Impact of Recent EU Policies on VET and Refugees in Finland

1. Finnish VET systemHow recent EU policies on VET and refugees have affected the system?Training of VET teachers and trainers in Finland Helsinki, 17th May 2016Ms Seija Rasku, Counsellor of EducationMinistry of Education and CultureDepartment for Vocational Education and Training

2. Agenda • Finnish educational system • The structure of VET in Finland • Finland’s vision for the Future • Reform of vocational education and training • Improving educational and employment opportunities of immigrants • Survey of the educational background, work history and learning skills of asylum seekers • VET teachers are respected professionals • In-service training maintains up-to-date competence • Finnish Teacher Education Forum

3. Flexible system The education system gives each student great flexibility. Binding decisions are not expected to be made at an early stage. The road all the way to tertiary education is untracked, with none of the paths leading to a dead end.

4. The structure of VET in Finland (1) The VET sector comprises • upper secondary vocational education and training (IVET) • further vocational training (CVET) Education and training is organised • mainly in institutions (work-based learning included) • as apprenticeship training Two different ways of acquiring a qualification • initial vocational education and training • competence-based qualifications / competence tests

5. The structure of VET in Finland (2) Upper secondary vocational education and training covers • upper secondary vocational qualifications • pre-vocational programmes preparing students for upper secondary vocational studies Further vocational training includes • further and specialist qualifications • further training not leading to any specific qualification organised according to the needs of individual students and employers

6. Statistical data on VET in Finland • 174 VET providers • Almost all VET providers maintain several institutions and units • 150 300 students in school-based IVET (63 000 new students per year) • 24 000 IVET students in apprenticeship training (8 500 new students per year) • 35 100 students in CVET (preparatory training for competence-based qualifications) • 28 500 CVET students in apprenticeship training • Placement rate 77 % • 68 % of VET students enter the labour market • 9 % students continue studies • Drop-out rate below 9 %

7. Finland’s vision for the Future: Finland 2025 – built up together The Government’s strategic objectives are materialised in the form of 26 key projects. 5 strategic priorities Employment and competitiveness Skills and education Wellbeing and health Bioeconomy and clean solutions Digitalisation, experimentation and regulation Reforms Cornerstone projects

8. Skills and education • Ten-year objective (2025) • Finland is a country where people always want to learn new things. • Skills and education levels in Finland have risen, promoting the renewal of Finnish society and equal opportunities. • Finland is in the vanguard of education, skills and modern learning techniques. • Government-term objectives • Learning environments have been modernised and the opportunities offered by digitalisation and new pedagogical approaches are grasped in learning. • The number of young people who have dropped out of education or working life has fallen. The drop-out rate in education has declined. • Dialogue between educational institutions and working life is more active. • The quality and effectiveness of research and innovation have begun to improve. • Education and research have become more international and obstacles to education exports have been removed. 2. Reform of vocational upper secondary education 1. New learning environments and digital materials to comprehensive schools Key projects for the government term 6. Youth guarantee towards community guarantee 5. Intensified cooperation between higher education institutions and business life 3. Accelerated transition to working life 4. Access to art and culture will be facilitated

9. Reform of VET: guidelines • The status of VET in society will be improved. • The funding system and structure of VET will be renewed by keeping the various educational paths open. • A regionally comprehensive education network will be preserved. • Unnecessary overlaps in education will be eliminated. • The barriers between VET for young people and adults will be removed. • VET providers will be encouraged to intensify their activities. • Interaction between educational institutions and working life will be enhanced. • Learning in the workplace will be increased and apprenticeship training will be reformed by easing the administrative and financial burden of employees.

