Hannes Snellman’s Discussion Event at SuomiAreena 2022

Finnish working life is heading towards a more diverse future. Equal treatment of all employees regardless of their inherent differences, such as age, gender, or cultural background, is an important goal, which has already been partly achieved. In some fields, the group of professionals ending up in the working life is not, however, as diverse as could be hoped for — for instance it has been scientifically proven that children from academic backgrounds end up at universities significantly more often than children from non-academic backgrounds. The social inheritance of education places people from different socio-economic backgrounds into different positions early on in life. This has and will have an effect on the diversity of the Finnish working life now and in the future.

Hannes Snellman is organising a discussion event on Thursday 14 July 2022 as part of SuomiAreena 2022. The discussion digs into the question of how youths from different social backgrounds could be helped and encouraged to apply to universities and higher education, particularly in professions that are often passed on from one generation to the next. Oikismentorointi, an organisation helping young students from diverse backgrounds reach their dreams of pursuing law, is one of the cooperation partners in the event.

During the discussion, the voice of the youths, higher education institutions, and employers will be heard. How can we as a collective better ensure equal access to higher education and reaffirm the competitiveness of the Finnish working life?

SuomiAreena is the largest social discussion event in Finland during the summer. SuomiAreena will be held in Pori on 11-15 July 2022.