Helsinki Library - a summary of the Finnish Education System

I've now moved onto Vienna Austria and I wanted to reflect back on Helsinki and try to summarise what I learnt about their education system.
This is the Vallinin community library and Otto who is an ICT lecturer at Helsinki Business College and a 3rd generation resident of this suburb and its community. Otto taught me that education has to be embedded into communities where we know and support our neighbours. He walked me past schools, libraries, trade union offices, local IT businesses, the Finnish National Board of Education, start-up hubs and the chamber of commerce, these are their partners in education.




Harri taught me that vocational education needs to be partnered with employers and that assessment should be based in the workplace or at the very least based on projects that are simulated workplaces.
Teachers and students must have strong personal relationships so the students know you are there to support them.
Teachers are professionals and must be treated with respect, they need a degree of freedom to do their jobs effectively.
Courses need to be kept simple in structure but have lots of elective options so students can customise THEIR course.
AND Harri has convinced me that teachers and support staff need to eat together so they have time to build relationship and help each other.
I have been incredibly impressed by the Helsinki Business College and then staff, they are generous, hospitable and absolutely professionals.




The following pictures are from the University of Helsinki library.

• The building is brand new but built inside a very old facade of historic buildings. they managed to build a fantastically modern functional building and still retain their visible history. 
• The library builing must have been one of the prime pieces of real estate in the entire city.
• I visited the library twice during the day because I wanted to see how it was utilised at different times.
• Several of the study rooms has beautiful views across the city. Aesthetics appears to be just as important to them as skills and knowledge.
• The library is 7 stories high and every floor had lots of students working at both 2pm and 7:30pm.
• Anyone is welcome to borrow a book. The library is largely self service and their is no long complex process to join. (I could have borrowed a book)
• Their were no visible teachers or supervisors yet a huge number of students were studying both singularly but also in group meeting rooms. 
• I didn't notice many signs with rules yet no-one was being disruptive
• Students had food and drinks and no-one was chasing them out, yet the rooms were all neat and tidy
• Students don't have to buy textbooks, the library will stock or inter-library loan enough textbooks for all students.
• Their was a cafeteria on the ground floor so students could work, rest and eat without having to leave the area.

I often asked how they paid for all of this and it seems that if you keep all of your processes, systems and support services as simple and functional as possible there was enough money to do the really important things like provide education and to stimulate your economy.




This is a very impressive country!