2025

New vocational upper secondary programmes and changes to tuition rules increase flexibility and efficiency in VET

In parallel with the extension of the compulsory education age to 18, vocational upper secondary education is renewed by introducing new, more flexible and learner-centred curricula from the 2025/2026 school year. The aim is to increase the attractiveness of VET, support more diverse learner needs, and enable smoother transitions between general and vocational education and into the labour market.

The updated curricula allow for more individualised learning paths, offering students the flexibility to progress at their own pace and through methods that best suit their learning styles. The new approach places greater emphasis on students’ personal development and integrates practical skills with general education subjects. The reform seeks to reduce dropout rates and position vocational education as an equally valued alternative to general upper secondary education. The programmes have been developed in cooperation with vocational schools, employers, and education experts to ensure relevance and quality.

Alongside curriculum renewal, Estonia is also changing its funding model for vocational education. From 2025, adult learners will be required to pay tuition fees if they have previously completed the same or a higher-level education, or have interrupted VET studies on multiple occasions. Tuition fees will also apply to programmes delivered in Russian or English. Learners will regain the right to free VET five years after completing previous vocational studies or ten years after graduating from higher education. An exception applies to young people up to the age of 26 who enter the same-level vocational studies for a second time or have completed higher education − they will continue to study free of charge until 1 September 2030.

New vocational upper secondary programmes to be introduced in the 2025/2026 academic year

As part of the VET reform, 13 new vocational upper secondary programmes have been approved to be implemented from the 2025/2026 school year. These programmes aim to provide young people with competitive applied learning pathways that prepare them for both the labour market and further studies in higher education. The development of the programmes has been a collaborative effort involving vocational schools, employers, and educational experts to ensure alignment with labour market needs. ​

The new programmes offer a broader, field-based education with specialisation options, rather than focusing narrowly on specific professions. This approach allows students to acquire comprehensive knowledge and skills within a particular sector, enhancing their adaptability in a dynamic job market. The programmes also integrate general education subjects, enabling students to meet the requirements for national examinations and facilitating progression to higher education. Consequently, the duration of studies will extend to four years, accommodating the expanded curriculum.

The 13 new programmes encompass diverse fields, including:​

• Bio- and Chemical Industry Technology​

• Construction Technology 

• Beauty and Wellness Services 

• Information and Communication Technology​

• Sustainable Business Management 

• Tourism and Hospitality Services

• Logistics and Warehouse Management​

• Metal Machine Processing Technology​

• Communications and Network Technology​

• Textile Product Design and Technology​

• Food Technology​

• Industrial Digital Technology​

• Visual Media Technology​

2024

New vocational upper secondary curricula to be introduced in the 2025/2026 academic year

Within the framework of the extension of compulsory education, the focus and actions for the reform of vocational education and training have been set. To strengthen VET as a competitive and attractive learning option, enabling graduates both to successfully find a job in the labour market and, if they wish, to continue their studies in higher education, the following changes are planned:

• Increase flexibility and learning options in VET: updated programmes in EQF levels 2−5, recognition of prior learning and skills, smoother and better supported transitions from preparatory and to further studies, or between academic and applied upper secondary education;
• Introduce 4-year applied upper secondary programmes focusing on STEM;
• Increase the scope of general education in VET to strenghen the basic skills and/or improve access to further studies, and provide more elective studies to create opportunities to pursue individual interests;
• Establish legal bases for offering paid vocational education for adults besides free provision, aligning vocational training opportunities with employer needs and labor market forecasts;
• Establish connections between general upper secondary courses and credit points used in VET and higher education.

The amendments are planned to be enforced for students entering the 9th grade in the 2025/2026 academic year. The first new 4-year applied secondary education programmes will be open for admissions starting from the 2025/26 school year, and all programmes will be updated by the 2026/27 school year.

See more about the extension of compulsory education from 17 to 18 years under 14.2. National reforms in general school education.

2023

The extension of compulsory education age is accompanied by VET reform

With the extension of compulsory education to age 18, Estonia has initiated a reform of vocational education and training. There are plans to increase the proportion of general subjects in VET, extend vocational secondary education to four years, broaden the range of specialties, increase the variety of training options, and make the training more flexible and personalised. 

