Vocational rehabilitation options

When illness starts to impede your work, address the issue early on. Discuss with your employer, occupational health care service or another health care professional what options are available to you to help you continue at work. The earlier you start reflecting on how you are getting on and coping at work, the more likely you will be able to continue in your job and in working life.

There are many ways to support returning to work

When you wish to continue in your job or return to work after sick leave, you do not have to figure out and address the issue on your own. First discuss the issue with your employer and occupational health care service. Find out whether it would be possible for you to be granted Kela’s partial sickness allowance or whether you could participate in a work trial organised by the occupational health care service. Or would it be possible to adapt your tasks so that you could continue with your job?

If these are not helpful, consider vocational rehabilitation. Apply to your earnings-related pension company for vocational rehabilitation. If it is Ilmarinen, apply to us for it. We can support you in returning or continuing to work through vocational rehabilitation when other measures are not helpful and when your work ability has weakened so that you are at risk of losing your ability to work.

You can apply for vocational rehabilitation even if you are not yet on sick leave but have health issues that impede your work. If you have applied to us for a disability pension, we will always first look into whether vocational rehabilitation could help you.

Read more about applying for vocational rehabilitation >

  1. Apprenticeship training

    Apprenticeship training allows you to complete an upper secondary vocational qualification. At the same time, you will carry out work related to your studies and you will be paid for it.

    Read more about apprenticeship training

  2. Job coaching

    If you cannot return to your old job, job coaching allows you to learn new tasks hands-on.

    Read more about job coaching

  3. Vocational retraining

    If you cannot continue in your current job, vocational retraining could be an option for you. It allows you to train for a profession where you can utilise your competence and work experience.

    Read more about vocational retraining

  4. Work trial

    A work trial allows you, for example, to return to adapted tasks at your old workplace or to try out an entirely new job.

    Read more about work trials

  5. Business subsidy for the self-employed

    A business subsidy is financial support that allows you to acquire tools and machinery and assistive devices and equipment to make work easier.

    Read more about the business subsidy