Section outline



    • You are warmly welcome to join the course on Finnish Upper Secondary Education in Finland: No Dead Ends!


      This course is the fourth of the five Education in Finland: Learning for Life MOOCs exploring the joy of learning and equal opportunities in Finnish education. The course is suitable for everyone interested in Finnish system of education and interesting opportunities after basic education. In this course:

      • you will be familiar with the Finnish upper secondary education system.
      • you will understand the characteristics and nature of upper secondary education. 


      There are no pre-requirements for this course. The general guidelines can be found on the next tab called "Course instructions".

      Note: There are subtitles available (a quotation mark at the bottom right corner of the video player).


      Best regards from the course team


      Ari Kiviniemi (course responsible teacher), Leena Aarto-Pesonen, Elisa Heimovaara ja Sanna Nevala.


      Authors of the course materials 


      Elisa Heimovaara (International Coordinator, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä), Sanna Nevala (MSc, Teacher, University of Jyväskylä Teacher Training School), Ari Kiviniemi (MSc, University Teacher, University of Jyväskylä, Open University), Leena Aarto-Pesonen (PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä), Raimo Vuorinen (PhD, Adjunct associate professor, Finnish Institute for Educational Research), Siru Lehto (PhD, Senior Lecturer, JAMK University of Applied Sciences).

      The students that have been interviewed are from University of Jyväskylä Teacher Training School (general upper secondary school) and Vocational Institutes Gradia Jyväskylä. Participants in the production and technical implementation of the course content are Tony Melville (video voiceover), Sanna Juutinen (Moodle support) along with Teppo Haapasalo, Kari Toiviainen, and Jani Lahtinen from Rotia prkl ltd. Our warm thanks to everybody!


      Copyright of the material: CC-BY-NC-ND


      The copyright to the videos and materials in this course belongs to the authors. You must give appropriate credit and provide a link to the licence. You may not use the material for commercial purposes.  The licence may not give you all of the permission necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights regarding publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material. Historical photographs in video 2: University of Jyväskylä / Open Science Centre, Jyväskylä University Museum.


      
      

      Note: There are subtitles available (a quotation mark at the bottom right corner of the video player).



    • How to study

       

      Thank you for your interest in this course! To deepen your study experience, register as a student and sign up for the course. Note: Registering for the course requires strong authentication.

      Courses are measured in ECTS credits. One ECTS credit corresponds to about 27 hours of work/studying, including course materials and assignments. You will get a credit and a course certificate (a transcript of records) from the University of Jyväskylä.

       

      In this course, you will study in the following ways:

       

       

       

      You will reflect on and test what you have learned by completing assignments such as questions and "final test" (quiz). You can take the quiz as many time as you need to complete it.

      Please first complete the Starting point and Informed consent for research form (one question). You may wish to return to this survey at the end of the course.



    • Choosing general or vocational upper secondary education after comprehensive school


      Students who have successfully completed comprehensive school are eligible for general and vocational upper secondary education and training. Student selection to upper secondary schools is mainly based on the grades students receive on their basic education certificate. The selection criteria used by vocational institutions can include work experience and other comparable factors, along with entrance and aptitude tests.  

      Both young people and adults can apply for upper secondary education. Students in secondary education intended for young people are usually 16 to 19 years of age. Nearly half of young people in Finland continue their studies in general upper secondary school after basic education, while others focus on, for example, vocational training.  

      General upper secondary schools provide an all-round education which does not lead to a profession. The same subjects are studied in upper secondary schools as in comprehensive school, but the studies are more demanding and independent. Upper secondary school takes two to four years, depending on the student. At the end of upper secondary school studies, students take the matriculation examination. Those who pass the examination are eligible to apply for further studies at universities, universities of applied sciences and upper secondary school–based vocational education. 

      The general upper secondary education programme is organized as separate syllabi for young people and adults. Young people study in full-time or remote upper secondary schools while adults often attend part-time upper secondary schools. In these it is possible to either take separate courses or complete the entire upper secondary school syllabus and take the matriculation examination.  

