Arla Institute provides following education starting from fall 2007: Business and administration. Vocational Qualification in Business Information Technology. Study programme in User Support, 120 credit weeks. The qualification aims to train the students to work in demanding tasks that require special knowledge about business and information technology. In addition the qualification provides basic knowledge about entrepreneurship in the field of information technology. The qualification opens up work opportunities in many fields for example in user support. After completing the Vocational Qualification in Information Technology students can work with information technology operations in enterprises and the public sector or act as an independent entrepreneur. They will be able to maintain information systems and solve problems occurring with application software. Students will also be capable of instructing and advising programme users as well as selling and marketing different IT-products and creating web pages. Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration. Study programme in Customer Service and Marketing, 120 credit weeks. This qualification trains professionals who are able to work with wide-ranging tasks that demand business knowledge like tasks in customer service, marketing and office jobs where data processing is required. The training also provides basic knowledge about entrepreneurship and skills needed in customer oriented and profitable trading and marketing of products and services. In the curriculum students will be familiarised with customer marketing, marketing communication, and marketing planning. The qualification provides the students with good IT skills and the students have the possibility to take computer driving license A in addition to their studies. Study Programme in Office Services, Customer Service and Transcribing Studies as a part of Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration, 20-40 credit weeks. Health and Social services. Vocational Qualifica tion in Social and Health Care. Study Programme in Rehabilitation; Practical Nurs e, 120 credit weeks The students specialize in skills for nursing and care. The training is strongly connected to working life. The aim is to create special knowledge and mastery in theoretical and practical skills and to develop the skills needed in working life e.g. cooperation, interaction, problem solving and assessment skills in addition to the extensive basic knowledge. The qualification includes 35 credit weeks of on-the-job learning and additionally part of the studies will be completed at work as intensive projects. Practical nurses are working in basic care, education and rehabilitation tasks and are employed e.g. by day-care centres, old peoples homes, service blocks, activity centres, rehabilitation homes, hospitals, health centres and home help services. Work is very humanitarian and cooperation with the client, family and cross functional teams is emphasised. Further Qualification of Masseurs/Masseuses, 40 credit weeks The training is primarily targeted to adults. After the training the student can master the skills and knowledge needed in massage as an occupation and is able to work independently. The training gives students the qualification of trained masseur/masseuse and they are registered by the National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs. Practical work starts during the studies. First students are giving customer massages at the Arla Institutes premises. Students also do company visits. An actual on-the-job-learning place is chosen individually for each student, the place can also be located at the students home region. In the curriculum students will be familiarised with following areas: basic knowledge and methods, massage as a treatment and independent entrepreneurship. Each area is evaluated with a competence test. After graduation masseurs are usually working as independent entrepreneurs. In finding the students future employment on-the-job learning places, jobs at students home region, expertise of the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired and employment services are used as a help. Student can also work as an independent entrepreneur at Arla Institutes business incubator for a year and get support e.g. in marketing. Vocational Qualification in Crafts and Design. Study Programme in Handicraft Design and Production, Artisan, 120 credit weeks The Certificated Artisan is familiar with the whole process of making a good-quality product and has the technical know-how of all the various stages of it. He or she has the qualifications for working in small and medium-sized enterprises or as a private entrepreneur. Connections to working life are created in cooperation with the Association of the Visually Impaired Artisans, Sokeva-Handicraft and Annansilmat shops. If a student decides to set up his/her own business it is possible to apply for an allowance from The Social Insurance Institution of Finland for the purchase of the necessary tools. Artisans can choose to major in either manufacture of furnishing items or manufacture of soft furnishings. Furnishing studies include textile weaving, braiding, basketry as well as wood and metal works. During the studies students can try also textile patterning, dyeing, stone grinding, tufting, leather works, ceramics, knitting and crocheting. During