Institute of Adult Education in Helsinki has a long and honourable history. It was founded in 1961 by an umbrella labour organization TVK (confederation of salaried employees). We have operated out of the building where we now are in Töölönkatu (known as the TVK building) since 1967. The institute is one of the entities behind the construction of the building. From 1962 to 1965 the name of the institute was Virkailijain kansalaisopisto. At that time the staff of the institute were asked if the institute were open to other persons than civil servants. Nowadays the institute is collectively owned by an association called Toimihenkilöjärjestöjen Opintoliito ry, a cultural organ formed by a group of white-collar unions affiliated with STTK (Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees). Staff of the institute are now asked if persons not resident in Helsinki can study here. The answer to both questions is yes. The institute is and was open to all and sundry.
Institute of Adult Education in Helsinki is either the largest or at least one of the largest privately-owned institutes of its kind in Finland. Its relative size depends on which point of comparison you use. Since 2004 the institute has consistently provided over 30 000 hours of instruction per year. In 2008 our turnover was 2.6 million Euro, derived from 915 study groups and 9115 students. Over 200 persons are employed by the institute.
The institute receives financial assistance from the State and the Board of Education, and we operate under the supervision of the provincial government of Southern Finland. In 2008 €770 000 was received in financial assistance from the State of Finland. The other key sources of income were €934 000 in income from the sale of customised services and €664 000 in student fees. The City of Helsinki also provides us with financial assistance in the amount of €11 000 in 2008.
Institute of Adult Education in Helsinki is a member of KOL (Finnish Association of Adult Education Centres) and the Employers Association of Privately Owned Educational Institutions. We have a ten-member board, the chairperson of which is Kirsti Viljakainen, Master of Laws, Master of Political Science, who is one of the organizational directors of Tehy ry, the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals. The principal of Helsingin aikuisopisto is Urpo Kallio, Master of Political Science and senior advisor for education (honorary title).
Nowadays the institute has a dense network of international contacts. We have cooperated with European educational and cultural bodies since the 1990s. Since 2001 we have participated either directly or indirectly (via CIMO, the Finnish Centre for International mobility) in many projects funded by the European Commission. In recent years we have successfully provided training for immigrants within the framework of the government’s employment policy, as well as through ample provision of Finnish for Foreigners courses. For these reasons the institute has every right to call itself Finland’s most international adult education centre.
In 2007 the institute was awarded the quality prize for adult education centres by the Board of Education.