Competitions
Welcome to compete!
As a student of Turku Vocational Institute (TAI), you have the opportunity to develop your professional skills through competitions. Competitions offer unique opportunities for developing and showing your skills to others.
Competitions help you network with the business world and other students in your field. Taking part and succeeding in competitions can also enhance your CV. When you put your competence to the test, you will gain a wholly new appreciation of your skills.
You will be provided with on-site coaching arranged by a coach and coaching team, and you will also have the support of TAI’s own team. We also offer joint coaching camps, team uniforms, travel and accommodation, and the encouragement and support of our team leaders.
As part of its overall strategy, TAI participates actively in competitions. TAI’s aim is to invest in the development of each student’s expertise while also increasing the quality of its vocational education and training, guaranteeing top-level talent for working life, and enabling the development of its personnel. TAI students are encouraged to participate in professional competitions at both the national and international level.
Further information: Niina Hannuksela, Competition Coordinator, tel: +358 40 160 7986, niina.hannuksela@edu.turku.fi
Explore different competitions
Taitaja is the largest annual championship in vocational education and training in Finland, with around 45 different participating professional fields. The competition is open to vocational education and training students aged 21 or younger. Some events have no age limit.
The competition includes TaitajaPLUS events for students who need special support, as well as events for international competitors and students from upper secondary schools and universities of applied sciences.
The finalists are determined through a semi-final round in January, with thousands of participating students from all over Finland. The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the finals in May, where around 400 students will compete for the Finnish championship in their respective fields.
Each year, hundreds of companies participate in e.g. the championship’s planning and judging. The Taitaja championship has helped forge strong bonds between businesses and educational institutions, and TAI has played a key role in these efforts. The national Taitaja championship was previously organised in Turku in 2005 and 2015.
The next Taitaja championship will be held in Turku, 5–8 May 2025.
The EuroSkills Competition is held every two years. Featuring over 50 skills-based competitive events, its participants are selected through a vocational education and training-oriented coaching process. The competition is open to vocational students and graduates between the ages of 18 and 25. The competition emphasises team-based skills categories and new professions. The competitors are selected through an open qualifying process.
In the EuroSkills Competitions, TAI serves as a background organisation and a coaching unit, and each coaching team is formed from a nationwide selection of people representing each field. Skills Finland appoints the national team and coordinates national team training. Finland participates in the EuroSkills competitions to develop Finnish excellence and to improve European cooperation in vocational education and training.
The next EuroSkills Competition will be held in Herning, Denmark, 9–13 September 2025.
The WorldSkills Competition is held every two years, alternating with the EuroSkills Competition. The competition serves as the world championships in approximately 50 skills in vocational education and training. In most of the skills categories, the competitors must be aged under 23 during the competition year.
The Finnish competitors are selected through a competitive coaching process, the participants of which are chosen from Taitaja events and by educational institutions and businesses. The final selection for the national team takes place through a series of qualifiers. Several young TAI students and graduates have participated in the WorldSkills Competition.
In the WorldSkills Competitions, TAI serves as a background organisation and a coaching unit, and each coaching team is formed from a nationwide selection of people representing each field. Skills Finland appoints the national team and coordinates national team training.
The goal of Finland’s participation in the WorldSkills Competition is to develop Finnish excellence and provide new international opportunities for Finland’s vocational education and training.
The next WorldSkills Competition will be held in Shanghai, China, 22–27 September 2026.
Taitaja9 is a playful, active, and fun manual skills competition for Finnish 9th graders, where the focus is on everyday manual tasks and skills.
The purpose of the competition is to rouse the interest of comprehensive school pupils in vocational fields by engaging them in the manual skills required by different occupations. The competition aims to raise awareness of fields that require great manual skills, such as technology and textile and domestic work. It also aims to increase the attractiveness of vocational education and training and to enhance local cooperation between comprehensive schools, vocational institutions, and businesses.
Taitaja9 teams are composed of mixed three-person teams. Speed and accuracy are the keys to success: competitors may be tasked to build a birdhouse, change a tyre, determine the centre of gravity, or sew a button. What unites all these tasks is that they are done manually, and doing them requires nimble fingers and a little ingenuity.
The annual finals are held in connection with the Taitaja competition. To reach the finals, the competitors must first advance through local and regional competitions. TAI is a leading organiser of these local competitions. Every year, approximately 100 teams from the region’s comprehensive schools compete for a chance to reach the regional competitions. The national finals have been hosted twice in Turku, in 2005 and 2015.
The next regional competition will be held at Raisio Regional Education and Training Consortium (Raseko) on 28 January 2025, and the finals in Turku on 5–8 May 2025.
Cultural competitions provide you with performance experiences and a chance to showcase your talent in different cultural fields, such as music, art, writing, or performing.
Dance, rap, bands, solo vocalists, acoustic instruments, karaoke, chess, recitations… the SAKUstars competition includes everything that you can think of when it comes to culture!
SAKUstars is the annual national cultural competition for vocational students. The purpose of the competition is to support vocational students in their studies and to encourage them in their cultural pursuits.
When it comes to SAKUstars, participation is more important than winning. The competitions give students the opportunity to highlight the skills that they may not usually be able to showcase at their educational institutions. Students can use the competition to perform, test their skills, follow other people’s performances, and receive feedback from judges. At SAKUstars, you can immerse yourself in the energy that comes from doing creative things together.
Now you have the opportunity to participate in the SAKUstars competition as part of TAI’s team! This is your chance to get up on stage and show us what you’ve got!
The national, three-day SAKUstars competition includes both advance and live series. Its participants come from a variety of backgrounds, from beginners to enthusiasts and even students majoring in the arts.
You can earn points for participating in AmisTALENTTI! By participating in AmisTALENTTI and SAKUstars events, you can also acquire and demonstrate your competence as part of your optional studies in Art and Creative Expression (3 competence points).
The next SAKUstars competition will be held in Joensuu, 8–10 April 2025. Further information: Virpi Lummevuo, tel: +358 44 907 3477, virpi.lummevuo@edu.turku.fi.
Can you sing, dance, play an instrument, or do magic tricks? Are you a stand-up comedian, beatboxer, recitation artist, or can you walk on your hands? Or maybe your band is destined for the spotlight? This is your chance to get up on stage and show us what you’ve got!
Since 2011, AmisTALENTTI has been the main cultural competition for all students at Turku Vocational Institute (TAI). The event is organised annually. Visitors from all TAI campuses are welcome to watch the performances, and the performers can also invite their own guests as well.
All AmisTALENTTI performances are evaluated by a panel of seasoned experts. The three performances with the highest scores will be awarded, and TAI’s own team for the national SAKUstars competition will also be selected from among the performers. You can earn points for participating in AmisTALENTTI! By participating in AmisTALENTTI and SAKUstars events, you can also acquire and demonstrate your competence as part of your optional studies in Art and Creative Expression (3 competence points).
TAI participates actively in student sports events organised by SAKU RY. For example, SAKU RY organises tournaments for ball games (football, floorball, basketball, and futsal), where vocational students compete in the Finnish championships in both professional and pastime series.
Each academic year, students can participate in try-out exercises where TAI’s teams for these tournaments are selected. Information on upcoming try-out exercises are provided to students via Wilma. Further information: Janne Hoikkanen, Physical Education Teacher, tel: +358 40 182 7810, janne.hoikkanen@edu.turku.fi