EXPERIENCES IN THE NATIONAL REFERENCING PROCESS FINLAND

1. EXPERIENCES IN THE NATIONAL REFERENCING PROCESSFINLAND Raija Timonen, Counsellor of Education Recognition and International Comparability of Qualifications Finnish National Board of Education

2. How you present that the NQF and its qualifications are based on learning outcomes? • Learningoutcomesmentioned in national legislation– provisions on the qualifications and goals/ requiredlearningoutcomes of educationarelaiddown in the legislation. • Outcome-oriented approaches in curriculum policy have been present in the Finnish VET-education system nearly twenty years. • In national core curricula goals are written in the form of learning outcomes. At upper secondary level both initial and additional VET training has been based on learning outcome-approach from 1993-1994. In higher education the process started in 2005 and it’s still ongoing.

3. What kind of qualifications are included in the NQF and what qualifications are not in the NQF? • One overarchingNQF-allofficial national qualificationsareincluded • In the firstphase, the NQFwillincludeonly the qualificationsdefined in the legislation of the educational and otheradministrativesectors. • NOTincluded: modulesof qualifications, educationnotleading to a qualification, procedures to grant the rightto practice a professionorundertakecertainworkduties. • In the secondphase, the NQFshouldbeextended to coverallknowledge, skills an competencese.gbroadcourses of variousadministrativesectorsthatarenotincluded in the qualificationsystem, butlearningoutcomesaredefinedby a competentauthority

4. How you involve quality assurance agencies in the referencing process • The referencingprocess is ongoing • - authoritiesresponsible for qualityassuranceareinvolved in the process • - feedback (twice) on the draftNQFproposalwasrequestedfrom the EducationEvaluationCouncil and the HigherEducationEvaluationCouncil and also the National Education and TrainingCommittees • - feedback on the referencingreportwillalsobeaskedfromtheseagencies

5. Which stakeholders are involved in the referencing process? • The Finnish NQF process has been organised to include as broad a range of stakeholders as possible. • The NQF Committee consisted of the following representatives: • The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Defence Command Finland (Ministry of Defence) • Finnish National Board of Education • Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (AKAVA), Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK) • Association of Vocational Adult Education Centres (AKKL), Rectors' Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (ARENE), Vocational Education Providers in Finland (KJY), Finnish Association of Principals, The Finnish Council of University Rectors, Finnish Adult Education Association, the National Union of University Students in Finland and the Union of Finnish upper secondary students

6. Ifthereareanystakeholdersthatarenothappywith the results of the referencingprocess, whatare the issues? • Meetingsof the NQFCommitteehavebeenveryconstructive and consensushasbeeneasy to reachduringall the processes. • SomecommentsfromHEIs and working life representatives on descriptors;modificationshavebeen made basedon them,e.g. addition of enterpreneurship and languageskills. • Placementof qualificationswas made in consensus, onlya fewcommentsfromthe polytechnics and universities.

7. Who are international experts and how you selected them? • Stefan Skimutis, International Coordinator, Department of Analysis and Research, Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education, Sweden • Eduard Staudecker, Strategy Development (VET), Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Austria • Gunnar Vaht, Head of the Estonian ENIC/NARIC, Estonia • NQFCommitteeagreed on the followingcriteria for selection: • Shouldrepresenteducationadministration; befamiliarwithNQFwork at • EU level; know Bologna process, beinternationallywell-knownand appreciated, know the entity of the qualificationsystemorrepresentexpertise of general education, VETor HE; and ifpossiblebefamiliarwithFinnisheducationsystem. • Invitationby the Ministry of Education and Culture. • .

8. What is the role of international experts? • To ensure, thatquestionsconcerningreferencinghavebeenansweredtransparently and in an understandableway. • To comment the drafttext of the report.

9. Your experiencies with the translation of the referencing report • The Committeereport on the NQFproposalwaswritten in Finnishand translated into Swedish and English. • The referencingreportis written in Finnishand willbetranslated into Swedishand English. • Translationtakestime. Translatorsarenotalwaysfamiliarwitheducation and EQFterminology. Educationspecialists and thosewhoknowwell the EQFterminologyareneeded in the process to check the translation.

10. Particular challenges that you are facing during the referencing process • Ensuringinternational understanding – concepts and theirmeaningsdiffer • Givingclear and easilycomprehensibleinformationof the national systemand itsgoals, values and developmentissues. • Pointingout howcriteria 2 ja 4 arefulfilled • Transparency: descriptions of learningoutcomesshouldnotbevery long buttheyshouldpoint out the connectionsbetweenleveldescriptors and qualifications • Transparencyof the placementprocess of qualifications • Writingthe report is verychallenging , need to express brieflyinformation • based on a number of documents • Time for writers and the feedback team

11. Issues that you have successfully addressed • Cooperationwith and betweendifferentstakeholders • Goodpreparation of the materials for the Committee • Access issuesarenot a problem – based on law, no deadends (worksalso in practice) • Placementof qualifications is clear and understandable – allstakeholdersinvolved in the process & consensusfound • Learningoutcomesare the basis of placement , notVET/HE division e.g. someVETqualificationsareplaced on level 6

12. Issues that the referencing process helped bring to the surface and discuss with the stakeholders • No big problems– allthingshavebeendiscussed in cooperation • In the future, discussion on the placement of preparatoryeducation to VET and competencies outside of the officialsystem - widening the NQF to the NF for otherlearning

13. Aspects in which you think your national referencing process is strong and can be suggested to other countries • Clearpoliticalmandategiven in the Development Plan for Education and Research 2007–2012 • Involvement of allstakeholdersfromthe verybeginning, wideparticipation and wide consultation process in each phase. • The committee report formed a basis for the Government Proposal to Parliament for an Act on the National Framework for Qualifications and Other Learning. • ExcellentcooperationbetweenMinistry and FNBE/ NCP. • Goodcoordinationof the work, clearroles. • No consultantsfrom outside, the workwas in the hands of thosewhoareexperts in the educationsystem and developmentof qualifications and arereponsible for them.