PROGRAM
Tentative program – Please note that minor changes are possible!
January 19
Welcome to Oulu – let’s mingle!
Arrival to Oulu
15:00-17:00 Introduction session
o Let’s mingle
o Welcome to Oulu
(Self-study: Online materials: Finnish Education system 1-4h)
January 20, 9-15
Introduction
o Finnish education as an example
o Dive into entrepreneurship education
o Lunch
o EE in Oulu
January 21, 9-15
Entrepreneurship education in practice
o Tools for EE
o Lunch
o EE in Oulu – visit to comprehensive school
January 22, 9-15
Entrepreneurship education in practice
o Tools for EE
o Lunch
o EE in Oulu – visit to upper secondary school
January 23, 9-15
Entrepreneurship education in practice
o EE in Oulu – visit to extended learning environment
o Wrap up & summary
o Best practices
o Design your own
o Final reflections
o Feedback & course certificates
Travel from Oulu to Helsinki (train, bus, flight)
January 24, 10-16
Visit to Finland’s leading event for the education and training sector – Educa Fair 2025 in Helsinki
January 25, 10-16
Visit to Finland’s leading event for the education and training sector – Educa Fair 2025 in Helsinki
REGISTRATION AND PRICE
How can I participate?
All registrations must be done using the online registration form. If a course, which is not confirmed: We can confirm this course once we have received 10 binding registrations.
Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more participants! Contact courses@euneos.fi for more information.
(If not confirmed: The course will be confirmed later. For the moment, we take binding registrations.) If you want to send a group but don’t know yet all participants’ names, it is possible to add them to the registration form like this:
participant 1, participant 2, etc.
If you have problems or questions about completing the online form, please contact courses@euneos.fi.
REGISTER (Registration takes place on our sister company, Euneos’ website)
Prices
(Read more about grants and other options for financial support.)
If you have Erasmus+ KA1 funding, it should cover the fees. For those who come from outside the EU countries, there are other professional development grants for teachers. We have tried to keep the costs so low that self-funded participation is also a real option.
The price excludes Finnish VAT 25,5%. For VAT exemption, you need to register as a representative/employee of a company, school or other organization, and during the registration, provide a VAT-number or Erasmus-related OID (Organization ID) number. If you don’t have those, please send a tax certificate, trade register extract, or similar from your country to courses@euneos.eu
Course fee 660€
Price includes
Obligatory meal package for an additional 110€
- Four lunches and afternoon coffee/tea
- One joint dinner
Other expenses
Airline tickets, accommodation, and local travel tickets must be bought separately. The bus to school visits is included in the program price.
Payments
We will send an invoice to make a bank transfer for all the registered participants when we confirm the course. The reference number of the bill(s) should be mentioned when paying. If you don’t mention the reference number you might get a reminder for the bill as the payment will not be recognised. The participant should assume all the bank transfer fees. If you need to make the payment using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard), please contact courses@euneos.fi and we will send you a link for the payment.
Please note that all payments must be made in advance and in euros (€).
Cancellation policy
Binding registrations
We can confirm this course once we have received 10 registrations. Note that registration before the confirmation is binding; as there is a minimum and maximum number of participants, every registration counts.
Cancellation by participant
All cancellations must be made by email to courses@euneos.fi at least a month before the course starts. You will be charged the full fee if you do not cancel your participation. Please note that a processing fee of 160€ (excl. VAT) will be deducted from all refunds. If unable to attend, the registered person may substitute someone else from the same organization by sending a notification to courses@euneos.fi.
Cancellation by VisitEDUfinn
If the documents attached during the registration process are not valid, and the participant does not deliver proper documents immediately after requested, VisitEDUfinn has the right to cancel the participation without any refund. However, participation is always possible, paying the VAT (or other price difference).
If the event is canceled due to COVID-19 or a similar situation, all the payments will be refunded without any processing fee. VisitEDUfinn is not responsible for any damage caused by the cancellation and strongly recommends purchasing flexible flight tickets and accommodation.
Invitation letters
VisitEDUfinn will write invitation letters only after the full payment. If the participant cannot get a visa and sends evidence about the rejected visa application, VisitEDUfinn will refund the paid amount. However, 100€ (excl. VAT) will be deducted as an administrative fee.
