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[Introduction ]
[Educational leave schemes throughout Europe ]
Paid Educational leave
During the 1990s, adult education has emerged as an increasingly important component in Finnish national educational policy and planning. The 1980s was a period of rapid development in adult vocational education. As a result of the structural change in industry and the labour market, lifelong learning has become an important principle underpinning education policy. Moreover, on 22 May 1992 Finland ratified the ILO convention 140 which finally came into force 24th of February 1993. The right to a study leave is exercised on a voluntary basis by employees. A competent and multiskilled staff is one of the main competitive factors of a company and also a prerequisite for economic growth and improved employment. The best guarantee for a career that lasts throughout a person's working life is continued maintenance and renewal of the skills needed on the labour market. The expression 'study leave' means any period for which an employer has released a worker from the performance of the duties pertaining to the latter's employment to enable him/her to pursue a course of training or study. Under the law (Act 273/1979) it is possible for all citizens to take sabbatical study leave to participate in further education courses of one's choice, if they meet the requirements laid down by ordinance (Decree 864/1979). Municipal civil servants' right to a leave of absence is determined by paragraph 45 of the Act on Municipalities (365/1995). The right is more clearly instructed in the official regulations of each municipality. Collective Agreement for State Civil Servants and Employees under Contract (Virka- ja työehtosopimus valtion henkilöstön palvelussuhteen ehtojen tarkistamisesta 23.2.2000) The act (630/1998) issued on vocational education, effective as from the beginning of 1999, governs the organisation of curriculum-based initial vocational education for both young and adult students. The act (631/1998) governing vocational adult education provides for the vocational qualifications, further vocational qualifications and specialist vocational qualifications to be taken in competence-based examinations (näyttötutkinto), irrespective of the method of acquiring the vocational skills, as well as for the preparatory training leading to these qualifications. The new legislation also includes an Act (632/1998) governing liberal adult education, according to which institutions of liberal adult education are adult education centres, folk high schools, study centres, physical education centres and summer universities. Legislation covering other forms of leave which
could also be used for educational purposes In the Decree (51/1994), concerning the changing of the Employment Decree (130/93), section 7a, it is stipulated that a person who works full-time, if s/he wishes to, can shift to part-time work provided an unemployed person is employed in the other part of the divided job and that the full-timer has been a party to an employment relationship with the same employer for at least one year. Subject to certain restrictions, s/he can be granted part-time pay supplement. The Act changing the Act on Employment Contract (30/1985) stipulates that mothers are entitled to a maternity allowance. It is further said that entitlement to parenthood allowance begins immediately after payment of the maternity allowance ends. The mother and the father can take turns receiving the parenthood allowance. In addition, child home care allowance can be granted to families that have a child under the age of 3 who is not in municipal day care. If granted, the allowance is also paid for any other children under school age who are looked after in the same way. The child can be looked after by either of the parents or some other relative, or a private child care provider. Child home care allowance is paid to the parent (or other guardian) who is primarily responsible for looking after the child. The purpose of the Act on study leave (273/1979) is to improve the opportunities for training and study available to the working population. The Act governing liberal adult education (632/1998) determines that the purpose of this education is to support, based on the principle of lifelong learning, the development of individuals and the realisation of democracy and equality. The purpose of the Act on job-rotation leave (1663/1995) is to release a worker from the performance of his/her duties and at the same time to oblige the employer to hire an unemployed job seeker registered with an employment office, not necessarily for the same job which the worker has been released from but for another job in the employer's service. A person who has been granted job-rotation leave can use the period of leave the way s/he chooses, not only for studies but also for hobbies, rest, or taking care of his/her child/children, etc. There is a wide range of institution-based adult education in Finland. Adults can choose between programmes leading to certificates, open instruction of curricular subjects (e.g. open university) and training for competence-based qualifications. Continuing training geared to upgrade and update vocational or professional skills is an important part of adult education and training. The period of study leave shall not include any period for which the worker follows a course of training or study on instructions from the employer, or in respect of which provision has been made in a contract of employment or collective agreement for the training or study to be equated with work, or during which the worker takes part in a statutory course of training prescribed for his occupation, if he has not agreed to it in writing. Act on study leave does not stipulate in-service training organised by companies, which is mainly provided in accordance with the requirements of the job. In-service training has traditionally been short-term supplementary training either on the job or in some