Vocational school demand uneven as Tallinn questions girls' interest
Thousands of spots remain available in vocational education programs across Estonia, as schools work to attract students amid changing interests and enrollment trends.
Admissions for the 2026–2027 school year are underway, and while popular vocational programs are already nearly full, schools across Estonia still have hundreds of spots left unfilled. Tallinn Deputy Mayor Andrei Kante (Center).
Last week, Kante asked Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) to review how the state and local governments coordinate efforts to ensure teen students now required to continue their education are matched to enrollment availability.
As of mid-July, nearly 1,000 youth in Tallinn still weren't enrolled for the coming school year, prompting the deputy mayor to question whether available programs adequately reflect young people's preferences.
The 513 spots still available at Tallinn Technology College (Techno TLN), he said, may not be a preferred choice for girls.
The school, however, rejected the idea that vocational fields are divided by gender.
"There is no program at our school that girls cannot study," said Kristel Martis, Techno TLN's marketing and community manager. She and fellow staffer Gähtlin Leppänen said that tech fields have changed and stressed that stereotypes about boys' and girls' fields are outdated.
Changed admissions schedules, programs
As of July 20, Techno TLN had 478 open spots still available, with about two-thirds of total available enrollment filled in the first admissions round.
The strongest demand has been for unmanned vehicle technology, visual media, electrical engineering and logistics programs, while some industrial, digital technology, vehicle and IT programs have drawn less interest.
Martis said differences in admissions may reflect recent changes, including the merger of four previously separate schools, a revised admissions schedule, the transition to Estonian-language instruction and even new program names.
The school's second admissions round runs through July 31.
Other vocational schools across the country are also seeing mixed demand.
Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Center (IVKHK) said the new national admissions schedule, which opened applications before basic school graduation, confused some students who thought they had missed their chance to apply.
Visual media technology was the Ida-Viru County school's most in-demand program this year, prompting the addition of a second class after receiving 90 applications for just 20 spots.
As of July 8, IVKHK still had 473 unfilled spots available.
'Applications numbers are constantly changing'
In Southern Estonia, Võru County Education and Technology Center (EWERS) has just 63 unfilled spots left across its applied secondary education programs, down from 118 on July 8.
Principal Eveli Kuklane said industrial digital technology has been the school's most sought-after program this year.
In Tallinn, Estonian Business and Hospitality College AVARA is offering enrollment for up to 98 basic school graduates, including 92 spots in applied upper secondary education programs.
To date, tourism services has drawn the most interest, while retail studies has the most openings remaining.
"Applications are being submitted every day for all continuing admissions programs, and the numbers are constantly changing," said principal Kristi Tarik.
Nonetheless, she urged interested candidates to still apply anyway, even to popular programs, because the final results won't be determined until after the admissions process ends.
Applications remain open at AVARA through August 10.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
