The Swedish Adult Education Centre of Helsinki (Arbis) is one of the largest municipally owned adult education centres in Finland. Each year about 6000 students sign on for one or several courses arranged mainly at the main institute in the centre of Helsinki and the branch in Stoa, a centre for the arts and culture, in the eastern part of Helsinki.

The teaching programme includes such subjects as about 18 differentlanguages, art and handicraft, physical exercise and dance, ICT, music, domestic science, environmental studies, etc. Arbis Open University offers adults the opportunity to attend degree-level courses in, for example, pedagogics, philosophy, sociology and psychology, irrespective of their educational background. There are over 600 courses and they vary in length and start at different times throughout the year.

Arbis organises courses in Finnish and Swedish at different levels specially for foreign students.

The courses can be attended by anyone regardless of age, sex and nationality. The official language is Swedish. The course fees are subsidised and thus very moderate, 8 to 100 euro, depending on the length of the course. Teaching is provided by 9 full-time teachers and some 200 part-time teachers and visiting lecturers.

Arbis also arranges lectures, illustrated talks, exhibitions, concerts, excursions and even trips abroad. A well equipped library is at the students' disposal, and there is also a pleasant café.

Phone 09-310 49494
E-mail: kansliet with the addition @arbis.hel.fi