Vocational education holds a strong and increasingly strategic position in the Finnish education system. In 2025, 324,000 students were studying in vocational education and training (VET) institutions, compared with 360,000 students in higher education institutions (Statistics Finland, 2026a; 2026b; 2026c). Finnish VET serves learners of different ages and life situations, and its importance is growing in a context marked by demographic change and skills shortages.
VET institutions are not only responsible for developing skills and supporting employment. They also have an important role in regional development, policymaking, networks and public discussion. Through cooperation with policymakers, employers, educational partners and other stakeholders, they bring practical knowledge into discussions about education and skills policy. At the same time, they help ensure that education responds to the needs of learners, working life and society.
This role is particularly important in Finland, where perceptions of vocational education are still influenced by long-standing differences in status between educational pathways. VET has often been associated mainly with young people who are not interested in academic studies. VET providers, together with organisations such as AMKE, the Finnish Association for the Development of Vocational Education and Training, have therefore worked to broaden this understanding and highlight vocational education as an important pathway for individuals, working life and society.
Regional influence and workforce development
At the national level, VET institutions can contribute to policymaking by bringing practical experience into dialogue with decision-makers. This is particularly important when legislation, funding or other major reforms are being prepared. The impact of policy decisions can look very different at national level than it does in the everyday work of an education provider.
Meetings with Members of Parliament, ministers and other government representatives provide opportunities to discuss the realities of vocational education and bring regional perspectives into national discussions. Study visits to Parliament and visits by policymakers to VET institutions are also useful ways to create dialogue. Education providers can explain current developments and challenges, while policymakers can get a better understanding of how national decisions are experienced in practice. Samiedu has participated in this dialogue in several ways. Over the years, Samiedu’s Principal has met ministers in Parliament together with other regional representatives. Samiedu has also welcomed Members of Parliament to Savonlinna to discuss education, labour market issues and regional development in Eastern Finland. These meetings provide an opportunity to bring the perspective of a smaller region into national discussions and to explain how national decisions affect education providers, students and employers locally.
This kind of dialogue helps connect policy design with implementation and brings regional and practical perspectives into national decision-making. It can also help policymakers understand that the effects of the same decision may vary between regions and education providers. VET institutions are therefore not only affected by education policy; they can also contribute to its development. This is particularly important at a time when the funding and operating environment of vocational education is changing rapidly.
Collective influence through networks
VET institutions also influence policy and practice through national and cross-sectoral networks. Working together gives the sector a stronger voice when discussing common issues such as funding, workforce needs, educational pathways and the future of vocational education. AMKE has an important role in this work. It represents Finnish VET providers and supports their development and advocacy. Through stakeholder cooperation, development work and shared policy positions, AMKE helps bring the views and experiences of VET providers into national decision-making and public discussion.
Network cooperation is not only about advocacy. It is also an important way of learning from each other. VET providers face many of the same challenges, even though their regional circumstances may differ. Sharing experiences and good practices makes it possible to spread effective solutions and avoid developing everything separately. Cooperation with organisations outside the VET sector is equally important. Links with higher education, employers and other organisations bring different perspectives to discussions about skills, employment and regional development. The VET sector is stronger when these perspectives are brought together rather than considered separately.
Shaping the public understanding of vocational education
VET institutions also have an important role in public discussion. This matters because public perceptions influence how vocational education is valued and how its contribution to working life and society is understood. VET providers participate in public discussion through expert contributions, media, social media, seminars, events and direct engagement with different stakeholders. They can bring practical examples from students, teaching and cooperation with employers into wider discussions. This makes vocational education more visible and helps show what it looks like today.
Events such as Finland’s annual Vocational Skills Day are one example of this. They provide an opportunity to showcase skills, learning environments and career pathways and to bring vocational education into the public space. Public discussion is also an opportunity to challenge outdated assumptions. Finnish vocational education is not only a route for young people who do not choose general upper secondary education. It serves people at different stages of their lives, supports continuous learning and responds directly to changing needs in working life. Making this visible is an important part of the work of VET institutions.
Vocational education as a strategic societal actor
These four areas show that Finnish VET institutions have a role that goes beyond providing education. They contribute to regional development, bring practical experience into national policymaking, strengthen the sector through networks and help shape the way vocational education is understood in society. At the regional level, they help secure skilled labour and support the vitality of local communities. At the national level, they bring the realities of education and working life into discussions about legislation and funding. Through networks, they share knowledge and strengthen the sector’s ability to respond to change. Through public discussion, they help make the value of vocational education visible.
This role is becoming more important as Finland faces demographic change, skills shortages and increasing pressure on public resources. VET institutions are close to everyday educational practice, but at the same time they are connected to regional, national and international networks. This gives them a useful position between policy and practice. For me, this is one of the strengths of Finnish vocational education. A VET institution can see very concretely what is happening in the lives of students, in local companies and in working life. At the same time, it can bring these observations into wider discussions about the future of education and society. This connection between everyday practice and broader decision-making is something that should be recognised and used more systematically.
Vocational education is therefore much more than a way of providing skills for the labour market. It is an important part of Finland’s social, economic and regional development. Its contribution is strongest when education providers work together with students, employers, municipalities, policymakers and other partners to build solutions that respond to both today’s needs and the challenges ahead.
References:
Statistics Finland (2026a). Number of students in vocational education and training decreased in 2025, available at: https://stat.fi/en/publication/cmf53wztmiewp07uopcxy4l4i. Checked 25.6.2026.
Statistics Finland (2026b). Number of students at universities of applied sciences increased further in 2025, available at: https://stat.fi/fi/julkaisu/cmg4okh8kg6f607w7ogonlpxm. Checked 15.8.2026.
Statistics Finland (2026c). Number of degrees completed at universities grew in 2025, available at: https://stat.fi/fi/julkaisu/cmg4opwr0g2br07w0evsjcfcy. Checked 15.8.2026.