Continuous Learning in Working Life in Finland by OECD

Author:OECD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: education/employment
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Published: 2020-02-19T00:00:00+00:00

Improving the market for non-formal training.

Giving individuals more access to non-formal training opportunities, addresses several key challenges of the Finnish system. Non-formal learning opportunities are specifically directed at (working) adults. If properly designed, funded and quality assured, they have the potential to ensure that adults do not crowd out initial training opportunities designed for young people. They also have the potential to be short and labour-market relevant, specifically when designed with the strong involvement of employers. These learning opportunities would enable adults to update their skills continuously over the life-course, while being compatible with their work and family responsibilities Shorter non-formal training would also reduce the payback time to make the investment in training worthwhile.

Improving the market for non-formal training options and incentivising the take-up of such options is a complex undertaking. The functioning of the current market for labour-market relevant short courses may require radical solutions to shift away from the status quo. The change requires rethinking the funding for non-formal provision and experimenting with more market-based solutions. In a qualification-driven education system such as Finland, it also necessitates the development of certification systems for non-formal short-courses and a determination of how these non-formal courses relate to formal qualifications, e.g. by constituting micro building blocks of formal qualifications.

It is likely that Finland will build on its tradition of open, universal and free or low-cost provision, when it comes to the expansion of non-formal training opportunities. Consideration must therefore be given to how public and, more importantly, private providers can be incentivised to offer non-formal training opportunities, while keeping costs low for individuals. The recent Working Group on Continuous Learning (Ministry of Education and Culture, 2019[35]) explored different funding options for continuous learning provision, without recommending a specific solution due to political differences. Key ways in which non-formal training provision could be expanded and made more market-based include:

Public procurement in open calls for tender: This involves the public funding of non-formal training provision, following a public procurement process and selection of public and/or private providers. Providers deliver education and training in line with a contractual agreement with the responsible ministries, which specify performance targets and related funding. Estonia, for example, has been offering short-term non-formal vocational courses free of charge since 2009. Since then, approximately 75 000 adults have taken part in these courses, which is approximately 10% of the Estonian adult population aged 25-64. Courses provide training opportunities in line with labour market needs, comprise between 20 and 100 academic hours and are free of charge to the individual. Providers are currently vocational and higher professional education institutions, which are selected in yearly calls for tenders issued by the Ministry of Education. While the non-formal training offer has led to positive labour market outcomes for individuals (Leetma et al., 2015[36]), it should be noted that the state-funded provision has essentially crowded out private providers of non-formal learning. This could be addressed by opening the calls to private providers meeting specified quality criteria.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.