When starting TUVA, learners do not need to know whether they want to continue in vocational education or general upper secondary education, and can get to know different fields of study. The goal is to find a direction for further studies and to improve the skills necessary for further learning in that direction, including suitable study skills and life management skills.
In Finland, compulsory education was extended to upper secondary education and the minimum school leaving age was raised from 16 to 18 in 2021. Since August 2022 it has been possible to study in a new programme called preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification, TUVA (in Finnish: tutkintokoulutukseen valmistava koulutus). It combines the former voluntary additional basic education, also known as the 10th grade, with preparatory education for general upper secondary education (LUVA), and preparatory education for vocational education and training (VALMA).
TUVA is aimed at both learners under 18 and adults who have not completed upper secondary education. Studies must be provided as near as possible to the learner’s place of residence.
An individual study plan is drawn up together with each learner, based on their goals and competence needs. Study and career planning is a common education and training unit for all; in addition to that, the learner chooses at least two different units. These may include, for example, vocational education, working life skills, and workplace education and training. Students can also improve their primary and lower secondary education certificate grades.
The studies last up to a year, but it is possible to transfer to vocational or general upper secondary education as soon as learners have achieved the necessary skills and decided what they want to study.
The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) has drawn up the objectives, content and instructions for the evaluation of TUVA, and has provided a tool for education providers to formulate their implementation plans.
Read more (in Finnish)
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Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Finland; Cedefop (2022). Finland: TUVA – a new preparatory option for learners. National news on VET |