Unemployment

There are different methods for studying and complementing competence:

• labour market training with unemployment benefit
• studying independently with unemployment benefit 
• studying parts of qualifications with unemployment benefit
• completing licence cards with unemployment benefit
• full-time studies with student financial aid
• apprenticeship training in an employment relationship.

There are conditions associated with different study options, and all options may not be possible for you. Always talk to the expert in the TE Office or in your municipality’s employment services before starting your studies.

Nowadays, there is a lot of computer use in studying, and the studies may even be implemented entirely as distance learning.

You should not avoid studying because you are unsure of your digital skills. Many educational institutions offer orientation in the use of information technology.

Discuss with an expert at the TE Office or in your municipality whether you are eligible for labour market training. 

TE Offices and municipalities organise vocational qualifications and qualification modules as labour market training. Further and continuing professional education is also organised as labour market training. In labour market training, it is possible to complete different types of permit cards, such as a hygiene passport or a fire work card.

You must apply for labour market trainings, and suitable persons for training are selected from among the applicants.

You will receive an unemployment benefit during the labour market training.

Sometimes labour market training is organised as special recruitment training. They are implemented by one or more employers who recruit employees from the training.

You can study part-time or short-term while receiving an unemployment benefit. You can study part-time or short-term, for example, a part of a degree. 

First, talk to the TE Office or the municipality. If you start your studies without first consulting the TE Office or the municipality, you may lose your unemployment benefit afterwards. This may happen if the TE Office or the municipality does not consider your studies to be part-time or short-term.

Please note that part-time studies must not be an obstacle to finding a job or accepting a job. 

Different permit cards can be completed in labour market training, in which case the card is free of charge. Read more in What are labour market trainings.

If you are willing to pay for the permit card yourself, find the local training and test provider and register. Training and tests for permit cards are organised by, for example, vocational institutions and training companies.

The studies must lead to

• vocational upper secondary qualification, further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification
• a Bachelor's or Master's degree 
• or the completion of parts of these degrees. 

The studies may also be

• further and continuing education in vocational education and training
• further and continuing education in adult education
• open university or university of applied sciences teaching.

Do not rush:

• If you wish to receive unemployment benefit during your studies, discuss your studies well in advance with the expert in the TE Office or your municipality. 
• Apply for a study place yourself according to the instructions of the educational institution. You can apply for a study place in the Studyinfo service, for example.
• Wait for an expert from the TE Office or municipality to assess whether you can receive unemployment benefit for completing the qualification. 

If an expert at a TE Office or municipality estimates that you cannot study while on unemployment benefit, you must either give up the idea of studying or become a full-time student. If you become a full-time student, you may be entitled to Kela's student financial aid and other student benefits. 

You can apply for a study place in the Studyinfo serviceOpens in a new window..

You can also read the application instructions on the educational institutions' own pages. 

You can receive student financial aid for completing a new vocational upper secondary qualification or a matriculation examination if your studies are full-time. So it doesn't matter if you already have a secondary level degree. After you have been admitted to an educational institution, apply to Kela for student financial aid.

Different upper limits have been set for higher education studies, and the number of months for which student financial aid can be granted. If you have not used all of these months for you first higher education degree, you can under some conditions use the remaining months for additional studies.

If you are completing several courses of study in higher education - Kela.fiOpens in a new window. 

1. Find a suitable workplace for the apprenticeship. 
2. Discuss with an expert at the TE Office or in your municipality whether you are eligible for a pay subsidy for the apprenticeship.
3. Contact the apprenticeship provider in your areaOpens in a new window..

You can ask about an apprenticeship place directly from interesting employers or from workplaces where you have already worked or been on a traineeship. 

An apprenticeship provider in your region can help you find an apprenticeship place.

Search for places online: 

• Open apprenticeship places notified to TE Offices - Työmarkkinatori.fiOpens in a new window.   
• Some of the open apprenticeship places in municipalities are advertised in the Kuntarekry.fi serviceOpens in a new window.
• Open apprenticeship places (in Finnish) - Duunitori.fi Opens in a new window. 
• Open apprenticeship places (in Finnish) - Oikotie.fiOpens in a new window. 

During the apprenticeship, on working days you will receive a salary in accordance with the collective agreement. On the days of your studies when you are studying at an educational institution or remotely, you will receive a daily allowance and other benefits belonging to students.

If you don't like the industry or the workplace, you can stop the apprenticeship training. First discuss the termination with the expert at the TE Office or in your municipality.

Please note that if you resign from an employment relationship related to an apprenticeship, you will lose your unemployment benefit for a fixed period.