According to a plan by the Ministry of Education and Research (HTM), two so-called applied colleges will begin operating in Tallinn in fall 2026, replacing the six current vocational schools in the capital.

One of the applied colleges will offer programs in the service and business sectors, formed by merging the current Tallinn School of Service and Tallinn School of Economics. The second new vocational school will offer programs in IT, energy, technology and construction and will be created by merging Lasnamäe School of Mechanics, Tallinn Construction School, Tallinn Industrial Education Center and Tallinn Polytechnic School.

The ministry said the consolidation aims to make the network of vocational schools in the capital more efficient.

For example, it will eliminate duplicated specialties and reduce programs for which labor market demand has declined. National education funding will be increased for programs aligned with labor market needs and new curricula will be developed.

No new buildings will be constructed, but existing facilities will be modernized, according to the ministry. Instruction will continue in the same buildings, but each field of study will be concentrated at a single location. For instance, students training to become customer service representatives in retail are currently taught at both the Tallinn Industrial Education Center and the Tallinn School of Service; in the future, this program will be offered at only one site.

All current vocational students will be able to complete their studies as usual.

According to data from Haridussilm, there are 824 students enrolled at the Tallinn School of Service and 1,596 at the Tallinn School of Economics this academic year, totaling 2,422 students. Lasnamäe School of Mechanics has 973 students, Tallinn Construction School has 670, the Tallinn Industrial Education Center has 2,297 and the Tallinn Polytechnic School has 1,710, totaling 5,650 students.

Last week, the Ministry of Education and Research announced a competition for the positions of principal at the two new colleges. The ministry said one of the responsibilities of the selected principals will be to prepare for the merger in cooperation with the ministry, including analyzing — together with employers and school staff — which buildings should house specific programs and planning the use of space accordingly

The future also remains uncertain for the Tallinn Maritime School. The ministry has said the future of the maritime school will be reviewed in the context of Estonia's maritime education, in cooperation with the Estonian Maritime Academy, to find the best possible solution for delivering vocational maritime education.

The consolidation of Tallinn's vocational schools is part of a broader reform of vocational education, one of the goals of which is for at least 40 percent of basic school graduates to choose vocational education by 2035. Currently, that figure stands at 25 percent.

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