TRAINING AND TESTS FORM PART OF THE QUALITY

Finland is a country full of educational opportunities and the promise of Life-long learning is easy to fulfill. Be open to new opportunities and ask for additional training options in your workplace.

There are some exams, tests and certifications (commonly called passports) needed depending on your duty. We hereby introduce the most common ones as well as some material you can study online. When you start to work, your employer will tell you the ones needed and help you to supply them.

Responsible Tourism

Traditions and activities based on nature and nature itself are the most important tourist attractions in Finland. This means that we have a special interest to take care of nature.  Responsible Tourism is not a kind of Tourism but the way of making decisions and doing things in a sustainable way.
The five dimensions you should take into consideration are:

• Ecological (save water and energy, recycle, ecological food etc)
• Economical (investing in sustainable products and resources, fair prices)
• Socio-cultural (respecting the local culture, food, persons)
• Ethical ( Equal Opportunities, equality, unobstructed passage)
• Safety

Please, study this practical guide book: Tips for Responsible Tourism

Hygiene Passport

Employees must have a Hygiene Passport if they, in their work, handle unpacked and easily perishable foods. Such foods are, for example, milk, meat and fish. 

For example, cafeterias, restaurants, institutional kitchens, various kiosks, fast-food restaurants, food stores, and also many factories manufacturing food, are workplaces where the employees are required to have a Hygiene Passport. It is required at latest after three months of commencing work. These three months are calculated retroactively to also include such prior work in the food business, where the hygiene passport is required. Hygiene Passport is valid for now. 

Evira is the Finnish Food safety authority and in its web pages, you find all the relevant information about the Hygiene passport as well as the list of the web pages and places where you can have the preparation course and the test. You can study material also online, but the test needs to be done in some of the places mentioned in Evira webpages. Please, find more information here: Evira in English

It is the employer's responsibility to make sure personal who needs the Hygiene Passport have the possibility to attend the preparation course and the test. 

Alcohol passport

The ''responsible manager test'', in other words, alcohol proficiency test must be completed by all those who wish to act as a responsible manager or as a substitute at licenced premises.

Valvira (National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and health) is the authority to supervise the premises selling alcohol.  

The licence holder must be represented on the licensed premises by a responsible manager appointed by the licence holder or other person assigned to this duty by the licence holder if the premises are open to the public. The responsible manager or other designated person must be aged 18 or older (Alcohol Act, Section 38). 

The licence holder must ensure that the responsible manager or other designated person has a certificate of alcohol proficiency consistent with the model approved by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira)

The Alcohol Proficiency Certificate (anniskelupassi) is issued by educational institutions providing training in the restaurant and catering sector pursuant to a Government licence or an authorization from the Ministry of Education. The list of educational establishments offering the alcohol passport examination is updated on the basis of the notifications made by the schools to Valvira. Please find more information here: Valvira

Tourism Security Passport

The Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK is a national, non-profit expert organization in fire and rescue services, individual emergency planning and civil protection. SPEK works actively to improve the safety of our homes and our society in everyday life and in emergency conditions 

Tourism Security Passport (Matupa) is a day-to-day voluntary safety training tailored to the needs of employees in accommodation, catering, program services and skiing centers. Tourism Security Passport is a kind of security insight: it provides basic information about safety issues for employees and encourages them to develop their own safety skills.

The main objective of the Security Passport is to increase customer safety, prevent accidents and improve the quality of tourism products. Safety Passport Training is highly recommended to all working in the Tourism industry (hotels and restaurants, sports and recreational services, festivals, adventure parks and events, Tour Guides, Wilderness Guides, Tour Leaders). Please, find more information here:  SPEK - MaTuPa

Arctic Guide Training online

This training provided on the internet is not obligatory but highly recommended. The Arctic Guide training provides you with information concerning the special features and significance of the travel industry in Lapland. It will provide you with skills for performing, leading groups and working responsibly in nature – in an Arctic operating environment.

The virtual Arctic Guide training consists of six modules. You can complete the modules from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a working Internet connection. After completing the course you will receive a digital badge.

Get an overview of existing course content and see the video of Lapland. Become an Arctic Guide by taking the course, price only 19,95 €.

Please, read more and register here: ARCTIC GUIDE TRAINING