the studies customer oriented product design, professional manufacturing process, comprehensive knowledge of the materials and the principles of sustainable development are being emphasized. Basketry studies include preparation of small items and furniture. Students can also try wood and metal works, wiener works, light upholstery and brush making. The main emphasis of the studies is on the manufacturing process and entrepreneurship. The aim of the qualification is to provide students the needed skills for working in different manufacturing-, repairing- and service tasks and to prepare different kind of baskets, furniture and handicraft products from cane, willow and different types of wood, plastic etc. Study Programme in Traditional Upholstery, Upholsterer, 120 credit weeks Students can choose to complete either the national qualification in upholstery or the Arla Institutes own education program in upholstery. The aim of the education is to provide student the needed skills to repair and upholster old furniture as an independent entrepreneur or in small and medium-sized enterprises. The upholsterer repairs the frame of the furniture, finishes the wooden parts, does the basic upholstery and performs the different stages of finishing the product by e.g. selecting a cover material and other finishing details of the upholstery. Both traditional and modern materials are used. The training concentrates on traditional upholstery which emphasises restoring old furniture. Sense of shape, handiness, persistence and diligence are necessary traits for an upholsterer. Flexibility required in customer service job and an ability to work independently are also desirable qualities. Vocational Qualification in Music. Study Programme in Instrument Maintenance and Music Technology, Piano Tuner, 120 credit weeks, open to everyone The training aims to train the students to be professional piano tuners and to provide them the qualifications to work as private entrepreneurs or employed by e.g. music schools, small industry (piano manufacturer) and piano stores where they can perform customer service tasks and other in-house tasks. Additionally they can e.g. repair old pianos and do trading in their own field. During the training students will learn how to seek information independently and how to maintain and develop their skills. It is an advantage to know languages because most of the professional literature in this field is written in German or English and the job often requires cooperation with foreign experts. Piano tuners have to be able to also use the second official language i...

Vocational special education since 1892. The Arla Institute, vocational training and development centre, operates in Espoo, quite close to the centre of Helsinki. We offer vocational rehabilitation and training for visually impaired and deafblind people. In addition we offer various specialist services. We are the only specialist centre in Finland in this field. We are government owned. Over 100 years of history. The roots of our centre date back over a hundred years. In 1892 blind women got a home in Helsinki, where they also studied handicrafts and made goods for sale. At the turn of the century it was the blind men's turn. In 1906 a beatiful Art Nouveau house was completed, the work school for blind men, which was given the name Arla the moment before sunrise. After World War II the schools for the women and the men were combined. A provate foundation maintained the schools from the beginning to 1972, when the special vocational school for visually impaired people was transferred to the government. At that time the school moved to more spacious facilities in Espoo. Vocational training for visually impaired people has travelled a long way from handicrafts, gradually expanding to the present boundless suply of services offered by the Arla Institute. Who needs our services. The services of the Arla Institute are primarily needed by adults, who have encountered problems with their sight in adulthood. The majority of our 180 students are partially sighted and about 20% are blind. Several of our students have some form of additional impairment or long-term illness. One special group is deafblind people. We also have students with no impairments. Previous education and work experience are taken advantage of when drawing up a new rehabilitation and training plan. We make individual plans together with the client starting with his/her wishes. Setting individual goals. The main goal we set for all our students is employment. To fullfill this main goal others are set which will enable the clients to become as independent as is possible and so be able to take control of their own lives. This requires individually planned and executed rehabilitation, a development of functional skills as well as vocational studies. We strive to arrange any kind of vocational training required on an individual basis. The studies can, depending on the goals and starting point, last from a few weeks to 3-4 years. They can be realized either within the frames of the Arla Institute, or if necessary in cooperation with other educational establishments and employers, or for example completely at another educational establishment. Rehabilitation and foundation courses. Some of our students need to develop their functional skills and require rehabilitation before vocational training. Our