Opinion: Vocational education's bad reputation contradicts reality in Estonia

Raini Jõks, director of Tartu's VOCO applied college, argues that the poor image of vocational training is at odds with the facts. He contends that young people's skills depend not just on youth or the education system, but on how society as a whole values work, skills, and success.

The negative reputation surrounding vocational education in Estonia has long persisted despite evidence pointing in the opposite direction. Raini Jõks, director of Tartu Rakenduslik Kolledž VOCO, argues that this disconnect between perception and reality is doing a disservice to young people and to the country's workforce.

According to Jõks, the skills of young people cannot be attributed solely to the individuals themselves, nor solely to the education system. The deeper issue lies in how society as a whole understands and values work, practical competence, and the meaning of success. As long as white-collar careers are reflexively treated as more prestigious than skilled trades, the labour market will continue to suffer from mismatches that could otherwise be avoided.

Vocational and applied education programmes in Estonia have undergone significant development in recent years, with institutions like VOCO offering pathways that combine theoretical grounding with hands-on professional training. Graduates enter fields where demand is high and salaries are competitive, yet societal attitudes have been slow to catch up with this reality.

Jõks calls on Estonian society to reconsider its assumptions about what constitutes a worthy career. He argues that reshaping these attitudes is not merely a matter for schools or policymakers, but a collective responsibility — one that touches families, employers, and media alike. Until the cultural narrative around skilled work changes, the talent pipeline into essential trades and technical fields will remain unnecessarily constrained.