Frequently Asked Questions about Registration and Fees
TRAINER
VILLE SAVILUOTO
Ville Saviluoto works as an Aadvisory Teacher for working life skills and entrepreneurship education. His study background is M.A. Education with technology oriented teacher education and minors in special education and technology education. Mr. Saviluoto’s expertise lies in multidisclipinary modules promoting working life and entrepreneurial competence. He has been educating hundreds of teachers since 2019 and has over 4 years of experience at JA Finland as Specialist, Coordinator and Instructor.
PIETU NIINIMAKI
Pietu Niinimäki works as Project Coordinator for entrepreneurship education project. His study background is M.Sc. Geography, and he is specialised in regional development and economic geography. He also has a specialist vocational qualification as a Business Advisor and he’s a Scrum Master. Mr. Niinimäki’s expertise lies in organising both online and onsite business programs and in providing individual business advice in various different topics ranging from business idea creation and prototyping to the deep end of financial calculations. He also has experience in organising different kind of pop-up events where participants can validate their business idea and gather feedback from real customers.
MAIKKI MANNINEN
Ms. Maikki Manninen (Advisory Teacher for ICT Education) is both a class teacher and early education and care teacher. Her expertise lies eg. in ICT and STEAM education at the primary and secondary levels.
Her working tasks include training and consultation on ICT especially according to the Finnish core curricula and the local strategies for both ICT and STEAM education.
Ms. Manninen is also experienced in development projects funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education eg. on innovative learning environments.
PAULA RATAVA
Paula Ratava works as an Advisory Teacher for Sustainable Future in the City of Oulu. Her expertise lies in education for sustainability in general and especially in climate and environmental issues. As a background, she has graduated as an environmental educator and expert and also as a teacher of Biology, Geography, and Languages. Ms. Ratava is really keen on hope and solutions-oriented education for sustainability, so her mostly used keywords are probably “realistic hope”, “constructive dialogue” and “the community level of action”. Her working days consist of planning materials, training and events for teachers and students, advising schools in sustainability issues and managing development projects on education for sustainability funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education.
KATI ILKKA
Kati Ilkka (M.Ed.) works as a Project manager for an international entrepreneurship education project. Mrs. Ilkka´s expertise lies in career counselling and educating students of different ages towards the working life. She has worked as a teacher, trainer, coach, and counsellor in the educational sector for over 15 years both in Finland and Austria.
Her study background lies with international and intercultural teacher education. She is a qualified class teacher in comprehensive education (grades 1.-6.) as well as subject teacher for German language (grades 7.-9.). Mrs. Ilkka has also a qualification in teaching elementary level in Austria. She is a certified guidance counsellor from primary school to higher education
levels.
ERASMUS+
VisitEDUfinn (OID CODE: E10020922 / PIC CODE: 899855324) and Euneos Corporation (OID CODE:E10124150 / PIC CODE 950782555) organise ERASMUS+ Staff Mobility job shadowing and professional courses designed for teachers at all levels. Our programs are organized in different parts of Finland in cooperation with other stakeholders in the field of education (schools, universities, municipalities).
All the courses are designed following the Quality Standards for courses under Key Action 1 and participants are provided with certificates that meet the Europass criteria.
Course title: Spark up – Prepare for the future by promoting working life skills and entrepreneurship education
Audience (for instance)
- Kindergarten, primary, and secondary school teachers
- Special education teachers
- School management and leadership
- All other non-teaching experts
Working Methods (for instance)
- Exploration of pre-assumptions
- Workshops
- Facilitated discussions / shared brainstorming
- Teamwork and Presentations
- Field visits
- Personal learning diary
Outcomes (for instance)
- Gain insight into Finnish schools and education
- Facilitate team-building activities
- Implement teaching sessions by utilizing participatory methods
- Create a concrete development plan for your own school
European/ International dimension
We wait participants from many European countries as well as from outside Europe. Sharing ideas together with colleagues from different countries offers a broader perspective on the topic. The course is also a great opportunity for networking for future collaboration.
ACCOMODATION
The main venue of the course is located in the center of Oulu. There will be transportation to Early Childhood Education Centres and other visiting places that are not within walking distance.