foundation courses (0,5 - 1 years) are designed to develop the functional skills necessary for studying, work and social interaction, such as: activities of daily living social and communication skills the use of tecnical skills. The courses are also designed to develop physical and psychological health through various forms of functional rehabilitation, such as: various forms of physical education, such as ballgames, riding, absailing, swimming, bowling, jogging, etc. If necessary we offer additional deep individual therapy with the help of outside experts. Rehabilitation is continued if necessary during the vocational training. The student is also free to use the services of the health care unit, the study councellors and the student hall. The Arla Institute strives to arrange any kind of vocational training starting with the customer's needs. The Institute's own courses are based on a framework within which it is possible to realize very individual study programmes. We offer following education. Vocational Qualification in Business Information Technology: · Study programme in User Support Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration: · Study programme in Customer Service and Marketing · Study Programme in Office Services, Customer Service and Transcribing Studies as a part of Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration Vocational Qualification in Social and Health Care: · Study Programme in Rehabilitation; Practical Nurse · Further Qualification of Masseurs/Masseuses Vocational Qualification in Crafts and Design: · Study Programme in Handicraft Design and Production, Artisan · Study Programme in Traditional Upholstery, Upholsterer Vocational Qualification in Music · Study Programme in Instrument Maintenance and Music Technology, Piano Tuner, open to everyone · Study Programme in Music Performance, Ensemble Musician Vocational qualification in cleaning services · Study Programme in Cleaning Services, site facilities operative · School of home economics for young people, 20 credit weeks Vocational competence-based qualifications in two years through multiform learning · Vocational Qualification in Business Information Technology · Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration · Vocational Qualification in Social and Health Care, Practical Nurse, rehabilitation or welfare of the aged · Vocational Qualification in Crafts and Design; Artisan, Upholsterer Preparatory training: · Preparatory training for studying and it-skills, 40 credit weeks · Preparatory training for work and independent living for severely disabled in Espoo or Jyvskyl, 20-120 credit weeks Training for deafblind people. Annually there are about fifteen deafblind students at the Arla Institute. The students form a very heterogenous group. They have different kinds of impairments and their ability to communicate varies. Their age also varies considerably (average age 26-27). Most of them have a progressive desease called Usher Syndrome. Deafness or partial deafness and a gradually reduced eyesight are characteristic of this syndrome. Most of the students can see and/or hear to a certain extent and they communicate in various ways. Some of the deafblind students take vocational courses together with students who are visually impaired, others study in their own small groups or they may have individual instruction. The Arla Institute also arranges vocational training in homes for deafblind people all over Finland. The goal is to create a tempo and a culture for the 8-10 inhabitants in the home where work is the defining factor. These special projects last 2-3 years. The education is funded by the government and to a lesser degree by the student's local authority. The grant is based on the number of students. Apart from free training the student can receive a rehabilitation grant or a student grant through other channels. Further training courses. The Arla Institute offers a possibility to develop ones professional skills with about 40 short courses p.a. and a few post-graduate courses that last 4-5 months. The short courses as well as the post-graduate courses are realized according to an annual plan. The funding comes from the government. Word processing, spreadsheet, and other short courses in the various fields of computing are very popular. One can also obtain a computing driving licence comprised of seven parts, which will meet the national standards. Another large group is made up of courses in health care. The remaining short courses are spread out over various fields. Post-graduate courses have included sports massage, health care for the elderly, newspaper and radio work and a catering course for deafblind people. Specialist services, other services. One of the primary functions of the institute is to offer specialist services to other educational establishments and to visually impaired students studying at general vocational colleges. One form of specialist services within the institute is the unit for study materials. This unit translates the study material to a form suitable for each student. The forms include braille, audio tape, enlarged print, reliefs, electronic form which can be read...

 Heating
 Ironing facilities
 Kitchen
 Laundry services/washing machine
 Mixed dorms
 Smoke-free guest rooms
 Parking lot
 Private park, garden, courtyard
 Quiet surroundings
 Fridge
 Tea and coffee making facilities