Finland

Overall ALE situation in Finland

Kansanvalistusseura sr. (KVS), the Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation, reported that there have been significant changes in ALE in Finland in 2024-2025.

One of the main novelties is the Digital Service Package for Continuous Learning, developed with the participation of FAEA and launched in autumn 2025. The platform brings together information and services that support lifelong learning in Finland. Its purpose is to make education more accessible for working-age adults and facilitating smoother career transitions by providing comprehensive information on learning opportunities, available funding, labor market skills demands, and tailored learning solutions, courses, and guidance for different life situations. It forms part of the Continuous Learning and Employment Service Centre (JOTPA) - a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, funded by the European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

Another key development is the introduction of national basic skills badges in 2024 within non-formal adult education. Designed for adults who need support with essential competences, these badges aim to facilitate access to employment and further education. According to the Finnish Agency for Education, “the KAPOS Basic Skills Badges are national digital credentials that recognize basic skills acquired through non-formal adult education. Their goal is to make basic skills more visible and provide learners with alternative ways to demonstrate their competencies.”

In total, 32 badges have been introduced, covering key areas such as literacy, numeracy, digital competences, and workplace skills - marking an important step toward more inclusive and flexible recognition of learning outcomes in Finland’s ALE system.

The skills dimension

For KVS, the Union of Skills places a strong emphasis on the working-age population, overlooking a more holistic perspective on skills development and ALE. This narrow focus risks limiting the growth of personal and social competences that extend beyond employability. In this regard, KVS believes that the New Agenda for Adult Learning, with its broader and more inclusive approach, should play a central role in shaping future education policies. The organization also highlights the need for greater horizontal cooperation to foster dialogue between formal and non-formal education sectors. Skills, KVS argues, should not be viewed solely as individual assets but as an important part of social interaction, shaping collaboration and participation in community life.

AI in Adult Learning

KVS integrates artificial intelligence into multiple dimensions of its work.

As society and the labor market continue to evolve rapidly due to technological change, KVS sees it as essential for adults to understand and use AI - not only as a support tool in their personal learning but also for use in their workplaces, where it can make everyday tasks more efficient. This is also the case for adult education institutions, aiding for example with producing educational and other materials. AI also plays a growing role in student guidance and counseling, helping tailor support to individual learning paths. Moreover, it has been incorporated into the new Digital Service Package for Continuous Learning, ensuring that digital innovation remains a core component of Finland’s adult education system. At the institutional level, KVS employs AI in policy work as well - for instance, when preparing a statement for the Finnish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee on funding for non-formal adult learning and education, AI tools were used to process and synthesize extensive policy texts.

How engaged is KVS in the decision-making process?

KVS is actively engaged in the national decision-making process on adult learning and education.

Representatives from civil society organizations, including KVS, participate in the National Commission for Sustainable Development - an influential forum that brings together key societal actors. The Commission works to integrate the strategic objectives of sustainable development into national policy, administration, and social practices.

KVS and the Finnish Adult Education Association (FAEA) have also contributed to several consultation processes and policy discussions. FAEA has issued multiple statements concerning financial cuts to the non-formal adult education sector, while both KVS and FAEA took part in consultations on the new finance management system organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Moreover, FAEA actively participated in the consultation on the new digital competence learning path organized by JOTPA (the Continuous Learning and Employment Service Centre) and attended stakeholder forum meetings, which provided a valuable opportunity to influence upcoming legislation.

In addition, both FAEA and KVS contributed to discussions within the Education and Culture Committee of the Finnish Parliament, particularly regarding the Year of Sivistys (Bildung) and the financial situation of the non-formal education sector.

Nevertheless, KVS considers that learners themselves are not generally active in policy making processes nor are their views and concerns taken directly into account even though they do have opportunities to express these opinions to policy-makers.

KVS’s take on the PIAAC results

KVS welcomes Finland’s strong performance in the latest PIAAC results, which confirm the country’s high level of adult competences. However, the organization emphasizes the importance of maintaining these achievements despite recent funding cuts in the non-formal adult education sector. KVS also points out that more than 300.000 Finns still have low basic skills, highlighting the need for continued investment and targeted work with this group through non-formal adult learning and education.

KVS’s top 3 funding sources

1. Project funding

2. Program funding (contracts of education authorities with learning providers to deliver certain learning program/courses to certain target groups)

3. Operating grants/structural funding (funding for the learning providers to maintain and develop their work, including funding for administration and management of learning activities)

KVS’s recommendation to the European Commission

There is currently a very narrow understanding of adult learning and education within European Union politics, and this perspective needs to be broadened. Moreover, the rise of far-right views has challenged migrant education in many countries; the European Union should actively support and emphasize the importance of migrant education through adult learning and education.

DISCLAIMER ON THE PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING DATA: the data focuses on formal and non-formal education and training, excluding guided on-the-job training. Participation is higher when on-the-job training is included. Data coming from sources such as OECD and the monitoring framework of the European Pillar of Social Rights may differ from the presented data.