo (not a photo of the ID)
• a residence permit, a certificate showing your residence permit application is pending, or an EU citizen’s registration certificate (not a photo)
• your integration plan or employment plan
• if you have studied in Finland previously: your certificate(s) from Finland

Student Selection

Students are selected based on an interview and tests. You will receive a selection decision from Employment Services and an e-mail from Omnia if you are selected for the training.

When you are selected for MANU training, attendance is mandatory. You cannot be absent without a valid reason.