In the 1880' s women in Tampere were employed as factory workers or domestic servants. Tampere was clearly a women's town, where their existence reflected the whole life and culture of the town. Despite working outside the home, women also had to take care of their households. Many girls had to start working very young, so the chance of learning household skills at home was quite rare. It is therefore no wonder Tampere was among the first towns to found a school of home economics. Tampere College of Services was founded in 1892 with the aim of providing girls with education in cooking and housekeeping. A remarkably beautiful school building itself provides an ideal surrounding for learning. Nearly one hundred years ago, one of the first female architects in Finland, Wivi Lönn, designed this gem of Art Nouveau. The education has kept pace with the changes in Finnish society. Today, Tampere College of Services offers modern vocational training for matriculated and non-matriculated students