The Birth of Engineer Education in Finland

Formal engineering education has about 150 years of tradition in Finland, but engineering as a profession has more than 200 years of tradition. The first Finnish engineers were men of practice, trained by the apprenticeship system, and used the title The Factory Master. In the year 1849, formal education began, but Finnish industry did not begin to employ formally trained engineers until the beginning of this century. The first formally educated engineers were, themselves, not interested in working in industry. The success of formally trained engineers in Finnish industry was reflected later on in the increasing value attached to research and new technologies. This view of science as an important force for production was strengthened further when the Helsinki University of Technology established and expanded its own laboratories.