Even in times of pandemic, the path is open in Finland for talent, no matter where it comes from.
The five young Moroccan students selected in spring by Helsinki Business School and Akademia Scandinavia to study in Helsinki are already on their way to Finland.
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has granted all of them a residence permit to complete a Qualification in Business (QB) program in English for a year and a half in Helsinki.
The first student landed in Finland on Wednesday 19 August, according to Akademia Scandinavia CEO Omaima Tebtob. The other four are expected to arrive next week.
More women than men
The selected students are three women and two men. On 16 April they attended, along with five other candidates, the online tests organized by Helsinki Business College and the Moroccan consulting and training company Akademia Scandinavia.
After passing the tests and meeting other requirements, mainly regarding previous education and tuition fees, the Finnish embassy in Morocco agreed to interview them and process their residence permit with the immigration authorities.
Their studies at Helsinki Business College - the largest single Finnish college in the fields of business and communication technology - begin in August. The college is located in the Pasila district of the Finnish capital.
Next call in autumn
"We want to thank the Embassy of Finland in Rabat. Despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, they have been very helpful and diligent in interviewing students, and residence permits were issued within a week," says Omaima Tebtob.
EduExcellence, a Finnish global education service provider, signed in spring a business agreement with Akademia Scandinavia to offer degree programmes to young talents from North Africa and the Middle East. This agreement opens a new gate to study in Finland.
According to Omaima Tebtob, both entities are already preparing the next call to recruit students for the next spring semester. The calendar is not yet final, but their intention is to interview 20 applicants in October or November, so that those selected can start their studies in January.
The final number of students starting next spring will be decided by Helsinki Business College.
