This thesis focuses on professional strategies carried out by the Finnish socialworkers union Talentia to strengthen social welfare professions in Finland. Specialfocus lies on the social worker’s occupation and quest for licensure. The period investigated spans from 1949 until 2019. Licensure granted by the state is considered a significant attribute for a successful professionalization process and desirable for occupational groups. Research shows that licensure can also be experienced as a reduction of professional autonomy and therefore be opposed collectively. In Finland, licensure for social welfare workers came into effect in 2016. Many members of occupational groups regulated by The Act on Social Welfare Professionals are also members of Talentia, whose position concerning professionalization and licensure has not been longitudinally investigated previously.

The study methodology is based on a qualitative single-case study design. The data consists of archived documents of Talentia, organizational journals, governmental reports, laws, directives, and secondary sources of knowledge such as Talentia’s written history. Interviews were undertaken with four key persons that had been working in leading positions of the organization. The analytical approach is abductive, including theoretical concepts and perspectives from sociology of professions, organizational theory, and policy research. The development of collective strategies for professionalization can be roughly divided into the periods of Establishment (1949–1962), Consolidation (1963–1980), Professionalization(1981–1999) and Licensure (2000–2019). The main strategy identified is ideological optimism for professionalization, which led Talentia to strive for political influence, educational development, and expansion of occupational monopoly on the labor market as strategies for professionalization. Other supportive strategies concerning internationalization, work ethics, and information campaigns have also been identified, implemented by individual actors in the organization. Continuity and change in the strategies can be summarized as developing an optimism for professionalization that combined professional- and labor union interests. Talentia has retained its rather ambitious main strategy and adapted it and the other strategies flexibly to changes in society during the period investigated.

The results indicate that ideology, political influence, and alliances with representatives of interest groups in higher education can be important for the quest for professionalization in different contexts.