Vocational education and training

Vocational education refers to initial or further vocational education leading to a vocational qualification. Initial vocational education is education leading to upper secondary level vocational qualifications. Education leading to further or specialist vocational qualifications are further vocational education.

Until the end of 2021, vocational education can be curriculum-based education or preparatory education for a skills examination. New students are no longer admitted to these types of education. According to the Vocational Education and Training Act (531/2017), vocational education and qualifications can be completed as education in educational institutions, based on a training agreement, apprenticeship training and/or a combination of these starting from 2018.

Apprenticeship training is mainly training organised at the workplace in connection with practical tasks, which is supplemented if necessary by studying in other learning environments. Apprenticeship training is an employment contract between a student and an employer.

In education based on a training agreement, the student acquires skills at the workplace in connection with practical tasks, which are supplemented if necessary by skills acquisition in other learning environments. The student is not in an employment relationship, for which reason he/she is not paid wages or other compensation.

Vocational education refers to initial or further vocational education leading to a vocational qualification. Initial vocational education is education leading to upper secondary level vocational qualifications. Initial vocational education can be curriculum-based education or preparatory education for a skills examination. For a number of years now, no new students have been admitted to post-secondary or higher level of vocational education.

Education leading to further or specialist vocational qualifications are further vocational education. These are always preparatory education for a skills examination and the qualifications are based on skills examinations. Vocational education is organised both as education provided by educational institutions and as apprenticeship training. Apprenticeship training is a work-dominated form of studying in which the majority of vocational skills are learned at a workplace and then supplemented with theoretic knowledge studies, usually at an educational institution. An apprenticeship contract is an employment contract between a student and an employer.