At the Osaava kauppa academy, companies and training providers are building the future of commerce

The Osaava kauppa academy, launched this spring, will increase and deepen the practical cooperation between companies and training providers in the commerce sector. The goal is to develop training to meet the competence needs of the commerce sector, promote cooperation between the training providers and companies in the sector, increase the attractiveness of the sector and make the diverse training paths in the sector visible.

“Operations will start during this year with companies in the commerce sector and secondary vocational institutions. As of 2026, the target group will also be extended to higher-education institutions,” says Moona Naakka, Senior Advisor of the Finnish Commerce Federation.

The participating companies can tell a nationwide group of educational institutions about their important competence needs, job opportunities at different levels of education and in different fields, as well as their employer brand. Through the network, educational institutions receive valuable information for developing the working-life-oriented nature of education and supporting the students in considering their potential fields.

Next, the academy’s coordination group invites the educational institutions organising commerce-related training at the secondary level and companies in the sector to take part in the operations.

The right skills at the right time – commerce experts grow in cooperation

The results of the online brainstorming session on the future of vocational education conducted by the Ministry of Education and Culture this spring show that the best possible vocational education is strongly based on high-quality education developed and implemented together with working life.

“Starting a cooperation network right now is, therefore, particularly meaningful and a great joint effort for the development of working life cooperation. Through the network, operators in the sector have a direct dialogue with each other for the development and renewal of the industry,” says Naakka.

Companies in the commerce sector already cooperate extensively with educational institutions in the sector. However, continuous development is necessary to ensure the availability of skilled labour.

“As the operating environment and competence needs change, diverse cooperation between training providers and working life is needed. Individual cooperation models are important, but they alone are not enough to respond to the change. For this reason, it is very important to combine the training providers and companies in the commerce sector with the Osaava kauppa academy,” says Naakka of Business College Helsinki, Mercuria Business College, Perho Culinary, Tourism & Business College and Raseko Vocational College that are part of the network’s coordination group.

The image of the commerce sector and the training paths should also be diversified, as the jobs and required competence in the commerce sector may seem self-evident to many. The sector is often seen as a sector for business experts or a sector where there are only jobs for professionals. In reality, you can become a professional in the commerce sector through diverse training paths. In addition to business and administration fields of education, the sector needs experts in technical fields, for example – both professionals and graduates of higher education.

For further information, please contact:

Moona Naakka, Senior Advisor, Finnish Commerce Federation, moona.naakka@kauppa.fi, tel. +358 (0)45 651 8474