The first vocational school was established in Helsinki in 1899. It was a new type of school where students studied both theory and practical skills under the guidance of a teacher. The key question in this research is: what was the role of vocational schools in educating not only good workers but also good citizens? Other question is: who were the founders of vocational schools? Primary information for the research questions is found in documents, regulations and interviews.

Lecturer Jonatan Reuters and Jalmari Kekkonen, the Inspector of Vocational Education in the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, were actively involved in developing Finnish vocational education. They brought new ideas from abroad, especially from Austria and Sweden. Vocational schools in Finland were influenced by reformistic pedagogical movements, especially by the one developed by Georg Kerschensteiner in Germany. In the 1920s and 1930s vocational schools were more and more influenced by nationalistic right-wing ideas. Big companies established their own vocational schools which also operated under the control of the Department of Trade and Industry.

After WWII, Aarno Niini, the Director of the Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, wanted to increase the quality of vocational education and encourage wider recognition of vocational schools. Vocational education was offered not only to the labour class children but also to the children from other social classes. Regular teacher education for vocational school teachers started in 1958.