educational institution. However, over the last few years there has been, to some extent, a tendency towards certificate-oriented in-service training. Some large companies have trained their personnel, for example, from technicians to engineers, engineers to masters of technology and from masters of technology to doctors of technology. Conversely, in recent years a new form of certificate-orientation has also been introduced in in-service training, providing the personnel with the opportunity to take further or specialist vocational qualifications. The personnel can take study leave for this, although the system is more common in the private sector, and the practice varies between the companies and organisations in question. Adult education and training is available in over 1000 institutions. Some of them provide education and training only for mature students, but the majority cater for both young people and adults. Adult education is arranged by universities and polytechnics, public and private vocational institutions, adult education centres and summer universities, adult upper secondary schools, study centres, sports institutes, and music institutes. In addition, there are about 1000 private commercial training organisations, most of which are small, specialized businesses depending on the expertise of a few employees. All sectors both private and public. All workers Workers have to have been employed by their employer as his/her main form of employment for a minimum of three months to be entitled to be granted study leave for a total of not more than five days. If the employment relationship has lasted with the same employer for at least one year, the worker is entitled to be granted study leave for a total of not more than two years. In order to be entitled to the next sabbatical study leave, the worker has to wait for five years. People on temporary contracts are included in the scheme provided they fulfil the conditions laid down in the ordinance. The length of the employment relationship limits the worker's entitlement to be granted study leave. The employer has the right to defer the starting date. Where the granting of study leave during the period indicated in the relevant application would involve manifest inconvenience for the employer's business, the employer is entitled to postpone the date on which the study leave is to begin for not more than six months or, in the case of training that is repeated at longer intervals than six months, until not later than when the next appropriate opportunity for training is arranged. The employer shall also be entitled to postpone study leave where less than six months have elapsed since the worker took his last period of study leave and the proposed period of study leave is not intended to conclude a course of training or study that the worker began during his last period of study leave. Where the employer regularly employs at least five workers, study leave may not be postponed for the reasons indicated above on more than two consecutive occasions. The time a worker can be granted study leave varies depending on the duration of the employment relationship, see eligibility criteria. On parental leave, it is possible to study for 105 workdays (mothers who are entitled to maternity allowance), plus for 158 days, Sundays not included (either of the parent entitled to parenthood allowance) which makes a total of 263 workdays. Fathers living in Finland are entitled to a separate allowance paid for a period of six workdays (not including holidays that fall on a weekday). Fathers can also get allowance for 6-12 days during the time when the maternity allowance is being paid to the mother. The minimum length of childcare leave is one month and maximum up to the child's third birthday. The participants retain their status as employees in the company during their study leave. The same applies to those on job-rotation and childcare leave. A written application has to be made when applying for study leave for more than five working days at least 45 days before the studies begin. If study leave is requested for not more than five working days, the application has to be made either orally or in writing, if not otherwise agreed between the employer and the applicant, at least 15 days before the planned study module begins. An employer and an employee must agree on the job-rotation leave by signing a written job-rotation leave agreement. Regulation, control and monitoring procedures The State regulates the quantity of adult education mainly by means of financing. This is possible because institutions providing adult education finance their activities primarily through state subsidies. State subsidies are granted for both establishment and operating costs. Government assistance is available under two programmes: ordinary financial aid for students and support for adult education. Study grant for mature students is payable to persons aged 30-54, provided that at least five years have elapsed since last they were full-time students. The intervening period can include up to four months of full-time studies for which student financial aid was available. However, this point is not relevant if a person has not completed any vocational training. The right to study assistance pre-supposes that one has been working for at least a year. The aid will be guaranteed only for training lasting longer than eight weeks up to a maximum of two years. Financial assistance for adult education is granted for up to two years or alternatively four terms. For licentiate or doctoral studies, it is available for up to 12 months. In order to qualify for the study grant for mature students, the applicant must during the time for which one seeks assistance be on study leave or other unpaid leave from his/her regular job (providing that one has held it for at least one year). If the applicant has received unemployment allowance immediately before his/her studies began, he/she can obtain a study grant for mature students if the applicant became unemployed