Taitaja2025 Turku – Towards the future with vocational skills
Competition Manager Petri Hörkkö warmly welcomes everyone to the major vocational education and training event in Turku from 5 to 8 May 2025. The project, which has lasted two years, has been a major joint effort across the entire Southwest Finland region.
Some members of the Taitaja2025 team (not all) pictured on 17 April 2025 in the newly erected partner tent. Petri Hörkkö on the right.
The launch of the Taitaja2025 Turku event took place on 27 February 2023, when Turku’s City Board decided to apply for the right to host the event from Skills Finland. After approval, preparations began for a project lasting over two years. The Taitaja2025 event has been planned in cooperation primarily with VET providers from Southwest Finland, just as it was during Turku’s earlier hosting years in 2005 and 2015.
The main organiser is Turku Vocational Institute, working with 12 upper secondary level institutions and Turku University of Applied Sciences. Each partner institution appointed a Skill Competition Manager for the respective skill categories. They have done excellent work in planning the competition tasks and skill areas, and in negotiations with partners.
Collaboration on many levels
Collaboration has been the key concept in planning and developing the Taitaja2025 event, both between organisations and among individuals. Students were included in the planning process right from August 2023, when the Turku Conservatory launched an internal competition for composing and producing the Taitaja song. Since then, many other learning-integrated projects have followed, such as producing Taitaja furniture and giant letters, media production, CAD design, printed materials, logistics and construction. Taitaja is not a project separate from teaching – it is part of the students’ learning path. It also brings a new perspective to teachers’ guidance work, offering opportunities for pedagogical development and collaboration.
One new form of collaboration at Taitaja2025 has been the implementation of the TaitajaPLUS skill competitions, with shared responsibility between Spesia and Turku Vocational Institute. The aim is for this cooperation to continue after the event. Taitaja2025 has also introduced several other innovations, such as a revised partner level system and content, finalist result broadcasting, accommodation coordination during finals week, and new side event concepts.
70,000 visitors expected
The Taitaja2025 city letters being installed by students.
At the heart of the Taitaja event is the Finnish Championship in vocational skills, where 400 finalists will compete in 47 skills in Turku. In addition, over 100 lower secondary school pupils from all over Finland will take part in the Taitaja9 finals at the Gatorade Center. A total of 70,000 visitors are expected in Turku, and the event is being marketed widely across the Southwest Finland region. Around 5,000 Year 8 pupils from comprehensive schools in the region are expected to attend. Nearly 400 partners are involved, and in addition to skill collaboration, they will have the opportunity to showcase their operations at the Partner Square.
This year’s Taitaja event offers visitors not only the Finnish Championships in vocational skills but also the chance to attend seminars and experience the Simulator World, and to visit the Food Square, Event Square and Safety Square. The latter, themed A Safe Future, will be exceptionally extensive. The Finnish Defence Forces will participate with a major presence, joined by other national safety authorities and organisations such as Southwest Finland Police Department, Police University College, Southwest Finland Rescue Department, Emergency Services Academy, Border Guard, Finnish Red Cross, Voluntary Rescue Service, Turku Sea Rescue Association, National Defence Training Association (MPK), and the Regional Association of Reservists in Southwest Finland. These organisations offer excellent study and career opportunities for young people, and the theme is both timely and of broad public interest.
A detailed schedule and event information are available on our website.
The Taitaja spirit will carry us through
Right now, the Taitaja city is being built in Turku’s Artukainen area, covering the Turku Fair Centre and Turku Vocational Institute’s campus. Construction work involves 500–600 students every day, and during finals week, the range of student duties will expand further as hundreds of finalists and thousands of VET representatives from across Finland arrive in Turku from 5 to 8 May.
After a long period of planning and preparation, the work is becoming tangible as tents, walls and exhibition structures go up and the skill areas take shape. For the Taitaja2025 team responsible for overall planning, this means a final sprint at full speed to ensure all plans are realised. Within the team, we’ve joked that as the finals approach, the days get longer and the nights shorter. Still, the work is carried out with energy, positivity and mutual support – upholding the true Taitaja spirit.
On behalf of the entire Taitaja2025 organising team, I warmly welcome everyone to Turku to enjoy the exciting competition atmosphere and an unforgettable event experience!
Forget May Day – make way for Taitaja, in twenty-twenty-five!