10. Reform of VET: targets • Competence based and customer oriented VET system • Better capacity of VET to respond to the skills needs of the individuals and the working life • From supply oriented approach to the demand driven VET • Flexible and customer-oriented pathways to skills and competences • Recognition and validation of prior learning • Concentration on reskilling and skills gaps of individuals • Supporting lifelong learning • Effective, high quality and efficient VET • Expanding the work-based learning • Strengthening the cooperation between VET and world of work

12. Proposals for improving educational and employment opportunities of immigrants (1) • The report lists a total of 56 procedures. • The educational tracks of those who receive residence permits should be speed up by lowering the threshold for integration training and the training following it. • The shared content of the integration training includes language studies, Finnish society and working life, and education opportunities. • After these common studies, the studies would be divided according to the target groups, with the objective of integrating them to normal teaching groups as soon as possible. • The possibilities for improving language skills in Finnish and Swedish should be increased.

13. Proposals for improving educational and employment opportunities of immigrants (2) • Preparatory education for vocational education and training and training that improves study abilities for immigrants should be increased. • Degree studies that are particularly directed towards immigrants should also be increased. • Language proficiency requirements should be reassessed and language studies should be integrated into vocational studies and working life. • The model should be developed to particularly meet the needs of immigrants in the education agreement pilot projects launched in spring 2016. • The recruitment of teachers with immigrant backgrounds should be increased.

14. Survey of the educational background, work history and learning skills of asylum seekers • The majority (69% of respondents) have completed from seven to nine years of primary and secondary school. • Around half have attended upper secondary school. • 14 % have competed vocational training. The vocational studies of the respondents were mostly in the fields of construction and manufacturing industry. • 27 % of the respondents have studied at tertiary level and 16 % reported having completed a degree, mostly a bachelor's degree. • 7 % have no educational background at all. • The majority are able to read and write in one of the two languages or in both languages. Only 7 % are non-literate. • 90 % have prior work experience, and many have experience in several fields of work.

15. Read more • Strategic Programme of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s Government: http://valtioneuvosto.fi/documents/10184/1427398/Ratkaisujen+Suomi_EN_YHDISTETTY_netti.pdf/8d2e1a66-e24a-4073-8303-ee3127fbfcac • Action plan for the implementation of the key project and reforms defined in the Strategic Government Programme: http://valtioneuvosto.fi/documents/10616/1986338/Action+plan+for+the+implementation+Strategic+Government+Programme+EN.pdf/12f723ba-6f6b-4e6c-a636-4ad4175d7c4e • Proposals for improving educational and employment opportunities of immigrants: http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Tiedotteet/2016/02/Maahanmuutto.html?lang=en • Survey of the educational background, work history and learning skills of asylum seekers: http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Tiedotteet/2016/03/kartoitus.html?lang=en

16. Training of VET teachers and trainers in Finland

17. VET teachers are respected professionals • Teachers in Finland are generally highly valued and respected. • Only one third of the applicants for VET teacher training are admitted. • The training requirements for VET teachers are fairly board: • an appropriate Master’s or Bachelor’s degree • a pedagogical teacher training with the scope of 60 ECTS points • relevant work experience. • The majority (over 80 %) of VET teachers fulfil the requirements set for their position. • Higher education institutions decide independently on the contents of teacher education. • All teacher education involves pedagogical studies and guided teaching practise. • VET teachers have wide networks with local companies and public institutions.

18. In-service training maintains up-to-date competence • Participation in in-service training is compulsory in most fields of VET. • The training is indented to keep the teacher’s skills and competences up to date. • The responsibility for funding in-service training rests with the teacher’s employers. • The state is primarily responsible for continuing education that is important for implementing educational policy and reforms. • VET teachers are also encouraged to update their expertise by professional development placements in enterprises and other work places. • Only few teachers have a personal training and development plan in place.

19. Finnish Teacher Education Forum • The Ministry of Education and Culture set up a Teacher Education Forum in January 2016. • The Forum aims at renewing teacher education following the framework set for skills and education in the current Government Programme. • The mission of the Teacher Education Forum is to: • prepare a development programme for teachers’ pre- and in-service education • support the implementation of the programme • create the conditions for the renewal of Finnish teacher education through development projects • analyse the research results on teachers pre- and in-service education • analyse current issues in teacher education, including teacher education strategies and policy documents in other countries and organizations.