STEP Education joined Finest Future
13.4.2023
While there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, Finest Future and STEP Education partnership program comes pretty close to it in Finland. Through this joint venture, you gain pre-requisite language skill and other pertinent training with Finest Future, and then the vocational degree education with STEP Education in Finland.
First of our students in the joint program entered their studies at STEP at the end of 2022 and we have experienced a steady flow of incomers ever since. We initially offered only vocational qualification in practical nurse program (STEP Järvenpää and Pieksämäki campus) but have decided to expand in August 2023 to children’s instructor vocational program, which is offered on our Lapua campus. Both of these fields have a seriously high demand for qualified employees, which makes finding employment that much easier after graduation.
In all, there are 6 STEP campuses and all offer dormitory housing for students. The vocational degree studies are free for the accepted student and so is the dormitory housing. Even meals are free for the most part in school cafeterias (so some of our lunches are indeed free after all!). On weekends (and other similar times) when school cafeterias are closed, students have to pay for their own meals. Other study related expenses may occur, but if so, they really are minor.
At STEP Education, we are looking for a few good men and women – well, quite a few. We’d like you to be a motivated student, willing, ready and able to do the work. It seems that not too many parties voice this aloud, but in the big picture we are also looking for long term commitment. Let it suffice to say that having experienced some other living environments, Finland really is quite the place to be – kind of like in that song “Finland” by Monty Python. Perhaps this country does not appear as the shiniest diamond initially but it shall, however; maintain its luster for a long time. And who wouldn’t want to tackle the Finnish winter, with 6 hours of sunlight (if you are lucky) eh? (Just like the British comedians sing “…where I quite want to be”). Well, but seriously – it really does make one appreciate the beautiful summers that much more! So we’d like you to stay and learn to love it.
While we at STEP Education cannot promise you a job or career we can pave the way and “ease you in” on one. One central way we accomplish this is via practical training at work place during the time you study with us. The internships offer you – the STEP-student – a chance not only to gain education, skills and understanding in the work place, but also a possibility for you to show what you are made of. So, in a way, every practical training period is also a showcasing event of your abilities to the prospective employer. Hence it is not at all uncommon for our students to get hired more permanently to their training employers after graduating.
Oh, and one more thing – the educational system in this country is set up in a way where nobody is left behind from higher learning, which is also next to free. In this way, accomplishing a Finnish vocational degree serves as a stepping stone for later college studies in Finland as you gain eligibility to apply via the vocational degree. So go ahead and STEP on the stepping stone today! And if you do, I might even buy you a lunch…
The writer Veka Ohtamaa works as Educational Director at STEP education.
