International Adult Learners Week
in Europe

Network of Learning festivals

Juha Piirainen, Adult Learner's Award Winner in 2003 in Finland

I was satisfied to get a job as a trainee here. I considered myself lucky when the training period was over and I was offered a permanent job. I had no dreams of doing anything else. We have a good atmosphere in the machine workshop. Of course in the beginning the old workers made us young do most of the dirty and heavy jobs. I think it is the same everywhere at least in metal industry workshops, where only men used to work. Still, I have always been content with my place of work.

Beginning of studies were an experiment
Some years ago the representatives from the North Carelian Vocational Adult Education Centre came to the factory and spoke about the new system of competence based examinations. The possibility of doing exams using the experience from your work and studying in the evenings and some weekends seemed quite tempting. At the same time our employer took a positive attitude to studies by allowing some days a month to be used at school. I was not quite confident that I really would learn but I thought: if it does not succeed, I can always jump off. We were some who started and finally I was the first one to make the examinations. I got the machinist degree. It was a surprise even for me. And after the first examination I was hooked.

Studying became a way of life
After the machinist degree the Vocational Adult Education Centre offered studies to special professional master degree. Both the employer and my family were positive. I decided to continue. At the same time the Adult Education Centre offered me an opportunity to be within the group which was developing the examination system for adults having a long working experience. It is a very interesting job. I got my special Master’s degree in two years. It was the year I was appointed to the Adult Learner in Finland, 2003.

The Adult Learner’s Award gave publicity to adults’ possibilities to study
It was a big surprise that I got the national award. I knew that I was appointed to North Carelian Adult Learner and I was prepared for it. But the huge publicity with television and interviews was confusing. I was asked many questions which I had not clearly thought through. Why degrees, why to study. Is it a better job I have in mind, or is it money. I had to say “no” to both. The work changed only a bit and the salary stayed almost the same. My reason was in the beginning to test my ability to learn. Soon started the desire to develop and update my professional skills. Now I also want to develop myself, have new perspectives on life. To know more and to understand more seems to be a challenge without an end.

Others have followed
When I started studying my fellow workers smiled at me. After a couple of years many of them started their own studies. Many had bad memories from their time at school, but by following my progress they have noticed that many things have changed since they left school. It might be worth trying, they think. In 2004, 30 new students took competence-based examinations here at our workshop, most of them without any basic vocational education. The teachers come here to the factory to teach. It is easy to see the benefits in your everyday work. Our employer has also organised English and computer courses. That is often the first step that changes attitudes towards studying. Our factory is a rather good place for adults wanting to study, but in many other working places it’s not so easy; especially in small or medium size enterprises it is often impossible to be away from work. The pace of work is hard and if one is missing, others have to do his job. Some kind of system should be developed to guarantee the adults possibilities for vocational studying while working. I am confident that studying gives motivation to work and gives strengths to continue working till pension age.

Raili Kilponen: From farmer hostess to computer expert - Adult Learner's Award Winner in 2000 in Finland

The Kilponen family lives in the countryside far from big villages and towns just next to the Russian border. Their home is 630 km north east from the capital of Finland, Helsinki. The distance to the nearest town, county centre of region Kainuu, is more than 100 km. Once a lively habitation, it has today lost most of its inhabitants to big towns further south. Today it is a settlement with a couple of houses.

Both Raili Kilponen and her husband were born here in neighbouring villages. Their parents were farmers. Both had gone to comprehensive school in their own village. Raili Kilponen left school at the age of 16 and took a course in home industry. Soon they got married and left for work on the Russian side of the border on a big construction site of new forest industry city Kostamus.

In 1985 they started as farmers on Raili Kilponen's father-in-law’s farm. A new cow stable was built and more cattle bought. Faith in the future and faith of entrepreneurship were strong.

After having worked for two years with the cattle the first symptoms of allergy appeared. Raili Kilponen explains:

I did not take them very seriously. At that time the children were born. I spent less time in the cow stable and the allergy symptoms eased. After maternity leave the work in the cow stable continued. The symptoms appeared again, now even stronger. Soon it became impossible either to work with animals or in a dusty environment. I had to go on sick leave without a future in farm work.

I had never done anything else but manual work. How would I manage to learn something else?

The possibilities were few. In the local newspaper I found an advertisement for an evening computer course which would start in a village only 50 km from home. I decided to apply and succeeded in getting in. Our first computer was bought a couple of days before the course started; the only thing I could do was to push the on-off button.

The beginning was hard. I lost my faith many times. The only thing that made me continue was my teacher who always had a supporting and encouraging word to say, when she saw my disbelief. Step-by step I started to be more and more eager to learn. After I passed the first exams for the “computer driving licence” I was full of Confidence for the future. But at the same time I noticed how much more I had to study. The enthusiasm to learn really caught fire. Also my husband started to plan a change of life. The work alone on the farm turned out to be too hard. He applied and got a student place in the vocational school in the county centre of Kajaani. A condition was that he would take special courses in Swedish and English, which he had studied very little at school. The change of family life was total.

A new job as computer tutor
As I had passed the computer exams in 2000, in the region of Kainuu I started a new project named Learning Communities. The aim of the project was to provide all villages with “a data station” - a place in the village where inhabitants can learn computer skills and use computers. The stations could be in post offices, libraries, schools or shops. My job was to teach and help people to learn the computer skills. The project lasted two years till the end of 2003.

The more skills the more possibilities
When the project ended I started to study again. Kainuu is a region in Finland with a huge potential for nature tourism and with interesting history. The course in tourism lasted half a year. To work with tourists is like an insurance for me; when you live far away from everything you have to learn many ways to earn your living. I realized that, if I just stayed at home, nobody would offer me ‘ready baked cake on a plate’. You have to have versatile networks and contacts and you have to make them yourself. Studying is a good way for it.

In October 2004 I started a new job as interviewer and sub-editor of a regional history. It is a job where I can use all my new skills from computer use to local knowledge.

The dream of life is a new profession and to study abroad I must say that studying has changed me as a person; I have got self-confidence and courage. I am not afraid of asking “stupid questions.” I know that every person can learn if she or he feels that it is useful. When I first started to study people used to smile a little pitifully. After I got the Adult Learners’ Award in 2000 my interviews and pictures were in local and national media. Most people encouraged and congratulated me but some were envious.

I have a dream that one day our family had the possibility to study abroad. I have noticed how useful languages are. To study more English in an English speaking country would be interesting.

When my husband has finished his studies in a couple of years, it is time to plan our future again. Who knows what we are going to do?

Personally, I'm interested in radio journalism. It is not out of the question, that I learn a new profession in the future. The fact is studying has become a way of life in our family.