Finland
Themes direct focus to general competencies
Axxell is working to boost general competencies through thematic strands during training and education – especially for young students. This prepares them for future working life and the challenges they will face in society as a whole by helping them to develop technical, social and communication skills.
In Finland, vocational education training provider Axxell has been working since 2021 to highlight nine key competencies, which are effectively equivalent to general skills, as part of its training programmes. These nine competencies, of which eight have been set by the Finnish National Agency for Education and one has been pinpointed by Axxell (competence in well-being), seek to prepare students for both working life and their own personal development.
Some of the key competencies determined by the Finnish National Agency for Education pertain to more tangible skills such as “Mathematical competence and competence in science and technology”. Others are softer skills, such as “Competence in communication and interaction” and “Cultural competence”.
Axxell’s intent is to prepare its students for future challenges they will face in working life and society as a whole on the grounds that “key competencies are what people all over the world need – regardless of profession – in order to live a good life both at home and at work”.
In order to ensure that general competencies actually develop in practice, Axxell has chosen to use themed weeks and months as an educational tool.
Themes during training and education focus on general competencies
A central pillar in Axxell’s work relating to general competencies is the curation of thematic strands in which specific skills and abilities are emphasised. By linking theoretical abilities to practical situations, students are provided with a deeper understanding of how skills can be applied in real life.
These themed strands tie in with what is going on in the world, with examples including municipal elections and international days of observance.
“For instance, we’ve zoomed in on the issue of societal and citizenship competence when there have been local elections taking place here in Finland. We’ve also focused on competence in communication when marking International Mother Language Day,” says Johanna Lind, an expert in education and training with Axxell.
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We’ve focused on competence in communication when marking International Mother Language Day,” says Johanna Lind.
Photo: SkillsFinland
When working on their communicative skills, the students were tasked with the following:
- introducing themselves and what they needed in both a personal and professional context
- drafting written messages
- engaging in small talk with customers and colleagues
- appropriately greeting people in daily life
It is easier working on these issues with younger students who are enrolled in a vocational upper secondary training course. This may be because 16–19-year-olds generally lack skills in these areas and may therefore have a greater need for the knowledge than their adult student contemporaries. Adult learners more frequently possess these general skills but need to have these validated.
At the same time, young students are likelier to question why they need key skills (even if they go on to recognise the value of them in later life).
“Occasionally, I’ll bump into former students 5 or 6 years after they have left us. They’ll often say things like: ‘Actually, I think it was a good thing you taught us that. Now that I’m in the world of work I get that this is something I need’,” says Johanna Lind.
Thematic planning led by working group
In order to efficiently structure and organise the thematic strands while also making sure that all nine key competencies are covered in the course of the year, Axxell has a nine-member working group headed up by Johanna Lind. This group meets on a monthly basis, which ensures they have ample time to plan their programme of activities. Prior to the start of a new theme, they meet online with all involved teaching staff and instructors from Axxell’s schools to brief them on what will happen during the thematic strand in question.
Another of Axxell’s strategies to drive further student engagement in education and training is to work in partnership with the student unions found across Finland’s upper secondary educational institutions. Johanna Lind says they are now considering whether to bring a student into the thematic working group.
Planning the development of a mapping tool to highlight general competencies
Axxell does not currently use a mapping tool to highlight students’ general skills, but hopes in future to develop its mapping capacity in order to better highlight students’ progress and needs.
“We’re focused on ensuring that our educational advisors are honing in on what their students are good at and what they need to work on as part of that ongoing relationship and dialogue. A mapping tool would really come in useful in that context, as it would allow students to easily map their own skills,” says Johanna Lind.
In the future, Axxell hopes to both highlight students’ general skills and create thematic strands that will boost their opportunities in working life and wider society to an even greater extent than at present.