We at TEK form a community of skilled professionals. We use our skills and knowledge every day to create opportunities for better work and a more sustainable world. Finland’s success and international competitiveness are based on high levels of skills and competence. That is why our message is that education policy is the most important tool for the Finnish innovation policy and sustainable economic growth.
Only about 41 per cent of young adults in Finland have completed tertiary education. This share has increased by only a couple points over the past 20 years. Our goal is that Finland would be among the top OECD countries in terms of the share of young people with a tertiary degree.
In order to achieve this goal, we need to increase higher education intake, create a smooth path for young people from secondary to tertiary education and increase degree completion rates. In addition to these measures, we need new international students. The focus is on high-quality education throughout the learning path, including in STEM subjects.
Prime Minister Orpo’s Government will increase RDI spending according to the parliamentary decision. Funding will grow by 280 million euros next year. In addition to this, we will need extra input from the business sector and big companies as well as new R&D activities in SMEs. The R&D tax deduction for companies provides another incentive for this.
Skills and knowledge are the key to maximising the returns on additional public and private R&D investments. According to research, the availability of talent is the top concern affecting the location of R&D activities in companies.
The article has been published as a column in TEK Magazine 5/2023.
