Variety of qualifications

In a vocational upper secondary qualification, the student shows extensive basic skills in several work-related tasks, and specified knowledge and skills in at least one vocational area.

In a further vocational qualification, the student’s working life-oriented skills are deeper or more focused than in a vocational upper secondary qualification.

In a specialist vocational qualification, the student shows a deeper command of vocational skills than in a further vocational qualification, or multidisciplinary competence.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has decreed which vocational qualifications belong to   the VET degree structure. All vocational qualifications are broad and flexible, which provides the students with more choices for specialising.

The extent of vocational qualifications is given in competence points, credits. Vocational upper secondary qualifications are 180 credits, further vocational qualifications 120, 150 or 180 credits, and specialist vocational qualifications 160, 180 or 210 credits. The Ministry of Education and Culture’s decree prescribes the numbers of these credits. Currently, further vocational qualifications are mostly 150 credits and specialist vocational qualifications 180 credits on average.

A vocational qualification consists of vocational units (145 credits or competence points), and common units (35 credits or competence points). There must be at least one compulsory and one optional vocational unit in the qualification.

The aim of the common units is to make sure that a person with a vocational qualification has the basic life skills, as well as common skills needed in working life,  and the ability  to attend further studies and lifelong learning. The common units are:

• Communication and interaction competence
• Mathematical and scientific competence
• Social and labor market competence

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