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Framework of Actions for the Lifelong Development of Competencies and Qualifications - Finland
Source: European Union
In March 2002, the European social partners adopted a framework of actions for the lifelong development of competences and qualifications, as a contribution to the implementation of the Lisbon strategy.
According to the long tradition in the field of Finnish Education and Training policy and Labour Market policy, most of the working groups and committees which prepare new legislation have social partners as members. For instance, Adult Education Council of Finland, which is an independent expert advisory body to the Ministry of Education, has social partners as members, and this time also one of them acts as the chairman of the Council. And social partners´ representatives are also members of the National Board of Education. Within the field of Ministry of Labour, the social partners are active members in its different permanent or ad hoc working groups preparing legislation and regulations concerning labour market training. The issues to be dealt with are within the scope of the four priorities identified in the Framework of Actions.
In Finland public authorities and social partners have worked together in close co-operation in an effective way for a long time. Most of the working groups of committees preparing new legislation or systems are composed of social partner representatives. All four priorities identified in the “Framework of actions” are dealt with in these working groups and in this co-operation.
In the last three so-called “national income agreements” covering around 90 % of wage earners which the social partners have concluded in 2000, 2002 and in 2004, there has been a special section on education and training. The social partners had proposed that the Government set up a high-level tripartite Council for Knowledge, Skills and Competencies, effective from November 2004.
The national income agreement concluded very recently (15.12.2004) for the period 2005 – September 2007 contains a specific reference to the Framework of Actions with the aim of making it clear that it has been relevant to the joint measures taken by the social partners.
Actions taken at national level
• to identify and anticipate competences and qualifications needs
The social partners´ working group produced a position paper on the education and training challenges faced by adults. Globalisation, rapid technological development, demographic development and social and professional expectations of people are key elements influencing these challenges. The working group also dealt with concrete matters in the field of apprenticeships for in-company training and also for the improvement and development of the competence-based qualification system, which recognises informal and non-formal learning.
The Confederation of Finnish Industries is running the projects, “Services 2020” and “Education Intelligence” in order to find out the future needs of knowledge, skills and competencies in companies. These projects have representatives from all stakeholders because they are open projects.
The purpose of the national Veto Programme is to maintain and promote the attractiveness of work and working life. Its objective is to have young people start their careers earlier than they do now and to encourage older workers to stay longer in the workforce.
• to recognise and validate competences and qualifications
‘Noste’ is a programme implemented between 2003 and 2007 to raise the level of education and training among the adult population in Finland. The education and training offered within the scope of the Noste Programme is intended for working adults aged between 30 and 59 who have no post-compulsory school qualifications. The aim is that the participants achieve upper secondary level vocational qualifications or improve their skills and competencies in order to have better employability in the case of structural changes. The aim of the trade organisations is to train 800 people to act as advocates for the Noste Programme in workplaces.
The working life development programme “Tykes” works with the active involvement of social partners and supports projects related to workplace development. The projects promote work efficiency but also the quality of working life. Besides supporting the development projects, the programme aims to strengthen and disseminate competence and development.
• to inform, support and provide guidance
The social partners have set up a working group to deal with the information and guidance systems. It came up with the concrete proposal that information for the young people should be given earlier than it is now. It found out that there is a need for special guidance and information for older workers and they need special support for their studies. It also stated the need to raise the quality of guidance and have some kind of quality assurance.
• to mobilise resources
The social partners agreed to raise by approximately 100 euros the grant given by the Educational fund to the persons who have undertaken competence-based qualifications. Some age limits of this grant were also changed.
The social partners asked the Government to put more resources in the State budget for adult education and training. Specifically the social partners wanted the Government to raise certain quotas in the competence-based qualifications system. In the vocational training for young people there will be a new system in which a young person shows in a real working situation the competencies he/she has acquired. This requires particular measures and resources and the social partners asked the government to give the necessary resources for the new system.
