South Ostrobothnia bucks Finland’s vocational education decline

Young people in South Ostrobothnia are choosing vocational education over general upper secondary school, even as vocational schools have become less popular elsewhere in Finland, Yle reports.

According to the Finnish National Agency for Education, applications to vocational schools have fallen by as much as 15 per cent across Finland over the past two years. In South Ostrobothnia, however, the trend is moving in the opposite direction.

Of the region’s 3,000 applicants to upper secondary education this year, about 1,600 applied to vocational school and slightly more than 1,100 applied to general upper secondary school.

Eighteen year old Timo Haapaniemi from Lapua did not consider general upper secondary school.

It would have been the very last option, said Haapaniemi, who is in his third year studying electrical and automation technology at the Seinäjoki Education Centre Sedu.

Electrical studies have been among Sedu’s most popular programmes in recent years.

Sedu deputy rector Hellevi Lassila believes young people in South Ostrobothnia prefer vocational education partly because graduates have often found work in the region.

The labour market is attracting young people to vocational school, Lassila said.

Sedu works with companies in the region. Lassila said the companies offering students workplace learning placements also offer permanent jobs to the best graduates.

Workplace learning is part of vocational studies and allows students to develop job related skills at a workplace.

Lassila said the number of applicants and students in different vocational fields reflects the condition of the labour market. Fewer students have applied for construction studies, for example, as the downturn in construction has affected demand.

Sedu nevertheless increased the number of construction study places this year to prepare for future labour needs. A large data centre is being built in Seinäjoki and will require workers, Lassila said.

Large study fields attract the most applicants at Sedu. Electrical studies were again the most popular choice this year, while automotive studies also attracted enough applicants.

Interest in social and health care studies has declined, although the programme still received a good number of applicants.

Among the smaller fields, forestry attracted more applicants than expected. Sedu continues to face limited interest in specialised fields such as textiles and fashion, crafts and design, and food production.

Although the food sector is an important foundation of South Ostrobothnia, it does not attract students, Lassila said.