Technical Upper Secondary Education
Three-year technical upper secondary education (higher technical examination - HTX) qualifies students for further/higher studies on a par with the science line of general upper secondary education, and prepares them for vocationally orientated higher technical studies in particular by including vocational subjects, technology and technical subjects.
Vocational subjects are taught during the first year, mainly through practical first year, mainly through practical training in the college workshops and laboratories.
Technology is taught as a theoritical subject and aims primarily at familiarising the students with the technology applied in industry. Teaching is interdisciplinary and to a large extent project-orientated.
Technical subjects are taught in the third year. Students choose one of the subject areas constructing/energy/design/production, service/communiction, processing/food or nature/agriculture.
The most common international educational activities at HTX are exchanges and special international projects or courses. Financial and practical support is available to students seeking extra qualifications through one-year placements in companies abroad after their final examinations.
The teachers are normally university graduates. Instruction in vocational and som technological subjects can be given by teachers. qualified for teaching technical subjects on VET programmes.
The two-year vocational diploma programmes at technical colleges are post secondary vocationally orientated programmes. They cater both for people with relevant vocational education and training and for upper secondary school-leavers. The programmes are:
· Production technologist
· Chartered eletrician
· IT and electronics technologist
· Processing technologist (food industry)
· Multimedia technologist
· Building and construction technologist
· Fashion design technologist
· Laboratory technologist
The programmes are full-time and theory-based. Colleges may include short periods of in-company training. Programmes are completed with a major final project, often in co-operation with a company and targeting an autentic problem.
The programmes qualify students for jobs in international contexts. International activities comprise co-operation with institutions and companies abroad - e-mailing, study, visits, project co-operation etc. Some colleges offer programmes conducted in English enabling students from other countries to attend.
Teachers on Technical Diploma Programmes are normally university graduates with professional experiences from the technical area in question. All have formal teacher training. |
