Study Free Vocational Programs in Finland

Until few years back, Finland used to offer free education even for students from outside EU/ EEA region. From 2017, it introduced tuition fees for students from outside EU/EEA. Yet, students from outside EU/EEA can still get free education in Finland. That too in English language courses. We are talking about Vocational Programs / Courses that are offered in English in Finland. Yes, you can study free vocational programs in Finland !

Vocational Programs / Courses in Finland

Finland has currently reformed the vocational education. They offer three kinds of qualifications in vocational education – basic vocational degrees, vocational qualifications and specialist vocational qualifications.

We discourage anybody visiting a so-called consultancy for studying in Finland. Educational Institutions in Finland do not work with any educational consultancies elsewhere in the world. Hence, we suggest you to visit the official webpages of the educational institutions and migration agency of Finland to continue further. Additionally, our blogs will help you to heighten your confidence.

– studyworkguide.com

Finland offers vocational programs in 10 areas:

1. Agriculture and Forestry (including Horticulture and Equine Industry)
2. Business, Administration and Law (Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership)
3. Education (including driving instructor training – leading to a specialist vocational qualification)
4. Health and Welfare (Social and Health Services, Welfare, Education and Guidance)
5. Humanities and Arts (Handicrafts, Music, Circus, Dance, Theater)
6. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
7. Natural Sciences (Nature and Environment)
8. Service Industries
   • Personal Services (Hair and Beauty Services, Domestic Services, Hospitality and Catering, Tourism, Sports, Cleaning Services)
   • Security Services
   • Transport Services (Transport, Logistics, Maritime)
9. Social Sciences (including Library and Information Services)
10. Technology
    • Architecture and Construction (Construction, Building Technology, Land Survey)
    • Industrial Supervision, Technical Planning and Product Development
    • Mechanical, Process, Electrical and Energy Engineering (Vehicles, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering)
    • Process, Chemical and Materials Engineering (Food Sciences, Material Technology, Textiles and Clothing Technology)

Study Free Vocational Programs / Courses in English Medium in Finland

We searched for vocational courses in Finland that are starting on Autumn 2022. Eventually, we found 166 programs in vocational education under 10 general areas listed above. However, the results on studyinfo.fi showed only few programs to be conducted in English medium. Some programs require basic Finnish and/or permanent residence in Finland (for example those offered by Tredu and Varia) even though they are conducted in English language. Hence, you might opt for one of these programs (listed below) as somebody who comes from non-Finnish speaking background.

1. Cook (Vocational upper secondary qualification in restaurant and catering services – Cook Programme)

Institution – Vamia – located in Vaasa, Finland

Duration – 3 year full-time (third year – on the job learning)

Credits – 180 ECTS

Tuition Fees – Free (The college will also provide new students with uniform for restaurant and kitchen work.)

Requirements – all nationality, above 18 years, completed high school, IELTS 5.0 (Academic or General) or equivalent globally accepted English tests, proof of enough living support (living cost) to be presented at immigration department, the nurse will verify the physical condition of the student before the study commences

Application Period – 10-31 Jan 2022

Apply Here | More Details

2. Waiter / Waitress (Vocational upper secondary qualification in restaurant and catering services – Waiter / Waitress Programme)

Institution – Vamia – located in Vaasa, Finland

Duration – 3 year full-time (third year – on the job learning)

Credits – 180 ECTS

Tuition Fees – Free (The college will also provide new students with uniform for restaurant and kitchen work.)

Requirements – all nationality, above 18 years, completed high school, IELTS 5.0 (Academic or General) or equivalent globally accepted English tests, proof of enough living support (living cost) to be presented at immigration department, the nurse will verify the physical condition of the student before the study commences

Application Period – 10-31 Jan 2022

Apply Here | More Details

3. Mechanical Fitter (Vocational upper secondary qualification in mechanical engineering and production technology – Mechanical Fitter Programme)

Institution – Vamia – located in Vaasa, Finland

Duration – 3 year full-time (second year and third year – on the job learning)

Credits – 180 ECTS

Tuition Fees – Free (The college will also provide new students with overalls for mechanical work.)

Requirements – all nationality, above 18 years, completed high school, IELTS 5.0 (Academic or General) or equivalent globally accepted English tests, proof of enough living support (living cost) to be presented at immigration department, the nurse will verify the physical condition of the student before the study commences

Application Period – 10-31 Jan 2022

Apply Here | More Details

Other articles on ‘Study in Finland’

• 2022 Finland Scholarship and Fees Waiver at University of Eastern Finland – UEF
• Cost of Living in Finland | Monthly Living Cost for a Student in Finland
• 10 most common jobs for foreign students in Finland | Jobs that International Students mostly do in Finland
• Meeting the ‘Student Tutor’ in Finland
• Things to do after getting ‘Student Visa’ of Finland
• How to apply for ‘Student Visa’ in Finland
• Free Food for long Qatar Airways stayover at Hamad International Airport
• How to get a ‘bank draft’ in Nepal

Permanent Residence in Finland after studying Vocational Program

We will be writing more elaborated and detailed articles in various prospects leading to Permanent Residence (PR) in Finland. After you complete the vocational programs, you can either start to work straightaway, or continue to higher education. Even after higher education, you can start working. Finnish PR are mostly awarded to those who have lived there continuously for longer period of time (4 years) and with ‘A’ permit. Remember, the residence permit for work are ‘A’ permit. You can verify the information here.

Disclaimer – Please follow the official links of colleges and migration authorities for more elaborated, recent and updated information. For this, we have provided the links throughout this article.