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Description
Entering the local job market of Estonia continues to be difficult for highly qualified and low-skilled refugees alike. During the past year International House has piloted an intervention model – a social enterprise called Köömen (Cumin). Köömen offers refugees a work experience programme to support social and labour-market integration. Köömen earns independent revenue from ethnic food prepared by refugees participating in the programme. The aim of the project is to scale up the intervention model to be available for refugees nation-wide. Our goal is for Estonia to be the first country, where each refugee can start working, find a support network and gain valuable skills already within the first few months, preventing prolonged dependence on social benefits.
The project results in a systemic change and a new innovative integration method that does not depend on project grants and effectively supports refugees’ integration to the labour market and society at large. The target group includes refugees in Estonia and possibly third country new migrants. Project partners are social enterprises Marhaba (Estonia) and Mestringsguiden (Norway) with whom we exchange best practices and co-create an impact measurement tool, which will be distributed for free to other similar initiatives in Europe.
Summary of project results
Refugees arriving in Estonia face significant challenges entering the job market, which in turn hampers their broader integration into society. Both low- and highly-skilled refugees are at risk of being excluded from the labor market.
One major barrier is limited language skills. Most employers, including those offering entry-level jobs, require at least a basic knowledge of Estonian. However, the state-provided language courses are insufficient in volume and not tailored to meet labor market needs. A more effective approach, particularly for this group, is a communicative teaching method that emphasizes active, context-based interaction.
Cultural differences also create obstacles. Refugees often struggle to understand workplace norms and values important in Estonia. Currently, less than 60% of adult refugees living in Estonia are employed. At the same time, labor market surveys show that Estonian employers are the most open to hiring refugees among Baltic countries. About 35% believe refugee migration could help alleviate labor shortages. However, refugees'' skills often do not align with employers'' needs and expectations. Finding a first job is especially difficult for those without prior work experience in Estonia.
The host society plays a critical role in supporting refugees'' integration into the labor market and social environment. However, Estonians tend to have a cautious attitude toward migration, particularly from non-EU countries, and view it as potentially harmful. At the same time, there are high expectations for refugees to quickly adapt to Estonian life and learn the language. These high demands, combined with limited support systems, make integration especially challenging. Integration is a complex, time-consuming, and reciprocal process requiring effort from both refugees and the host society. When refugees struggle to find work, it reinforces stereotypes like the "lazy immigrant," leading to social tensions and potential conflict.
To address these issues, the CSO International House has piloted an innovative and interdisciplinary intervention model called Köömen over the past year. This model has demonstrated its effectiveness as a viable business approach with a market for its services. Moreover, it has shown positive social impacts by facilitating refugees'' entry into the workforce and supporting their broader integration. However, without additional project funding, the model cannot scale into a sustainable integration solution, which is the goal of this project.
The project activities were aimed at supporting the integration of refugees into the Estonian labor market and society. These activities were structured around a six-month self-development program offered by Köömen, which focused on equipping participants with language skills, cultural understanding, and practical work experience:
- Work Practice in Catering and Food Services
Refugees participating in the program began their journey with practical work assignments, delivering services targeted at the Estonian market. This included fulfilling catering orders, cooking and selling food at festivals, hosting workshops, and performing other related tasks.
Through this experience, participants gained their first practical work exposure in Estonia’s labor market. Experienced mentors with backgrounds in cooking and catering provided daily guidance, analyzed performance after each assignment, and supported participants’ skill development while ensuring high service quality.
- Language Support
Language mentors played a crucial role in the program by teaching practical and job-specific Estonian. Initially, they accompanied participants to situations where extra support was needed, ensuring they could confidently engage with clients and tasks.
- Cultural and Workplace Norms Training
Program managers, in collaboration with mentors, helped participants understand local work culture, norms, and standards. These mentors included refugees who had previously completed the program and could share their insights.
The program offered a supported environment where participants could familiarize themselves with both formal and informal societal norms in Estonia. Practical language lessons, combined with hands-on work experience, helped participants gain confidence, communication skills, and an understanding of Estonian workplace expectations.
- A total of 35 refugees participated (exceeding the initial goal of 24), and at least 12 found permanent employment by the program''s end.
- The social enterprise’s catering sales revenue also significantly exceeded expectations, reaching €80,000 compared to the planned €31,000.
Collaboration with a Partner Organization
The project partnered with Mestringsguiden, an organization from Oslo, Norway, that has experience developing similar initiatives, such as Injera Palace, Inshallah Catering, and Aleppo Bahebek.
- During the collaboration, mutual learning sessions were held to explore best practices and address shared challenges, including measuring impact, managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising raw material costs, and refining participant profiles for development programs.
- Study visits were organized both in Oslo and Estonia, providing inspiration for fostering closer cooperation with public sector partners in Estonia.
- Together with Mestringsguiden, a tailored impact assessment tool was developed. Additionally, service management tools and marketing strategies were shared to enhance the quality and sustainability of services.
- Insights from Mestringsguiden’s expertise in social impact design and evaluation were instrumental in creating Köömen’s own impact assessment system.
The project aimed to create a new integration measure to support the entry and adaptation of newcomers and refugees into the Estonian labor market. It sought to ensure that the Köömen self-development program could operate on a geographically wider scale and achieve financial sustainability, reducing reliance on project-based funding. The measure was designed to assist the most vulnerable individuals, even those unable to access other services due to factors such as complex family situations or limited language proficiency in Estonian, English, or Russian.
The key result of the project was the development and refinement of the self-development program. As a result, the program is now thoroughly structured, including the establishment of quantitative and qualitative indicators, training modules, learning materials, meeting agendas, and associated resources. An impact assessment framework was developed in collaboration with the Norwegian partner, Mestringsguiden. This included clear impact indicators, a qualitative questionnaire plan, and tools for qualitative evaluation.
Significant efforts were made to develop Köömen’s service and product offerings, as well as its sales processes and marketing strategies. These included a functional sales database, optimized Google Ads campaigns, and clear frameworks for social media and branding.
The project ensured that Köömen could continue offering its integration activities independently of project funding at its current operational level.
The project also delivered significant social impact by improving refugees'' spoken Estonian, providing practical work experience, and fostering a better understanding of Estonian work culture. Additionally, it contributed to reducing stereotypes about refugees and increasing their confidence and adaptability in the labor market.
Summary of bilateral results
The project partnered with Mestringsguiden, an organization from Oslo, Norway, that has experience developing similar initiatives, such as Injera Palace, Inshallah Catering, and Aleppo Bahebek.•During the collaboration, mutual learning sessions were held to explore best practices and address shared challenges, including measuring impact, managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising raw material costs, and refining participant profiles for development programs.•Study visits were organized both in Oslo and Estonia, providing inspiration for fostering closer cooperation with public sector partners in Estonia.•Together with Mestringsguiden, a tailored impact assessment tool was developed. Additionally, service management tools and marketing strategies were shared to enhance the quality and sustainability of services.•Insights from Mestringsguiden’s expertise in social impact design and evaluation were instrumental in creating Köömen’s own impact assessment system.The partnership with Mestringsguiden AS played a crucial role in broadening the understanding of social enterprises following the ESE model, as well as the common challenges and opportunities they face. Mestringsguiden brought valuable expertise, having successfully led four similar initiatives, and provided insights that helped refine various aspects of the project.The Norwegian partner’s experience, combined with their unique perspective and the different expectations and opportunities found in Norway, provided invaluable insights for designing an effective impact measurement framework.Looking ahead, the partnership will continue, focusing on further refining the impact measurement system and exploring potential collaboration on human rights projects in the MENA region.