The Finnish vocational education and training (VET) system is flexible and offers individual opportunities for young people and adults who have fled the war in Ukraine to Finland. This page provides information about vocational education and training opportunities and support for studying.
Opettaja ohjeistaa opiskelijoita tabletti kädessä.
Photo: Getty Images - Luis Alvarez

Those who have fled Ukraine can apply for temporary protection. For more information on the principles governing Ukrainians’ entry into Finland, see the websites of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Immigration Service.

Persons receiving temporary protection can apply for a municipality of residence from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency when they have lived in Finland for at least one year and have a residence permit for temporary protection that is valid for at least one year. They can choose their new municipality of residence themselves, which may affect the need for services in the municipalities.

Prospective students are free to apply for VET places, and no particular nationality or residence status in Finland is required for this. There are also no restrictions to applying for a place in preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA). Admission decisions are made by the education provider after assessing if the applicant's conditions enable the successful completion of studies.

The Finnish vocational education and training system is flexible and offers opportunities to progress individually in the studies. VET can also be organised in the workplace in connection with practical tasks under a training agreement or as apprenticeship training. In training based on a training agreement, the student learns skills by performing practical tasks in the workplace but does not have an employment relationship with the employer. Apprenticeship training, on the other hand, is based on a written fixed-term employment contract between a student aged 15 or over and the employer. If a person receiving temporary protection applies for a place in VET, they could also complete it under a training or apprenticeship agreement if the conditions for these forms of training are otherwise met.

The municipality shall inform of the right to education and to tell about the services provided and how they can be accessed.

Living in a municipality does not require it to be the municipality of residence as defined in the Municipality of Residence Act. It is enough that the nature of the stay in the municipality warrants for the stay to be considered living.

Compulsory education does not apply to Ukrainian children of compulsory education age receiving temporary protection if they do not have a municipality of residence in Finland and, consequently, are not permanently resident in this country. This means that they do not have a right to the free materials, devices and benefits to which children at compulsory education age are entitled. Should they wish, however, the education providers may offer a student free learning materials and devices (such as a computer) to support their studies.

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People of compulsory education age who have been granted  a municipality of residence and apply for vocational education have the same rights and entitlements to complete compulsory education as FInnish citizens.

The studies of  students admitted to vocational education are financed within the system for funding education and cultural services. The funding is granted to the education provider, who makes more detailed decisions on how it will be used to organise education and training. Central government transfers for local education providers are not affected by the citizenship or municipality of residence, or lack thereof, of the pupils or students.

Information on applying for a study place can be found in such sources as the Studyinfo.fi website or education providers’ websites. Information and advice concerning education are also available at Ohjaamo service points and on the infofinland.fi website.

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Every VET student has the right to receive guidance counselling. In addition to guidance counsellors, tutors and teachers also provide guidance counselling. Guidance is provided both individually and in groups. Vocational upper secondary qualifications include studies that improve the student’s study and career planning skills. The aim of these studies is that the student can recognise their interests and is able to make choices concerning their studies and career. A personal competence development plan (HOKS) is a document in which all agreements concerning guidance and support are recorded. The student's career plan is also recorded in the competence development plan. The first version of the career plan is drawn up at the beginning of the studies, and students update it as they progress in their studies.

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The languages in which qualifications are taken in Finland are Finnish and Swedish, but there are differences between the various fields of VET and qualifications, and their language skills requirements vary. Students can improve their language skills during their studies. VET may also be multilingual, which means that Finnish and/or Swedish as a foreign language is taught as part of vocational studies. The education provider may offer early-stage studies through such languages as Ukrainian, Russian or English if teachers or instructors who master these languages are available. However, the qualification is ultimately completed in Finnish or Swedish. This means that the demonstrations of knowledge and skills are given and the certificates are issued in the language of the qualification. Some vocational education and training is also available as programmes taught entirely through English. Information about these studies is available on the Studyinfo.fi website or directly from education providers.

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If necessary, students with a migrant background can also receive support in learning Finnish or Swedish as a second language (S2 syllabus), or they can participate in studies that support study skills (OPVA). In studies that support study skills students can, for example, improve their Finnish proficiency and basic skills in mathematics or English. Studies that support study skills are planned individually to meet the student's needs.

Studies that support study skills can be taken either on individual days as part of education and training leading to a qualification, or in longer continuous periods. The decisions on the organisation and content of studies that support study skills are made by the education provider.  The student may participate in studies that support study skills for a maximum of six months.
 

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Students who receive temporary protection have the right to student welfare when they are attending vocational upper secondary education and training and preparatory education. Student welfare primarily consists of preventive activities and communal student welfare work that support the entire community of the educational institution. Communal work promotes not only students’ learning and wellbeing but also interaction and safety in the entire community. Student welfare work in an educational institution is coordinated by an institution-specific student welfare group. When a student who has fled the war arrives at the institution, it is important to agree on the practices to be followed together. All adults must ensure that the newcomers can find their place in the community and that no one is left alone.  

Each student has a right to individual student welfare in vocational education and training.  Some of the children and young people need individual support that must be organised as soon as possible. Organising student welfare services (psychologist’s and school social worker’s services and student health services) for students is the responsibility of the municipality in which the institution is located. Participating in individual student welfare is voluntary for the student, and different professionals participate in this work with the student's consent. The student welfare services of the institution are not always sufficient to support a young person, for example those who have been traumatised. In this case, they are referred to support provided by parties outside the institution, such as specialised medical care. Child welfare can also be consulted in matters concerning a minor and, if the concerns are acute, a child welfare notification must be submitted. Interpretation services are used when providing individual student welfare if necessary.

As circumstances change, the educational institution can rely on such partners as non-governmental organisations, parties responsible for leisure time activities or youth services and parishes in addition to the conventional student welfare services. Communities formed by those with a migrant background are a type of peer support from which newcomers could also benefit. Because children and young people should be integrated into the educational institution’s interaction network as soon as possible, the forming of friendships and communal and participatory practices should be actively supported.
 

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Ask more about support for the studies of refugees from Ukraine: info [at] oph.fi

 

30.1.2023: text updated with information on how being granted municipality of residence affects vocational education

 

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