Gothenburg inaugurates Sweden’s first international house
On 2 September, International House Gothenburg, stands officially inaugurated. The new meeting place offers activities, services and guidance for the region’s international talents and their families. All in one place.
At Järntorget, in central Gothenburg, the city has gathered under one roof, the relevant services for people who arrive here from other countries to research, study and work,. The new International House Gothenburg is co-located with the newly opened State Service Centre (Statens servicecenter), where new internationals can take care of essential contact with the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Pensions Agency and the social insurance agency Försäkringskassan – and for example obtain a personal number and identity card.
From there, international professionals, researchers, students and their families can book a meeting at the International House Gothenburg where they can get information, guidance and advice on practical matters, including finding accommodation and schools and preschools, understanding the local labour market, tips on educational courses and programmes, and the region’s offering of social and professional networks. The support from International House Gothenburg can be especially valuable for accompanying partners and other related matters that affect families in general.
The initiative builds upon parts of Move to Gothenburg's operations and sustained effort by the team in bringing it to fruition.
“Seeing several years of purposeful collaboration between industry, academia, cities and the region result in the inauguration of International House Gothenburg is fantastic - and incredibly important for employers here to be able to recruit the skills they need,” says Niklas Delersjö, head of Move to Gothenburg .
Around 10,000 people arrive in the Gothenburg region each year who can benefit from this type of help, according to estimates based on statistics from Statistics Sweden. But this number could grow significantly as the need for certain competence is great.
“Despite high unemployment, we are seeing the largest skills shortage in Europe in 15 years. The fact that we now have tools to both attract and receive international talent is crucial for us to compete with other regions in Europe and the rest of the world,” says Niklas Delersjö.
International House Gothenburg is run by the City of Gothenburg, through Business Region Göteborg in collaboration with Labour Market and Adult Education Committee (Arbvux), which among other things handles language courses, adult education and validation of foreign qualifications. International House Gothenburg is co-financed by Region Västra Götaland. Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Employment Agency, offers an international service via a EURES advisor, who is on location several days a week.
Learn more about