Prompted by changes in society, economy, and learners' expectations, the reform shifts the focus from acquiring specific operational skills to developing broader general skills like problem-solving and teamwork. The objective is to create new VET curricula emphasising lifelong skill development, including adaptability for retraining and new career opportunities. 

By the plans, in spring 2025 basic school graduates will be able to enrol in gymnasiums and vocational schools at the same time, with comprehensive vocational secondary education curricula offering an alternative to gymnasium education. The reform also aims to integrate vocational education more closely with other educational levels, partially extending vocational secondary education studies to four years to support higher education progression. At present, less than 10% of vocational students continue their studies in higher education. 

Curricula with smaller share of general subjects will also be retained to maintain the possibility of graduating with a vocational certificate only. 
Currently, more than 60% of vocational students are adults, and for them VET has become continuing training. There are plans to start asking fees for repeated studies. The reform will also entail restructuring the school network to bring the VET schools infrastructure in line with the declining enrolment. 

The age of compulsory schooling will be raised to 18 from 2025/2026, by which time vocational education and training should also be transformed.

Updates to the Vocational Education Act and national VET curricula prioritise flexibility and labor market coherence

Updates to the vocational education law have been initiated. The focus of the changes is on the right to education, increasing the role of employers as stakeholders in the educational system, opening up the educational system, and recognition of different ways of learning. The new law aims to regulate less and focus on more fundamental issues, to give participants in vocational education both more freedom and responsibility, to support the preservation of the strengths of the VET sector and address its weaknesses.

At the vocational secondary education level, national curricula are being changed to support more effective implementation of lifelong learning principles in the VET system, to increase the coherence of VET with labor market needs, to create prerequisites for developing competencies needed for the green transition, and to introduce micro-qualifications. The changes also support the design of a flexible and individualized educational pathway.

2022

A new indicator will be used to monitor the internationalisation of VET

Estonian VET learners and teachers have been benefiting from mobility grants provided by the Erasmus+ program since 2014. However, no methodology has been established so far to collect the mobility data. To monitor the internationalisation of VET and to support the planning and analysis of mobility policy and measures, it is necessary to ensure quality data on VET learners´ and teachers´ mobility.

In 2021, a national mobility indicator has been developed to monitor the internationalisation of vocational education and training: the share of VET graduates who have participated in short-time learning mobility (%). Students who have participated in learning mobility for at least 2 consecutive weeks during their studies are taken into account.

Learning mobility will be prioritised in the development plans of VET schools. Data collection and analytics on Erasmus+ and other mobility schemes have been improved. From January 2022, VET schools start submitting mobility data according to the new methodology.

The creation of the new indicator is in line with the Council Recommendation of 24 November 2020 on vocational education and training that encourages the creation of opportunities for learning mobility of vocational learners and staff and sets an EU-level objective for 8 % of learners in VET to benefit from learning mobility abroad.

In the Estonian Education Strategy 2021-35, the promotion of learning mobility in VET includes the following:

• develop additional measures to increase the mobility of teachers, vocational teachers, support specialists and university teaching staff, in particular within the European Union;
• create opportunities for short-term mobility of Estonian pupils/ students;
• ensure the recognition of periods of learning mobility at all levels of education by improving the international comprehensibility and transparency of certificates and diplomas;
• provide foreign language learning and education in foreign languages for both VET learners and teachers/trainers.

Merger of upper secondary schools for adults with VET schools improves learning conditions and resource efficiency

In the academic year 2021/22, there are 10 upper secondary schools for adults in Estonia, where 91% of students study at ISCED 3 level. One of the biggest developments in adult education in recent years has been the partial integration of adult upper secondary schools with vocational schools. To prepare for the integration, negotiations were launched with local governments in 2018. In the process launched in the 2019/20 academic year, five schools have been merged and negotiations are underway with several municipalities (managers of schools).

Merger improves the learning conditions of students, provides them with additional options, reduces redundant school space and improves the efficiency of resource use. A study is planned to assess the effects of the merger.

Although part-time upper general education is intended primarily for adult learners, it is also popular among young people due to the flexibility of studies. Half of the students in the upper secondary education for adults are up to 19 years old. Compared to the previous five years, in 2021/22 the share of young people in part-time general education has increased 2021/22.