Thousands of foreigners obtain vocational skills every year

Foreigners are particularly attracted by the apprenticeship system

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Every year, thousands of young students with an immigrant background obtain the vocational skills needed in working life in Finland, indicates a report published by the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) on Thursday.
      A total of 4,000 foreign students completed the general upper secondary education or vocational qualifications in 2007. Most of them - more than 3,000 students - completed their vocational education and training.
     
In all, the proportion of foreign students of the vocational education and training was around four per cent. The total number of foreign students was approximately 11,600.
      The proportion of students with an immigrant backround has grown over the period from 2005 to 2008 by nearly 25 per cent. The apprenticeship system in particular has attracted foreign students.
     
The risk to drop out of school is particularly high for those first generation immigrants who have lived in Finland and gone to school here only for a few years, and whose previous educational background is low.
      The drop-out numbers of immigrants show large regional differences. However, the statistics on them are inadequate, as not all institutes even monitor such figures, indicates a report made by the Turku Vocational Institute (TAI) and commissioned by the FNBE.
      According to Statistics Finland, the drop-out rate of foreign students was 14 to 15 per cent while that of the Finnish-born students was around 10 per cent.
     
The proportion of students speaking other than Finnish or Swedish as their native language has also increased in comprehensive schools and universities.
      In Finnish comprehensive schools, the number of foreign pupils was around 17,000 in 2008. Their number has increased by some nine per cent over three years. Even so, it was not more than three per cent of all pupils in comprehensive schools.
      When it comes to those who study in upper secondary schools, the number of foreign pupils was below three per cent, namely about 3,300. The number had remained more or less the same.
     
In the academic year 2008-2009, a total of some 9,000 foreign students applied for a study place in Finnish universities. In comparison, the corresponding figure three years earlier had been around 5,400.
      The numbers of those foreigners who have been admitted and of those who have accepted a student place in Finnish universities have also increased, though not to the same extent.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  More teachers needed for immigrants (13.6.2007)
  Immigrants learn Finnish through handcrafts (4.2.2005)
  Qualified immigrants to be given work to match their educational achievement (10.6.2009)

Links:
  Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE)
  Turku Vocational Institute
  Statistics Finland

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