Most minors in Finnish vocational schools receive less than minimum required instruction

A majority of underage students in Finland’s vocational education system are not receiving the legally mandated minimum hours of teaching and guidance, according to data obtained by the Trade Union of Education (OAJ) from the Finnish National Agency for Education.

The analysis, covering nearly 30,000 students who began their studies after 1 August 2022, reveals that three-quarters of compulsory-education students completing vocational qualifications received on average 15% less instruction than the minimum standard. Over a three-year programme, this deficit equals nearly an entire term of missing teaching.

Finnish regulations stipulate that compulsory-education students in vocational training should receive at least 12 hours of instruction and guidance per competence point. In practice, this translates to 3.6 hours of daily teaching—yet in fields like business studies, students fall short by 21%, equivalent to losing roughly one full day of instruction per week.

Nina Lahtinen, OAJ’s director of education policy, called the situation “alarming,” warning that insufficient teaching risks leaving students unprepared for workplace demands. “There’s a strong message from vocational teachers that they simply don’t have time to cover all learning objectives adequately for every student,” she told STT.

The shortfall is most acute in healthcare and social services qualifications, where students receive 15% less instruction than required. Lahtinen noted that critical practical skills—such as specimen collection, customer service, or medication calculations—may go underpracticed, directly impacting patient safety and service quality. “Students face immense pressure at work if they lack confidence in their skills,” she said, adding that some may fail probationary periods or abandon their studies altogether.

Even in better-performing fields like construction and ICT, students miss nearly 10% of the minimum instruction. Plumbing and building automation students face a 20% deficit, risking gaps in technical competencies and collaboration skills.

Lahtinen stressed that the issue stems not from poor teaching quality—widely regarded as high—but from sheer insufficient hours. For example, Swedish language instruction, allocated just 12 hours (one competence point) across entire programmes, leaves students struggling with field-specific terminology. “You can’t master healthcare or electrical trade vocabulary in that time,” she said.

Currently, no authority actively monitors compliance with vocational education standards in Finland. The Licensing and Supervision Authority (Lupa) only intervenes if formal complaints are lodged. OAJ has called for oversight, suggesting the Parliamentary Ombudsman investigate instruction hours to align with the Ministry of Education’s recent push for increased in-person teaching and full school days for compulsory-education students.