Transcript Document

VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION
AND
TRAINING
IN FINLAND
www.sedu.fi / 2007/ RL
Finnish Education System
Polytechnics
postgraduate
6
4
5
4
3
Universities
Polytechnics
2
3
1
2
Additional
vocational
training
1
Working life
3
Further
vocational
qualifications
3
Upper
secondary
2
vocational
qualification 1
General upper
2
secondary
education
1
9 (10)
Basic education (ages 7-16)
1
Pre-school education (6 years old)
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Specialist
vocational
qualifications
Vocational Education and Training (VET)

52 upper secondary
qualifications, including 113 study
programmes.

Scope of studies: 3 years (120
credits).

Half a year (20 credits) of on-the-job
learning.

It is possible to take upper secondary
vocational qualifications in the form of
competence-based qualifications
(specifically designed for adult with a
previous work experience).

Apprenticeship training is also a
way of obtaining an upper secondary
vocational qualification.

There is also preparatory education
for disabled people, for
immigrants (in order to improve
students’ language skills and other
capabilities required for their future
occupation) and courses in home
economics.
Qualification-oriented upper secondary VET,
Qualifications, 2003
School-based curricular
VET
9%
11 %
Preparatory training for
competence-based
qualifications
80 %
Apprentiship training
Qualification-oriented upper secondary VET, new
students, 2003
School-based curricular
VET
10 %
14 %
SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION IS
TAILORED AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE TO SUIT INDIVIDUAL
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NEEDS.
Preparatory training for
competence-based
qualifications
76 %
Apprentiship training
Fields of study and distibution of students in
upper secondary vocational
education and training
6% 2% 7%
13 %
13 %
17 %
6%
36 %
Humanities and Education
Culture
Business and Administration, Computing and Software
Technology, Communications and Transport
Natural Resources and Environment
Social Services, Health and Sports
Tourism, Catering and Domestic Services
Natural Sciences
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STRUCTURE OF STUDIES (3 years)
Fields of study and distibution of students in upper secondary
vocational education and training
• 90
credits:Vocational
studies.
• 20 credits: Core
subjects.
• 10 credits: Free
choice studies.
• extensive basic studies
• specialisation studies
• on-the-job learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
native language
second national language (Swedish, Finnish)
foreign language
physics and chemistry
social, business and labour market subjects
phisical and health education
arts and culture
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APPLICATIONS FOR VET
• Applicants are free to apply for the vocational programme of their
choice anywhere in the country.
• The Ministry of Education decides on student admissions criteria.
(Admissions are determined on the basis of previous study record, the
ranking of the programme on the applicant’s list and work experience.
Those applying directly from basic education receive extra points in
the admissions procedure).
Placement of comprehensive school-leavers in 2003
37 %
5%
Entering general upper
secondary education
immediatly
3%
Entering vocational
education and training
immediatly
55 %
Continuing in additional
basic education
Not continuing studies
immediatly
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Challenges to Development
Increasing of skills requirements in working life
THE CHALLENGE: ”MEET THE COMPETENCE NEED OF INDIVIDUALS AND WORKING LIFE.”
Topical issues in development of vocational education and
training:
1. Bringing education and working life close together;
2. Improving quality and learning in the workplace;
3. Incorporating vocational skills demonstrations into upper secondary
qualifications;
4. Cooperation with general upper secondary education;
5. Expanding study tracks to higher education;
6. Developing practices for recognition of previously acquired competencies;
7. Supporting the most vulnerable students, special needs education, reducing
drop-out rates and developing partecipation mechanism for young people;
8. Improving the performance and quality of vocational education and training;
9. Internationalisation
10. Improving the appreciation and attractiveness of vocational education and
training.
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Administration
• Vocational education and training mainly falls within the administrative sector of the Ministry of
Education. Provisions on vocational education and training are laid down in Acts of Parliament.
• Key legislation consists of the Vocational Education and Training Act (630/1998), the Vocational
Adult Education Act (631/1998) and the Act on the Financing of the Provision of Education and
Culture (635/1998).
PARLIAMENT
Legislation
State Budget
General Education policy
GOVERNMENT
Decrees
Education development plans and policy programmes
General objectives of studies
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Education policy definition
Steering and financial regulation
Qualifications
NATIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION
National Core Curricula and Requirements of Qualifications
Implementation of Development Programmes
Services
STATE
PROVINCIAL
OFFICIES
Specific
administrative
duties
NATIONAL
EDUCATION &
TRAINING
COMMITTEES,
QUALIFICATION
COMMITTEES
Contacts with
working life
EDUCATION PROVIDERS
Local planning and organisation of education and training
Provisions of education and training
Local advisory councils for VET and other bodies
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Appointed by the
Ministry of Education
to mantain contacts
with working life at a
national level.
Close contacts with the
local world of work are
the cornerstone of
high-quality
instruction.
Key role in adult
education and training.
Appointed by the
National Board of
Education to
implement
competence-based
qualifications.
VET Providers
• The VET provider network is quite
comprehensive and diversified in regional
terms. Education may be provided by
those local authorities, joint municipal
authorities, registered associations or
foundations or state enterprises.
• In 2005, there are 180 upper secondary VET
providers mantaining more than 300 education
institutions. 90 of these VET providers also offer
apprenticeship training.
• The State mantains five special education
institutions, the Educational Centre of the Sami
Area and the Maritime Safety Training Centre.
• Swedish-language vocational education
and training is provided either by Swedish
language or bilingual institutions.
• Teaching staff are well-educated: an
appropriate polytechnic or university degree in
the field or subject, 3 years of work experience
and pedagogical studies with a scope of 35
credits.
VET Providers, 2004
100
80
60
40
20
0
Joint
municipal
authority
Local
autority
Private
State
The key factors involved in responding to vocational
competence needs include:
• sound field-specific competence,
• close contacts with working life,
• taking individual needs into account when
planning and implementing education and training.
THE NUMBER OF EDUCATION PROVIDERS
HAS DROPPED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS,
BECAUSE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
HAVE BEEN MERGED TO FORM LARGER
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ASSESSMENT
• Student assessment is encouraging and based on dialogue and it
includes each student’s self assessment as an integral part of the
process.
• Once a student has completed the studies included in the
qualification to an accettable standard, they receive a qualification
certificate.
• Skill demonstrations form a part of student assessment. Their
number varies by qualification. They are organised in connection with
on-the-job learning.
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STUDYING AND STUDY PLANS

