The aim of the Social and health care teachers’ occupational well-being in Finland -research and development project is to promote the occupational well-being of social and health care teachers. The project is in two parts, the first part was implemented in autumn 2020 as a national cross-sectional study (n = 552) to extensively evaluate the occupational well-being and development needs of teachers working in the Social and Health Sector. The second phase of the social and health teachers’ occupational well-being in Finland research and development project develops individual-level and work community-level occupational well-being programs that are suitable for daily work of teachers. The aim of the programs is to maintain and increase the actions that promote the occupational well-being of vocational teachers and the resources of the individual and the work community in educational organizations. The occupational well-being programs produced and tested in the research and development project may be applied in various fields and levels of education in the future.

This project is also part of a larger research entity of the University of Eastern Finland, Department of Nursing Science, titled Occupational Well-being in Education (OWE), which also includes research on occupational well-being of health care teachers in Estonia (2021-23) and research co-operation for primary school staff in Lithuania (2019-20). This is how this occupational well-being project implemented in Finland, and its results and operating models also generate new information to the international research. The project is carried out by the University of Eastern Finland, the Department of Nursing Science, and as a partner, the University of Turku, the Department of Nursing Science and University of Eastern Finland, Department of Applied Physics and Vocational Educators and Trainers (Ammatilliset opettajat AO ry). The project has been received funding from the OAJ’s Occupational Wellbeing Fund for the years 2021-23.

Research group (University of Eastern Finland: Professor Terhi Saaranen (research leader), Department of Nursing Science; Project researcher Anneli Vauhkonen, Department of Nursing Science, Professori Kirsi Honkalampi, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Senior Researcher Mika Tarvainen, Department of Applied Physics