Apprenticeship training
Who is an apprenticeship suitable for?
In apprenticeship training, you acquire and strengthen your skills by combining studying and working. During the apprenticeship, you can study either the entire qualification or individual units of the qualification. You can conclude an apprenticeship contract with a completely new employer, or you can enter into an apprenticeship contract with your current employer. The apprenticeship position must be agreed upon before applying for studies.
What is required to conclude an apprenticeship contract?
- The apprentice must be at least 15 years old.
- For studies taught in English, the student must have sufficient English language skills. For studies taught in Finnish, the student’s Finnish language skills must be at a sufficient level.
- The apprenticeship is based on a fixed-term contract, which requires work tasks in accordance with the educational objective. Ultimately, the teacher ensures the suitability of the job for the apprenticeship contract.
- The employer must pay you at least the salary according to the collective agreement for the entire duration of the apprenticeship contract, and the probationary period must be held according to the collective agreement.
- The duration of the work must be at least 25 hours per week.
- The employer appoints a workplace counsellor for the apprentice.
How do I apply for an apprenticeship training?
- Find an apprentice position.
- Choose a qualification that suits your job tasks.
- Agree with the employer that you will apply for an educational programme.
- Fill in the application form on the qualification’s webpage.
- The subject teacher will contact you and your employer within two weeks of submitting the application.
- The teacher will interview you and you will get more information about the education programme and the start of your studies.
- For all questions related to applying and admission, you can receive apprenticeship contract advice from Keuda Admission Services: hakeutumispalvelut@keuda.fi or ph. 09 2738 3700.
Tips for finding an apprenticeship
Looking for an apprenticeship is like looking for any job. You should browse for suitable positions, for example, on the website of the TE services and other recruitment websites. Many jobs are also advertised on social media channels these days.
The most important thing when you’re looking for a job is of course your own activity. That’s why it’s definitely worth contacting local companies (both private and public) directly and telling them about your interest and at the same time about the goal of training with an apprenticeship contract. Sending open applications can produce results as well.
You should approach employers emphasizing the work: “Hi, I’m… and I’m looking for a job in this field.” When the employer asks about experience and/or education, it will be safe to answer that you do not have a qualification yet, but are ready to train in the field. The job search would be facilitated by an existing and updated CV.
An unemployed job seeker’s path to an apprenticeship is often through a work try-out. As an unemployed job seeker, you should also find out about the possibility to receive from the TE office a pay subsidy aimed to help your employer pay you. For more information on Services to support job seeking please visit JobMarket Finland.
If finding a job to complete the entire qualification seems difficult, it is worth exploring the possibility of completing individual units of the qualification at first.