Studies take place in different environments: workshops,
laboratories and teaching restaurants.

Students can influence their own individual study plans. In order
to guarantee the effectiveness of individual study plans, the studies
include at least 1.5 credits of guidance counselling. In addition,
students receive personal guidance and support according to their
own needs.

Students can complete an upper secondary qualification and
the general upper secondary school matriculation examination
in parallel.
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APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING
• Based on a written fixed-term employment. About 80% of learning
take place in the workplace: competences develops in conditions
and work situations typical of the workplace.
• Students in apprenticeship training may complete upper secondary
vocational qualification, and further a specialist qualification as
part of additional training.
• The employer pays the apprentice’s wage, and receives training
compensation to cover the costs of training provided. The
student receives social benefits, such as a daily allowances for
accomodation and travel expenses.
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Study costs and social –health care
• The second form of financial
support is the transport subsidy
for daily travel between home and
school.
• Instruction in upper secondary
vocational education and training
is provided free of charge. Students
in additional training may be charged
reasonably fees
• Students are entitled to receive
social and health care services
free of charge, provided in
cooperation with municipal social
and health administration.
• Textbooks and supplies for
personal use are funded by students
themselves.
• Full time students are entitled to a
free meal every working day. If the
educational institution has a hall of
residence, accomodation is also
provided free of charge.
• Many educational institutions have
a multidisciplinary student
welfare team to look after
students’ welfare.
• Each educational institution has a
student association made up of
students. It functions as a
messenger to the school’s decisionmaking bodies.
• The primary form of financial support
for full-time students is student
financial aid, which consists of a
study grant, a housing supplement
and a government-guaranteed
student loan. The conditions for
receiving student financial aid include
full-time study, progress made in
studies and the need for financial
support.
• Free-choice studies are often
based on students’ own
interest.
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Financing Vocational education and training
VET is mostly financed from the Ministry of Education budget. The Ministry of Labour may also finance
vocational education and training provided as labour market training.
Central and local government co-finance upper secondary vocational education and training.
FINANCING OF VET
Statuary government transfer
Performance-based funding
(government subsidy)
- operating cost and investments
Unit price/ student/ year
Financing of vocational education
and training is based on a unit
price calculated per student.
If an education provider offer at
least 2 fields of education, the unit
price is calculated on the basis of
the field-specific student numbers
and unit prices by weighting the
unit prices by students numbers.
Funding is also influenced by the
number of special needs students
and particularly high-cost
qualifications.
Based on operational
outcome
-effectiveness
-processes
-staff
Outcome-based funds
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Based on quality
assessment
-EFQM
-Special themes
Quality Award
Quality and Internationalisation
• The quality of vocational competence is
assured by the National Core Curricula and the
Requirements of Competence-based
Qualifications :
1.
2.
Based on the needs of working life
Determined in cooperation with the world
of work.
• VET providers are encouraged to improve
quality through:
-national quality management
recommendations,
-annual Quality Awards for VET,
-performance-based funding.
• Objective of Internationalisation:
- to improve Quality of VET
- to increase trasparency of VET
- to centralise the credit transfer system.
• Accreditation of completed studies and
competencies acquired in other ways, in
particular, aims to increase student mobility.
International network and cooperation based on
working-life needs play an important role in this
respect.
• Periods of study and on-the-job learning
conforming to the National Core Curricula can
also be implemented through international
exchanges.
• In 2003, about 4,500 students and 1,880
teachers from Finland went out on international
exchanges thanks to various forms of funding.
• Education providers have a statutory duty
to evaluate their own operations through
• Finland welcomed about 2,200 incoming upper
self-evaluation and a partecipation in
secondary level VET students and 850 teachers.
external evaluation. The National Board of
Education mantains a national evaluation
system based on vocational skills
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demonstrations.