The dataset consists of focus group interviews on the expediency of the obligation that young people must apply for education to receive unemployment benefits. Focus group interviews were conducted in three different regions of Finland with youth service workers at TE Offices, TE Services employees working at Ohjaamo Guidance Centres and workers at vocational training institutions. Four interviews were conducted with TE Services and six with educational institutions. Teachers, guidance and career counsellors, and applications services experts from vocational schools and vocational special education schools took part in the educational institution interviews. Two different interview frameworks were used, depending on the interview group. Some questions were asked in the form of a statement. Employees of TE Services and Ohjaamo Guidance Centres were asked, for example, about their opinion on the obligation to apply for further education and its impact on their own organisation's practices and on young people. Questions also covered the use of discretionary powers and the extent to which the interviewees felt that young people were aware of the obligation to apply for education as a condition to receive unemployment benefits. The interviewees were also asked about possibilities for improving the obligation to apply for education. Employees of educational institutions were asked about their views on the obligation to apply for education, and the impact of the obligation to apply on the operation of educational institutions and their application processes. In addition, views were sought on issues such as the impact of the obligation to apply on studies and young people's lives, and on possible needs for the obligation's development. Background information included the number of interviewees per group interview, the date of the interview, and the length of the interview. The data were organised into an easy to use HTML version at FSD. The dataset is only available in Finnish.

2023