With just over 5 million people, Finland is Europe's largest archipelago and home of Nokia. When Finland
gained independence in 1917, Finland was one of the least advanced economies in Europe. Today, it is one of Europe's richest
and most successful nations. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, Finland has the world's most competitive
economy. One of the secrets of Finland's success is a high level of government’s investment in education and training. Finland's
education system is one of the best in the world and generates people with the right skills to succeed in a modern knowledge
economy. In a study analyzing the education of children in top growing nations, Finnish children had the highest overall scores.
A massive 65 percent of school leavers in Finland go on to higher education. There are no fees for tuition and kindergarten. The
Finns regard investment in new technology and innovation as a major priority.