      The Finnish National Agency for Education decides on the objectives and learning outcomes of the different subjects and study modules for general upper secondary education. Based on the national core curriculum, each education provider then prepares the local curriculum. Due to the modular structure of upper secondary education, students may combine studies from both upper general education and vocational education and training. 



      Vocational education is more practice oriented than upper secondary school education. Vocational upper secondary qualifications provide the basic skills required in a field. At the beginning of vocational education and training, the student and the institution draw up a personal competence development plan for the student, outlining the content, schedule and methods of study.  On-the-job learning is an essential part of the qualification. 

      Completing a vocational qualification takes about three years. After this, students can continue their studies to complete a further vocational qualification or a specialized vocational degree. Further and specialist vocational qualifications enable people to develop their skills at different stages of their career. If students so choose, they can progress from vocational education to higher education. Further vocational qualification or a specialized vocational degree can also be completed as competence-based qualifications if the student has already acquired the skills required for the qualification.  


      ©Jarmo Nevala


      After comprehensive school, most students continue to either vocational education or general upper secondary school. There are, however, also other options.



    • General upper secondary school reform


      An extensive project to reform general upper secondary education has been launched in Finland in recent years. The objective of the reform is to improve the population’s level of education in order to optimize Finland’s potential for success in the decades to come. Strong expert-level competence and more employees with higher education will be needed in the future. The reform, therefore, seeks to increase the attractiveness of general upper secondary schools as a form of education that provides general knowledge and ability along with eligibility for further studies at higher education institutes, improves the quality of education and learning outcomes, and facilitates the transition from upper secondary education to higher education. Key means for achieving these objectives include more individual and flexible study paths, provision of the guidance and support students need to follow such paths, interdisciplinary studies, and cooperation with higher education institutes.  


    • Assignment

      In order to conclude the course, please complete the assignment.

    • Assignment Forum

      Describe the differences between Finnish general upper secondary education and general upper secondary education in your country

      Not available unless: The activity Starting point is marked complete


    • The objectives and statistics of VET in Finland


      The purpose of vocational education and training (VET) is to increase and maintain the vocational skills of the population, develop commerce and industry, and respond to its competence needs.

      VET supports lifelong learning and students’ development as human beings and members of society. It provides students with knowledge and skills necessary in further studies and promotes employment. In Finland, around half of the students completing their basic education continue to VET instead of general upper secondary education. Vocational education also enables pupils to continue their studies in higher education.

      In 2018, there were 322.300 VET students, of which 52% were 15-24 years of age, and 48% over 24. About 79.600 students completed a VET degree: 54.500 vocational upper secondary qualifications, 17.200 further vocational qualifications, and 7.900 specialist vocational qualifications. Of all completed degrees 55% were completed by women, 45% by men.

      Most youngsters graduating from basic education apply to VET in a joint application system during February - March. It is possible to apply also through a continuing application system around the year.

      The diversity of VET is great, and there are 164 vocational qualifications available. In 2018, the biggest numbers of students were in:

      1. Vocational Qualification in Social and Health Care, 42.900 students
      2. Vocational Qualification in Business (29.800)
      3. Vocational Qualification in Electrical Engineering and Automation Technology (13.600)
      4. Vocational Qualification in Construction (13.000)
      5. Vocational Qualification in Logistics (12.100)
      6. Vocational Qualification in the Vehicle Sector (10.500)
      7. Vocational Qualification in Restaurant and Catering Services (9.800)

      In VET training, students can complete an entire qualification, several parts or just one part of a qualification, whatever their needs are.


    • Assignment

      In order to conclude the course, please complete the assignment.

    • Assignment Forum

      Describe how vocational education and training is organised in your country.

      Not available unless: The activity Starting point is marked complete



    • Congratulations, you have almost finished the course! Please finalize the assignments and give us feedback on the course. We hope you have found the course useful and enjoyed your stay with us!


    • Share your ideas Forum

      Tell us briefly what you learned in this course? What is the most impressive or interesting thing you learn?

      Not available unless: The activity Starting point is marked complete
    • Final exam Quiz