Strengthening the First Aid Competence of Teaching Staff in Pirkanmaa

The project aims to create a compact information package for secondary school teachers on integrating first aid into different subjects and for learners of various ages. It will provide examples of how the teaching can be implemented. The teaching materials will serve as preparatory material for teachers attending a training day, during which the basics of CPR and emergency first aid skills will be practiced. The goal is that by the end of the project on December 31, 2025, approximately 100 teachers in the Pirkanmaa region will have strengthened their first aid teaching skills, and each school will have access to the teaching materials developed during the project. The project is implemented in cooperation with the Kids Save Lives initiative.

Emergency first aid—and especially CPR—is a civic skill that everyone, regardless of age, should know. In the rural areas of the region, emergency aid remains crucial even today. If a patient who is suffering cardiac arrest does not receive high-quality chest compressions immediately, their chance of survival decreases by 7–10% for every minute that passes. Shrinking healthcare services increase the risk of delays in receiving professional help, particularly as emergency units now often need to transport patients to large, centralized health centers located farther away.
The need for this project is further emphasized by the fact that the Finnish Red Cross (SPR), the main provider of first aid training, does not offer a dedicated first aid training package tailored for school-aged children of different ages. The need for this training is supported by a literature review, a service network survey conducted by the Pirkanmaa wellbeing services county, and research done during the Mobile Health and Social Services project funded by the European Regional Development Fund and TAMK.

The goal of the project is to increase the amount of emergency first aid education in basic education, upper secondary schools, and vocational education in the Pirkanmaa region, as well as to improve teachers' emergency first aid skills. Training days will be organized both around Pirkanmaa and on TAMK's premises. The aim of the training day is to strengthen both teachers’ knowledge of first aid and their ability to teach it, so they can pass on the skills in their own institutions. The training will focus on learning and teaching basic resuscitation (CPR with defibrillation – PPE-D). Teaching materials will be developed to support First Aid training for students of different age groups. These materials will be available to all educational organizations participating in the project. The goal is for all teachers in Pirkanmaa to have equal knowledge and skills in CPR and its instruction. High-quality education will increase both children's and young people’s competence in first aid and their confidence in helping.

During the project, CPR training materials will be freely available to participating individuals and institutions. The materials will be archived on the website aoe.fi. By the end of the project, nearly 100 teachers in Pirkanmaa will have equal knowledge and skills in CPR and its instruction. Even those institutions that did not have direct participants will receive the completed background materials for use. Through high-quality education, teachers’ confidence and readiness to teach first aid will be strengthened, as will children’s and young people’s competence in first aid and their willingness to help.

Opetushallitus (OPH)

Opetushallitus