FINLAND

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FINLAND

• Independent parliamentary democracy since
  1917
• Surface area 338 000 km2
• Population 5,2 million
• 5 provinces
• 400 municipalities
• Languages Finnish and Swedish

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Finland in topics

• The world's most competitive economy,
• WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005
• Ranked third best in the world in the Networked
  Readiness Index, WEF Global Information
  Technology Report 2004-2005
• The least corrupt country in the world,
  Transparency International
• Ranked best in the Environmental Sustainability
  Index, WEF
• Top educational system, IMD World Competitiveness
  Yearbook 2004
• Ranked best in knowledge transfer between
  universities and companies, IMD 2004
• Top in the OECD's PISA study of learning skills
  among 15-year-olds
• Number three globally in RD spending per capita

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General Objectives of Vocational Education and
Training

• knowledge and skills necessary for vocational
  competence and (self-)employment
• support for personal growth and citizenship
• knowledge and skills needed in further studies
  and in life-long learning

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Providers of Vocational Education and Training

• the Finnish tradition of VET is school-centred
• the VET colleges are equipped to enable real
  hands-on learning of working skills
• the colleges are owned and operated mostly by
  municipalities or groups of municipalities
• approx. 200 independent, multi-branch providers
  of VET

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VET in Finland Upper Secondary LevelSectors
and qualifications

• Natural Resources5 Vocational qualifications
• Technology and Transport26 Vocational
  qualifications
• Business and Administration2 Vocational
  qualifications
• Tourism, Catering and Home Economics5 Vocational
  qualifications

• Health and Social Services5 Vocational
  qualifications
• Culture5 Vocational qualifications
• Leisure and Physical Education4 Vocational
  qualifications

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The vocational qualifications

• all qualifications take 3 years ( 120 Finnish
  credit units) in the school-based system,
  including at least 20 credits of on-the-job
  learning
• EU level 3
• gives general eligibility for higher education
• alternative paths competence-based
  qualifications and apprenticeship training
  (mainly adults)

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On-the-job learning

• all qualifications include on-the-job learning
  periods of at least 20 credits
• carried out at the workplace
• focused and supervised study, based on the
  curriculum
• a written contract with the company that must
  have a sufficiently high volume of production or
  services, and qualified staff
• student on-the-job instructor teacher
• the student is not an employee

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Skills Demonstrations

• skills demonstrations will be introduced in all
  VET
• the students show how well they have achieved the
  objectives of the vocational studies and the
  skills required in working life
• planned, implemented and assessed in co-operation
  with working life
• organized in genuine working environments during
  the three school years
• essential part of student assessment

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PISA 2003Programme for International Student
Assessment
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PISA briefly

• The knowledge and skills of 15-years-olds
• Math, Literacy, Science, Problem solving
• Survey every three years
• In 2003 41 countries, a quarter-million students
• First in 2000

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Finns were among the best in all four domains of
the PISA 2003
MATHEMATICS
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DIFFERENCIES BETWEEN SCHOOLS WERE AMONG THE
SMALLEST
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Factors in education
Educational environment
Educational system
Teachers and teaching
Student
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Grounds for good results

• Teachers and students
• From teaching to advising and guiding
• Sufficient support for every pupil
• Promoting individual motivation
• Teacher training
• Educational system
• Curriculum system
• Evaluation/pupils, schools, municipalities
• National assessment system

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Future challenges

• Co-operation between education providers from
  different levels of education system
• Co-operation between schools and the world of
  work - Increasing on-the-job learning- Skills
  demonstrations
• Globalization- Promoting creativeness and
  innovations

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THE EDUCATION SYSTEM OF FINLAND
3)
5 4 3 2 1
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POLYTECHNICS
3 2 1
UNIVERSITIES
SPECIALIST VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
WORK EXPERIENCE
FURTHER VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
2)
3 2 1
3 2 1
VOCATIONAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION and TRAINING
GENERAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION

1) An additional 10th year is voluntary giving
pupils an opportunity to improve their grades
and clarify their career plans. 2) Vocational
upper secondary education and training is
arranged in vocational schools (including at
least six months of on-the-job learning) and in
the form of apprenticeship training. Adults can
obtain vocational upper secondary qualifications
also in competence tests. 3) The Ministry of
Education has granted permission to a number of
polytechnics for trial post-graduate degree
programmes for 2002-2005.
WORK EXPERIENCE
1)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6
C o m p u l s o r y
e d u c a t i o n
BASIC EDUCATION
PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
AGE
SCHOOL YEARS
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DIVISION OF STUDENTS AFTER COMPULSORY EDUCATION
IN 2002
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Features of the Finnish education system

• Equal opportunities for education irrespective of
  ages, domicile, sex, economic situation or mother
  tongue
• Instruction free of charge
• Centralised steering of the whole local
  implementation
• Education system almost entirely publicly funded

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The Legislation of Schools
makes decision about the general national aims,
the division of time sharing between different
subjects and groups and in addition about career
counseling.
The Finnish Government
makes the decision about the aims and the main
contents of the subjects and groups of subjects,
the career counseling and optional subjects in
the national core curriculum. NBE also confirms
general and special supporting services and
general guidelines of assessment
The National Board of Education
Local organizer of education.
creates the local curriculum for schools and
municipalities according to the core curriculum.