The State of Vocational Teacher Training in Estonia

In order to better understand the state and principles of vocational teacher training (VTT) in Estonia, some background knowledge about the Estonian Republic, its people, and its system of education is necessary. Estonia is a small country with an area of 45,227 km2 and a population of 1,356,000 (2003) people. Estonian is the official language of the country. The population increase in Estonia is negative and, in the last 4 years, the difference between births and deaths has fluctuated between 6,000 and 5,000, with deaths outnumbering births. The ageing of the Estonian population is one of the fastest in the world. Conversely, the number of children going to school is decreasing every year and the number of graduates from basic school is approximately half of that of the previous generation (Kutseõppeasutuste võrgu, 2003).