Graduates from Mustiala are professionals of agriculture who master arable farming, livestock management and machinery maintenance and repairs.

A Further Qualification for Apiarists can also be taken in Mustiala.

Mustiala was the first agricultural college in Finland. The long traditions of agricultural training guarantee high-quality and expert teaching.

The teaching farm of Mustiala offers an ideal setting for hands-on learning. The farm size is about 1,100 hectares, of which some 180 hectares consist of arable land.

The farm produces the most common cereal types, grasses, oil plants and sugar beet. The dairy herd comprises some 60 heads, including specimens of all indigenous breeds. The machinery stock on the farm is kept continuously up to date, and a new shed for the dairy cattle is currently being planned.

Mustiala gives the students a thorough introduction to the latest technologies in the sector. They also familiarise themselves with various production methods during their on-the-job learning periods.

Thanks to its historical setting, Mustiala has become a popular tourist attraction and venue for various events. Mustiala also operates a small-scale brewery and a beer house.

Häme Vocational Institute is the only educational institution in Finland where the students can obtain a Vocational Qualification in Dairy Production.

This qualification also imparts them a capacity for working in other food sector companies.

Hands-on work plays a major role in the education. During the three-year programme, the students spend roughly one year in on-the-job learning in dairy sector companies. Prior to this they will have practised their skills in the institute’s own dairy.

In the teaching dairy, the students make such products as cheeses, butter, ice cream and yoghurt. The students work in small groups, giving each one a chance to take part and test the knowledge and skills they have learnt in practice.

In the microbiology and chemistry lab, the students take various samples of the ingredients and the finished products and interpret the results.

In the Study Programme in Dairy Production, the students can also obtain a Further Qualification in the Dairy Industry or in Milk Processing.​

The Driving Instructor Education Centre of the Häme Vocational Institute is the oldest institute in Finland educating driving instructors.

In addition to driving instructor education, a key task of the Centre is improving road safety in general by influencing driver attitudes and driving techniques.

The Specialist Qualification for Driving Instructors imparts the student a capacity for working in a driving school as a driving instructor for cars. The optional modules of the qualification develop the students’ ability to work in the roles of driving test examiners or instructors for drivers of mopeds, motorbikes or heavier vehicle classes.

The Driving Instructor Education Centre takes an active part in international cooperation aiming to improve driving instructor training and road safety.

The Driving Instructor Education Centre has led and participated in a number of international projects in the sector, including the ProCadrin project on Leonardo da Vinci funding and Norplus Higher Education projects together with Nordic partners. ProCadrin, a project aiming for better road safety, developed a Wiki database of teaching methods for lifelong road safety (safetytraffic.eu).

The Centre was also a key actor in the Instructor For Driving project implemented under the Leonardo da Vinci programme. This project was in the top ten out of more than 1,400 Leonardo da Vinci projects and received the international HELSINKI AWARD.​​

Evo provides upper secondary vocational education for foresters, forest services providers and forest-based energy producers.

Students in Evo can also complete a Specialist Qualification in Forestry, a programme intended as continuing education for professionals in the field.

Evo is the epicentre of Finnish forestry expertise and education and the birthplace of training in this field in Finland.

The traditions of the institute together with its modern facilities and tools ensure a high standard of education. The versatile research and testing activities conducted in the area play a significant role for education in this field.

The largest continuous forest area in Southern Finland is located in Evo, and 2,000 hectares of this woodland are used for teaching purposes.

The teaching and research forest is where the students complete various practical assignments.

More practical experience can be gained through Evo Forestry Cooperative, an actual company owned by the students.

Through the cooperative, students can engage in real-life forestry operations while still studying and be paid a wage for their work. The students participate in the activities of the Cooperative on a voluntary basis.

Lepaa is a horticultural sector educational institution of national importance that has been turning out prestigious professionals for the last hundred years.

The Study Programme in Horticulture focuses on greenhouse and open air cultivation. Landscape industries students familiarise themselves with the planting and care of beds and green areas. The students can include stone work, organic production, maintenance of green areas etc. in their studies. While working with the institute’s wide collection of plants, the students will develop a thorough knowledge of plants and their growing conditions.

Lepaa has some 20 hectares of managed parkland and green areas. The orchard produces a crop of about 10 tons of fruit, and the greenhouse yields around 80 tons of tomatoes a year. The orchard boasts up to 80 varieties of apple trees, of which around 20 are cultivated commercially. Lepaa also educates professionals of wine production.

The institute’s winery manufactures some twenty different fruit wines, ciders and liquors for sale.

For students working for a Further or a Specialist Qualification in Golf Course Maintenance, the institute offers a 9-hole golf course, which is also used in research of this field. In the summer, the course is popular with golfers

The annual horticultural exhibition in Lepaa is one of the oldest trade shows of its kind in Europe.

Lepaa is a popular day tour destination. You can visit the country winery and see how Finnish berry and fruit wines are made or you can have a winetasting and /or you can visit the orchards. Lepaa Golf is a public golf course.

​Historical Lepaa – Ghost and Noble Families

Lepaa, located in the heart of Häme in Vanajavesi valley, is known for its unique microclimate and grounds which are especially good for farming.

Lepaa has been an important meeting place already in the pagan times and from the Middle Ages it has been an important noble manor. The manor has been a home for various noble families until the end of the 19th century. The last landlord, Carl Packalen, made a will and donated his estate to the state. According to his will, a horticultural school is run since 1910 in Lepaa with the degree programs of horticultural production and landscape design and construction.

Lepaa Country Winery – Wine from Local Fruit and Berries

Lepaa has long traditions on making wine. Church wines were produced at the beginning of the 20th century and as education in the gardening school started making of berry and fruit wines was an essential part of the studies.

The production of the country winery is located in an old barn built in 1934. In the early 90´s facilities were fully renovated for wine production.

Since 1995 Lepaa country winery has been a leading fruit and berry wine research, development and education center in Finland. Around 20 000 litres of country wines, liquors and ciders are produced on yearly bases. Country wine studies are organized in a real commercial environment.

Smart Park Garden – Gardens of Lepaa Manor

The 20 hectares’ large grounds and gardens of Lepaa manor are open for public and an interesting piknik and day trip destination near Hämeenlinna. There are numerous plants and hundreds of plant species in the garden and most of them are even marked with nameplates.

Guided one hour garden or history -themed tours are available by appointment. For tours pls contact our sales: lepaa-myynti@hamk.fi

If you wish to visit the garden by your own, there is a special mobile Smart Park application available which you can use for listening interesting stories of Lepaa’s past. Garden has also achieved an internationally known Green Flag.

More info about Smart Park: https://sites.google.com/a/hamk.fi/lepaanalypuisto/

Lepaa Golf

Lepaa Golf is a public 9-hole golf course open for players who have Green Card.

Enquieries: tel. +358 3 646 5277, lepaa.caddiemaster@hamk.fi

Lepaa for Groups

For groups we can offer tailor made packages with wine tastings, visits to production or orchards and history and garden tours.

Enquiries and bookings
Sales tel. +358 44 0465 238
lepaa-myynti(at)hamk.fi