Hotels:
Green Star Hotel
Scandic Station Oulu
Scandic Oulu City
Best Western Hotel Apollo
Hotel Arina
Radisson Blu Oulu
Lapland Hotels Oulu
De Gamlas Hem
Turusen Saha Guest House
Nordic Art Hotel Lasaretti (about 1 km from the city centre, close to some program venues)
Oulu Hostel AlliMaria (about 2 km from the city centre, public bus connection available)
Hostel Huvila (about 3 km from the city centre, public bus connection available)
Nallikari Cottages, Villas & Apartments (about 4 km from the city centre, public bus connection available)
The City of Oulu is the capital of northern Finland.
”Oulun koulu – Oulu’s school”. The City of Oulu is famous for its school even in an old Finnish nursery rhyme! In the academic year 2024-2025 Oulu will commemorate its 150 years of excellence in schooling. At the same time the Finnish Comprehensive School celebrates 50 years of equal and high-quality education. You are welcome to visit us and explore the Finnish excellence in teaching and learning!”
Oulu is located by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of Oulu River, about 600 km north of the capital city Helsinki. The name Oulu comes from a word in the Sami language meaning floodwater. The city of Oulu combines Northern hospitality, nature and culture with modern technology. Oulu has over 200 000 inhabitants, and its investment in education, research and innovation makes it the fastest growing region in Finland. Oulu has been designated the European Capital of Culture in 2026.
How to get there
Despite its northern location, Oulu is well connected to the rest of the world. Oulu airport is the third busiest in Finland, and there are several connective flights every day from Helsinki.
Finnair
Lufthansa (Direct flights from Munich to Oulu)
By Train
Oulu is easily reachable by train as well with several daily connections from Helsinki. It is an economical and sustainable option. There are two overnighters available every day, and the trains during the daylight offer a good opportunity to see more of Finland. Oulu railway station is located in the city center, walking distance from most hotels. Visit VR for more information.
How to get from the airport to city center
City busses, routes 8 and 9, run daily from early morning to late night via Oulu city centre to Oulu Airport. Travel time from city centre to airport is approximately 25-30 minutes on both routes.
Name of the Oulu Airport bus stop is Lentoasema (ID-number 2646). The bus stop is located right in front of the airport terminal.
In Oulu city centre name of the bus stop is Kaupungintalo E (ID-number 2087) when travelling to airport and Kaupungintalo P (ID-number 2101) when arriving at city centre.
Adult ticket is 5,80€
Read more about public transport in Oulu.
TAXI
Normal Taxi: The price from the airport to the city center is approx. 40€
Finnish taxis are reliable and accept credit cards. The following taxi companies operate in Oulu:
OTAXI
MENEVÄ
Car rentals
All major car rentals have an office in Oulu for those interested in traveling around the surrounding areas by themselves.
Weather in Oulu
In March, the average maximum daytime temperature lies around -1.0°C . So it is still cold, but the brightness of the days invites you to enjoy the spring. In addition to new technologies, outdoor activities play an important role in the everyday life of Finnish school children and in the lifestyle of Finns in general (just to bear in mind when choosing your clothing). Please visit the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website for updated news on weather in Rovaniemi.
Language
The official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish, but practically everyone knows basic English; especially the people involved in tourism speak excellent English. Course language is English.
Currency
The Finnish currency unit is the Euro. There are numerous cash machines (ATMs) open around the clock and accepting all major credit cards. Besides, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted almost everywhere (hotels, restaurants, shops, taxis, cafeterias, bars, etc.).
Voltage
The electric current in Finland is 230V, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin continental size.
Time
The time in Finland is UTC/GMT+2
EDUCATION IN FINLAND
How is education in Finland?
During our events and courses, you will get familiar with all the characteristics of Finnish education:
- One of the basic principles is that everyone must have equal access to high-quality education and training.
- Each student has the right to educational support.
- Special needs education is generally provided within mainstream education.
- The Finnish education system is based on the philosophy of inclusion.
- Educational support and guidance covers support for learning according to the individual capacity of the learners, school attendance, pupil welfare, and guidance and counseling. The learning of gifted pupils and students is supported.
- The education system is based on trust and responsibility.
- Educational autonomy is high at all levels.
- Most education is publicly funded.
- National core curriculum gives space for local variations.
- Learning outside the classroom is common.
- The first national examination is at the end of general upper secondary education.
- Teaching continues to be an attractive profession.
- Finnish schools have highly educated teaching personnel.
- Continuing teacher education is widely encouraged.
Read more about Finnish Education.
