Different guidance situations at the workplace, such as onboarding or work placement, are crucial for professional language development. Orientation situations are a natural opportunity for developing language proficiency, especially for tasks where the working language will be Finnish. However, orientation situations do not automatically develop language proficiency: if the employee is not allowed to participate or if language is disregarded during orientation, the employee's language proficiency may not benefit.

To ensure that orientation includes and serves language learning as well as possible, the employee in charge of the orientation should do it with language awareness. Ensure that the following steps are considered in the orientation: 

Identify language proficiency needs

• At the core of language aware guidance and orientation is an awareness of the languages used in the workplace and the various work tasks, and what kind of linguistic expertise these scenarios require.
• Does the work involve working with professionals in their own field, or communicating with clients and stakeholders? Does it involve providing advice and guidance to customers, for example? Are interactions predictable and can they be practiced in advance, or are surprising scenarios part of the job description? 

Review the orientation material

• The induction material should use clear language and provide linguistic models for common or potentially challenging work scenarios. 
• For the sake of clarity, it may be advisable to avoid metaphors in the orientation material, for example when discussing company values and the foundation of the organisation. The induction material should use clear language and provide linguistic models for common or potentially challenging work scenarios.

Assess the starting language proficiency level

• Assessing the employee’s language proficiency as early as before orientation may be useful. In a best-case scenario, the employee’s language proficiency is almost at the level required by the job. 
• The employee can use Kielibuusti's self-assessment tool to determine their current Finnish or Swedish level. Read more information about language tests.

Set language proficiency goals

• Defining linguistic objectives for the orientation in accordance with the learner’s language proficiency level and the linguistic demands of the job may be useful. Read more about language skill levels A1-C2.
• Linguistic objectives related to supporting language learners may be extended to their Finnish-speaking colleagues. 
• The objectives for different language levels may include: