FINNISH DEVELOPMENTS IN QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VET

NCP-VET-CO – project

21 – 22 October 2010, Prague

Mari Räkköläinen

Counsellor of Education

Head of Unit

Finnish National Board of Education

Finnish Education System6 Polytechnics postgraduate

5

4 Universities 4

3 3 Polytechnics2 2

1 1

3 General upper 3 Upper secondary2 secondary 2 vocational1 schools 1 qualifications *)

9 (10)

1 Pre-school education, 6-year-olds

*) Also provided in the form of apprenticeship training

Basic education, ages 7 - 16

WORKINGLIFE

Additional VET *) Further voc. qualifications Specialist voc. qualifications

Finnish National Board of Education

Role of the FNBE in VET QA

• Prepares the national qualification requirements for VET• Decides on the learning outcomes of the studies and

their assessment• Evaluates nationally learning outcomes• Promotes quality management in VET and support the

providers in QA• Supports and develops nationally important aims in

close co-operation with the providers and working life

School leavers after 9 years of compulsory education

School leavers(comprehensiveSchool)

66893 (year 2010)

47,9 % upper secondarygeneral education

49,8 % upper secondaryvocational education

2,0 % optional 10th year incomprehensive school

3,4 % did not continue directly in education

Quality Management in Finland(Important topics)• Decentralisation• Normative regulations decreasing• The provider is the main actor• Importance to look at same time at different levels:

institution/provider/regional/national and EU levels• Decisions on quality enhancement mainly made by the

education provider• The provider choices the method of quality management

and self-evaluation• the law obligates providers to evaluate their VET

provision and its effectiviness and participate in external evaluation of their operations

EXAMPLES OF NATIONAL STEERING OF QA IN VET Licencing of VET providers

Accreditation: fields of training, maximum number of students/year, other requirements and provisions

National requirements for VET Requirements and local curricula designed in cooperation with students and representatives of working life Individual study programmes

Quality Management Recommendation The CQAF (the EQAVET) has been reference model

On voluntary basis

foundation for long-term development of QA

Quality awards Quality award for vocational education and training

Quality award for apprenticeship training

Quality award for civic colleges/open colleges

STRUCTURE OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE RECOMMENDATIONSEDUCATION AND TRAINING POLICY DEFINITIONS AND PRIORITIES

NATIONAL STEERING OF VET

RECOMMENDATIONS

GENERAL BASIS OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT

The Common QualityAssurance Framework(CQAF)- planning- implementation- evaluation and assessment- review (feedback and procedures for change)

Characteristics of excellence-consideration of functions as a whole-customer focus -leadership- result orientation- continuous learning, innovation and improvement- people as resources- effective processes- relevance to the world of work and partnerships- social responsibility

Design, assessment, validation and recognition of competences / learning outcomes in Finland

Current developments in national steering of QA

Performance-based funding 2% -> 3% (2011)Indicators: employment rate, drop out rate, graduation rate, transition to HE, staff qualification and staff development

Measurement (2011): effectiviness (90%), teachers´ qualification (7%) and staff development (3%) More focus on local situation and present conditions of providers Take more into considerations providers own efforts on graduation and employment Take into consideration students background and underlying factors

DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VET CURRENT ACTIVITIES

• Taking actively part in QA activities at European level (ENQA-VET, EQAVET)

• FNBE is QANRP (quality assurance reference point) in Finland (website, organize QA seminars, provide training, cooperate with other QARNPs and all the QA activies )

• Active national QA network: network of the people who work with quality issues in VET has been established

• the national development and support activities to promote the use of Peer Reviews.

• Peer learning/ review activities at national and local level-> requirements and recommendations

National Peer Review activities in Finland

• The procedure for Transnational European PeerReviews can be used in Finland for both IVET and CVET (only some slight modification needed)

• National criteria for IVET and CVET have been developed based on European Peer Review cirteria.

• Many Peer Review trainings have been organised.• Peer Review procedure have been used in ESR projects (experience on European Peer

Review projects have been used) and criteria have been developed• CIMO in cooperation with FNBE has developed draft criteria and Peer Review

procedure for TOI projects and they will be piloted in autumn• Establishment a coordinating group for Peer Reviews used in quality improvement tool

for projects at national level.

DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VET CURRENT ACTIVITIES

• Ministry of Education and Culture with FNBE and key stakeholder groups are preparing quality assurance strategy for VET. The strategy will be ready at the end of the year 2010

• Quality improvement of apprenticeship training

-> National development project 2009 – 2010

-> Designing quality requirements and recommendations

-> Handbook of QA

First results of the survey on Quality Management

• FNBE has made a survey on QA year 2004 and spring 2009 again.

• FNBE has sent the on-line questionnaire to 158 VET providers.

• 110 answered the questionnaire (69 %).• 27 respondents (27 %) has made systematic quality

work over 10 years, 28 respondents (27 %) 6 -10 years, 19 respondents (19 %) 3-5 years and 28 respondents (27 %) less than 3 years.

How long have the VET providers made systematic quality work on year 2009 and 2004?

Leena Koski

Year 2004 the respondents were mostly persons responsible for quality work in a college. Year

2009 the respondents were VET providers.

Quality models/methods which have been used and/or are in use at VET provider level?

Documentation of QA principles(All together 186 choices, almost every second respondent (N = 110) has answered that they have been documented at least in two places)

Leena Koski

FUTURE NEEDS AND CHALLENGES OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT (Survey 2004 /2008, by FNBE)

To motivate and to commit the managers and the staff

To ensure enough resources for Quality Management

To describe the key processes of education and training

To manage by processes

To measure the results of learning and teaching processes

FUTURE NEEDS AND CHALLENGES OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT (Survey 2004,2008 by FNBE)

To develop the systematic feedback proceduresTo identify good indicatorsTo analyse and to evaluate the results and make

decisions based on results (development activities)To implement BSC model and combine it with EFQM-

modelTo promote the co-operation and exchange of good

practiceQUALITY WORK INTO EVERYDAY PRACTICE!

THANK YOU!

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN FINLAND - More Information

www.minedu.fiMinistry of Education

www.edu.fithe Finnish education portal information in Finnish, Swedish and English

www.oph.fiFinnish National Board of Educationinformation in Finnish, Swedish and English