In Finland there is an organisation preparing the test patterns for the competence- based qualifications and the social partners asked the government to set enough resources aside in order to secure the quality of the whole system.
The social partners also requested that the Government put aside enough resources for Higher Education in order to develop its capacity for high quality education and training. There is a special program for young people at risk of exclusion, and the social partners asked the government to give enough resources for this programme. The social partners also asked the government to start to clarify how it would be possible to use the individual retirement insurance for the training purposes.
In December 2002 all Finnish national-level social partners concluded the bi-annual “national income agreement”, covering 95% of all wage earners in Finland. The agreement contained an explicit reference to the Frameworks of Actions and it included a special annex for education and training matters. The main actions of the national social partners have been to implement it. In particular, the following measures have been taken:
Actions taken at sectoral level
• to identify and anticipate competences and qualifications needs
The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities has launched a project under the heading ‘Local government know-how 2012’, which aims to construct a model that will help local and regional authorities foresee future needs for change and meet the demands for increased competence in the future. The project will examine what expertise they need to achieve their vision and goals; how this expertise can be acquired and how it will be managed, used and developed.
The State Employer’s Office conducted a survey among all government agencies to find out how they see that their competences and qualifications needs will develop by 2010 and by 2020. This information benefits the agencies as they make plans to maintain their core competence and to transfer competence from seniors to juniors.
• to recognise and validate competences and qualifications
The Commission for Local Authority Employers has initiated several networks which help local authorities learn from each other’s experiences and to jointly create innovations related to services, organisation, personnel management and development. These networks place special emphasis on competence development.
The government sector has organised workshops and seminars for public employers, which deal with methods used to chart personnel skills and which give examples of how to create career paths for personnel to develop their professional proficiency and keep up their motivation.
• to inform, support and provide guidance
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has prepared an information booklet called “Learning and guidance in working life” which looks at learning at work and related guidance tasks from the viewpoint of work within the church. The development of management is also discussed in the booklet.
The Federation of Finnish Electrical and Electronics Industry together with all the appropriate social partners have started a project named “Mirror”. It is part of the Equal Community Initiative funded by the European Social Fund. It has been set up to find ways to develop a basis for increasing the learning motivation of girls in mathematics, natural sciences and technology. Its main objective is to increase the proportion of girls participating in technology, especially in mechanical engineering, IT and electronics, by offering positive examples and role models as well as by developing motivational education and learning methods.
Public authorities responsible for health care together with appropriate social partners are preparing a joint recommendation concerning the principles, practices and methods of continuing training in order to fulfil the requirements of health care of high quality. Employers’ organisation KT will in future follow yearly the number of days and persons having participated in the training.
The State Employers Office has developed e-learning facilities for state agencies. An open platform for e-learning was given at the disposal of the ministries on a pilot basis in 2003.
Actions taken at company level
FinnairFinnair, the Finnish airline company, started the Competence Management Programme in 2001. The Programme defines the key competences in four roles in each business unit. The roles are management, superior, expert and employee. The key competences are the same in the title level but the content has been adapted according to the specific needs of each role. The development discussion identifies the learning needs of each individual and upon this process the learning paths are built.
Federation of Municipalities of Vocational Education in northern SavoThe Federation of Municipalities of Vocational Education in northern Savo has modernised its organisation and accordingly made it easier to offer further training for its personnel in order to secure the quality of competences and knowledge at all levels of organisation.
UPM-Kymmene
“UPM-Kymmene Corporation, Kaukas mills in Lappeenranta” has, with its personnel, jointly created a training programme in order to improve well-being in work. The programme contains leadership training for supervisors, how to enlarge a job´s description and how to solve problems. Approximately 60 % of the pulp mills personnel have participated in the programme.
Examples of good practice
The response of the City of Espoo to early retirement is age management. The senior model is designed to serve as an ideal model for age management. The goal is that as many ageing people as possible would be motivated and fit to work efficiently until retirement. The model gives an opportunity for career planning, education and training or new tasks. A central part of the senior model is mentoring.
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