Helsinki Region information from the Info Bank online service now available in several languages

The information on the Info Bank website appears in 15 languages and covers such topics as housing, education, Finnish and Swedish language teaching, permits and employment. The new Helsinki Region section serves both those already living in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, and those planning to move to the region.

- Info Bank is an excellent example of regional cooperation, says Ahmed Akar, the Info Bank Project Manager. Inhabitants can now find all the information they need from a single address, regardless of municipal boundaries. Jay Nanje, who has lived in the Helsinki Region for five years, makes regular use of Info Bank. - With the online service it’s easy to find information when you need it, for example, about study opportunities, or to do with tax. Now I get information covering the whole area, says Nanje.

Changes to Info Bank during 2009-2011 will make the service better than ever for people moving to Finland for various reasons and for those immigrants who are already living here. Developments are also in hand for the content relating to immigrant workers. In 2010 Info Bank will introduce a Helsinki Region search function for Finnish-language education. Information may be retrieved in Finnish, English and Russian.

Info Bank is an online service funded by the government and municipalities and administered by the City of Helsinki Cultural Office. The online service is visited by approximately 50,000 users each month.

The Helsinki Region page can be found at: www.infopankki.fi/helsinkiregion