Initial Vocational Education and Training in Finland
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Main features of VET
Joint application system
Students apply for upper secondary education through the national joint application system. There is a similar system after upper secondary graduation for polytechnics. The upper secondary joint application system following basic education is common for both general and vocational education: applicants can choose alternatives from both. Selection criteria for vocational education and training usually include the general study record, grades emphasised in the field of study, work experience and various entrance tests. Priority is given to young people without prior vocational education.
Since 1 August 2001, all programmes leading to upper secondary vocational qualifications take three years to complete and comprise 120 credits. One year of study consists of 40 credits, with one credit equivalent to 40 hours of a student's average workload. Vocational qualifications provide general eligibility for both polytechnics and universities. All upper secondary qualifications build on the basic education syllabus.
The curriculum system of the vocational education and training consists of the national core curricula, each education provider's locally approved curricula and the students' individual study plans. The National Board of Education decides on the national core curriculum for each vocational qualification, determining the composition of studies and the objectives, core contents and assessment criteria of the study modules. It also includes provisions on student assessment, student counselling, on-the-job learning, special education and training, educational arrangements for immigrants and apprenticeship training. The content of local curricula is defined in the national core curriculum as well.
Almost 80 % of VET institutions are owned by municipalities or federations of municipalities. Private organisations and foundations own 18.5 % of vocational institutions. The State owns six institutions; 2.5 % of the total. Five of these six institutions provide special education. VET and general upper secondary institutions are usually distinct places but some education providers have built centres where several different institutions work near to each other. The Ministry of Education has encouraged vocational education and training providers to increase their cooperation, aiming to collect the provision of VET into bigger and more effective units.
Vocational special institutions provide facilities and services for students with severe disabilities or chronic illnesses. Students apply to the institutions directly and the institutions accept applications throughout the year. The main principle for students with special needs is the inclusion into the common groups. Some disabilities make it difficult to work in all vocations, therefore there are still special education institutions which focus their activities on certain disability groups and their special needs.
Funding for IVET
The Ministry of Education is responsible for funding education and training (Act 635/1998 on the Financing of Educational and Cultural Provision) except for labour market training which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. Responsibility for educational funding and capital expenditure is divided between the State and local authorities. The funding criteria are the same irrespective of ownership. Labour market training is mainly purchased by the labour authorities from the different training providers but there can also be joint labour and education authority measures for training the employed.
