Greetings from theErasmus+ National Agency

Final seminar of WorkQ project, 1 June 2017

Mr Mika SaarinenFinnish National Agency for Education EDUFI

The Finnish National Agency for Educationin a nutshell• In 2017 Finnish National Board of Education and Centre for International

Mobility CIMO merged to form the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI)

• EDUFI is a national development agency under the Ministry of Education and Culture and also the Erasmus+ National Agency

• EDUFI develops education and training, early childhood education and lifelong learning and promotes internationalization in Finland

• Personnel 370

• Director General Olli-Pekka Heinonen

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The link between the Erasmus+ programme and national policy• Internationalisation of VET a strategic goal even since 1989-90, one of five major

areas of development in VET in last ministerial development plan 2011-2016

• International skills also in national qualification requirements

• Internationalisation of VET interlinked with institutions own strategic goals, quality development of VET, attractiveness and the needs of the labour market

• Student mobility increased ca 50% between 2006 and 2011 – on-the-joblearning abroad for better skills and careers

• Teachers developing language, vocational and intercultural skills abroad. Alsonetworks and development projects.

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The Finnish reform of vocationaleducation and training• The reform of vocational education and training is one of the key projects included in Prime

Minister Juha Sipilä’s Strategic Government Programme.

• The objective of the VET reform is to renew vocational education and training by creating a competence-based and customer-oriented system and to improve efficiency.

• One VET system for all: VET for young people and adults in the same framework -> VET system based on lifelong learning

• The entire VET system will be reformed by 2018

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Case WorkQ – model for how Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships should work• Driven by student and working life issues, execution close to working life

(learning by doing)

• Based on real needs, but with will to experiment and do ’try outs’

- Discover – Define – Develop

- Verification of model, fine tuning of approaches, learning from mistakes

- Up-scaling

• Takes into account experiences from different country and cultural contexts(learning by bench marking)

• Links very closely also to national policy08/06/2017 Finnish National Agency for Education 7

New Competences for SMEs

Study and project titled “New Competence for SMEs”

• Analysis of how and why Finnish companies utilise international talents and what obstacles there are, with a specific focus on SMEs, as these companies have created a large share of the new jobs in recent years in the Finnish enterprising sector.

• The objective of the project was to lower companies’ threshold for recruiting international talents and to help educational institutions develop their cooperation with companies.

• Main finding: While internationalisation is a key growth factor for SMEs, it is only one motive for recruiting an international talent

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Talents for different needs

Companies have different needs

The primary needs that motivate companies to host an international talent may vary, even if several motives often apply simultaneously.

Corporate social responsibility

Aiming abroad

Talent hunters

Internationali-sation at home

VET students in work placement

During semesters

No cost

1 week – 4 months

Company's facilities

There are some variations between different vocational institutions.

Different ways of using international talents:

Length

Timing

Cost

Space needs

• International talents can contribute new

perspectives to the company’s practices and,

for example, product development.

• The company gains an extra pair of hands

and can benefit from the student’s work

input.

• The personnel’s intercultural and language

skills improve.

• The student may bring knowledge of new

working methods, new ideas or viewpoints

to product development.

• An international student may have a positive

impact on the company image and be

appreciated by the customers.

BENEFITS

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Case Jongla

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Study and project titled “New Competence for SMEs”

• More info and materials can be found at

http://www.cimo.fi/newcompetence

• And videos on the New Competence playlist on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvN38WkyIzAVPIXUwxGMfe7xkpUk0UOVs

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Thank you!