Finnish vocational education and training in comparison: Strengths and weaknesses

Abstract

The study investigates how the Finnish model of providing initial vocational education and training (IVET) has succeeded in terms of enhancing educational progress and employability. A relatively high level of participation in IVET makes the Finnish model distinctive from those of three other Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. All four Nordic countries have well-organised labour markets and universal types of welfare states. Priority is given to goals related to equal opportunities and social inclusion. At the same time, these countries have different models of IVET. While the study compares the Finnish model of organising IVET to those of other Nordic countries, it also examines the German and UK models, which represent differing societal approaches to IVET. The differences in the outcomes of the IVET systems are described and analysed through reviewing secondary data provided by Eurydice and Eurostat, along with country reports produced in a Nordic comparative project, Nord-VET.

The Transition to Upper Secondary Level After Basic Education for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Finland

“…Vocational qualifications are possible to attain at vocational institutions, at adult education institutions, and through apprenticeship training. Vocational education and training might be provided by local authorities, joint municipal authorities, registered associations or foundations, or state-led schools (EU Agency 2015; Virolainen and Stenström 2014). Generally, most of these education providers are public authorities.…”

“…Enrolment in the vocational education training programs has increased during the last decades (Virolainen and Stenström 2014). In 2009, the majority of young people chose the vocational track as their first choice (Cedefop 2012).…”

The modern evolution of vocational education and training in Finland (1945–2015)

“…The increase in Finnish VET's success has coincided with the combination of VET students' eligibility for higher education and the enhancement of educational institutions' connections to the working world, both at the institutional and the regional levels of pedagogy and curriculum planning. Furthermore, international exchange programmes and graduates' opportunities to participate in World Skills competitions have improved the image of VET (Ruohotie et al, 2008;Virolainen and Stenström, 2014).…”

“…In the ten years from 2005 to 2015, the share of general upper secondary school graduates who did not immediately continue with further studies in the autumn upon passing their matriculation examination grew from 58% to 68% (Statistics Finland, 2016b). On the whole, the number of higher education applicants has also remained at a relatively high level in relation to youth unemployment since the 1990s (Alatalo et al, 2017;Virolainen and Stenström, 2014).…”

Progression to higher education from VET in Nordic countries

“…A significant proportion of the younger Finnish age groups completed their Bachelor's degree at a UAS. Increased rates of the completion of UAS studies is the reason why the share of those who completed Bachelor's and/or Master's degrees has been relatively high in Finland compared to other Nordic countries (Hagensen, 2014;Virolainen and Stenström, 2014). However, the statistics for 2015 and 2016 on 25-34-year-olds' completion of HE show that the number of students who completed HE in that period was actually higher per other Nordic country than in Finland (OECD, 2017, p. 51).…”