no more than 12 months before and had worked for at least one year (either employed or self-employed). The student's income before taxes during the months for which he/she seeks assistance may not exceed FIM 2,000. Study grant for mature students is not paid if the studies are part of an employment promotion programme, comparable to paid employment, or if livelihood is secured through a wage or salary, pension, or some other form of support, or if the student receives partial compensation from his/her regular job. If a person is granted job-rotation leave, s/he is entitled to job rotation compensation, which is 70% of the daily unemployment allowance to which the person would be entitled if unemployed. The compensation is paid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. In addition to government assistance for adult education, there is a separate vocational training grant awarded by the Education and Redundancy Payments Fund or the State Treasury Office. (The adult training assistance (study grant for mature students) and career training assistance (vocational training grant) are possibly to be replaced in 2001 by a new "Training insurance scheme". In this new version the amount of assistance is increased and arranged more and more according to the income level of the student. The period of assistance would be based on the length of time the applicant has been working so that each month worked would entitle the claimant to 0.8 days assistance. The new system would also include a right to living expenses.) Maternity, paternity and parenthood allowances are calculated on the basis of the recipient's latest earnings assessed by the tax authorities. However, if the recipient's earnings for the six months immediately preceding the payment of the allowance are significantly higher than the assessed earnings, the allowance can be based on them. Mothers who are employed outside the home during the parenthood allowance period get the minimum parenthood allowance. However, they can work on Sundays without reducing the amount of the allowance. Full-time studies are for these purposes equivalent to paid employment. If the parent is willing to study during the childcare leave, s/he may do so without losing the right to maternity or paternity allowance or suffering from the reduction of the amount of the earnings-related allowance to the minimum parenthood allowance. As an alternative to the municipal services, parents can choose to receive child home-care allowance provided that they have a child under age 3, in which case they can get financial help with the childcare costs of any other children under school age they may have, or private day-care allowance, if their child (who must be under school age) is looked after by a private childminder recognised by the municipality (either a private childcare centre, a family childcare provider or a carer whom the parents have hired). Child home-care allowance and private day-care allowance are not available at the same time. If the child is in municipal day-care, child home care allowance or private day-care allowance cannot be paid. The child home-care allowance consists of a basic allowance, which is paid separately for each of the eligible children. The allowance can be granted so that it immediately follows parenthood allowance. It is paid until the youngest child reaches the age of three, or transfers to municipal day-care, or the family chooses to receive private day-care allowance instead. There is also a supplement, which is only payable for one child. The child home-care allowance is taxable income. Family income is the decisive factor in determining both eligibility for the supplement and its amount. The supplement varies with the family's monthly income and family size. For these purposes, the family is considered to include the parent(s) and up to two children for whom the parents no longer receive parenthood allowance but who are not yet in school. The supplement is paid at its full rate if the family's monthly income is below a limit that varies with family size. Any exceeding income reduces the full amount of the supplement by a certain percentage. Some municipalities also grant a special municipal supplement. The child home-care allowance may have to be deducted from unemployment benefits such as earnings-related or basic unemployment allowance, labour market support, or training allowance, as well as from job-rotation compensation regardless of whether the benefits are paid to the same family member. Parents receiving student financial aid can get child home care allowance. However, it is regarded as an outside source of income for purposes of determining the recipient's eligibility for student financial aid. Overall funding level According to the legislation, the employer is not obliged to pay a salary while the employee is on a study leave. However the employer may, on a voluntary basis, pay the normal salary or half of it if this considered for the good of the company or organisation one works for. The amount of the study grant for mature students offered by the state is equal to 25 per cent of the regular earnings before taxes, ranging from the minimum of FIM 1,540 (EUR 259) up to FIM 2,800 (EUR 470) a month. If the student is receiving the mature student's grant, he/she may also qualify for the housing supplement and the state loan guarantee (FIM 1,800 (EUR 303) per month). In 1996, 850 state employees took leave of absence from their work. The ensuing labour expenses were FIM 10 million, other costs, such as study materials, course fees etc., FIM 1.6 million and the overall expenditure FIM 11.6 million, which was 0.05 % of the overall state labour costs (FIM 23 104,3 million). According to the Adult Education Survey 1995, about 43 per cent of labour force took part in work-related education. Especially big companies are the most active in staff training. About 20 per cent of those on job rotation leave are studying during the leave.
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Library
