Employee: could adult education allowance help you adopt new skills?

Adult education allowance is a great way to strengthen your professional skills or embark on a new career path. It offers solutions to many situations in your professional and personal life.

Adult education allowance is your financial safety net when you want to take study leave during your career. It offers a solution when you need to acquire new knowledge and skills but find it difficult to make time for studying while working.

Options for various sectors and situations

Adult education allowance is suited to different types of studies, from full degrees to partial degrees and short vocational trainings. You can combine work and studies in a way that suits you best: some pursue full-time studies, while others choose part-time study leave.

The preconditions for receiving adult education allowance include eight years of work history in any field and an employment relationship of at least one year with your current employer. Study leave does not cause any additional costs to the employer.

See page How to apply for more detailed information about who and what studies are eligible for the allowance.

Learn new skills without compromising your well-being

Nowadays people rarely stay in the same job forever. And even if you stay with the same employer, your job titles and work methods are likely to change many times.

Studying to adopt new knowledge and skills does not necessarily have to lead to an even busier schedule. Adult education allowance is earnings-related, and many of our customers have felt that it can provide significant financial relief during studies. Thanks to the allowance, many people have been able to study, even full-time, without compromising their well-being.

“One of the goals of adult education allowance is to support well-being. You can get the most out of your studies when you adapt them to fit your everyday life,”  Johanna Rahunen, Service Manager of the Employment Fund, says. 

Finding the best solution through planning and discussion

Adult education allowance is granted directly to the employee. The studies are based on the employee’s career plans. Study leave does, however, affect the employer as well.

That is why you should talk to your supervisor about your plans and goals in advance. What type of education or training would bring the best benefits for both you and your employer? Which would be the smartest option: studying full-time or studying more slowly while working? What arrangements should be made at the workplace for the duration of your study leave?

Sometimes studying can lead you to change your profession if you find your calling or if health or family reasons make you consider new options. This is also something that should be openly discussed – your well-being as an employee is in everyone’s interests.