Finland: more flexibility and skills for the green and digital transitions

EDUFI aims at faster process of developing VET qualification requirements, reducing the number of units per qualification, and streamlining how vocational competence requirements and their evaluation criteria are articulated. These changes will be linked to updating qualification-specific requirements.

Enhancing flexibility

In Finland, qualifications consist of units, which are assigned competence points. Competence points describe the scope of a competence (how comprehensive and significant a unit of a qualification is) rather than study time. 

To reinforce more flexible learning based on individual needs, the scope of further and specialist qualifications will be defined. In addition, it will become possible to include into the qualification units from higher education studies, another VET qualification or custom vocational units based on local competence needs.

Competences that are common for all professional fields will also be examined as part of the measure. The goal is to draw up common optional qualification units, for example, for the green and digital transitions, managerial work, and entrepreneurship.

Strengthening digital and green competences

New optional vocational units will be included in VET programmes to reinforce the competences needed for the green and digital transitions, based on the industries’ needs. These units can also be completed as microcredentials. In addition, green and digital competences will be included in all vocational qualifications as sector-specific professional requirements or units.

Other measures to promote the green and digital transitions in the development of VET include  government grants for education projects, monitoring of the sustainability roadmap for VET implementation, and coordination of the network for digitalisation in VET.

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• Kestävä kehitys ammatillisen koulutuksen tutkinnon perusteissa [Sustainable development in national VET qualification requirements]