Skills, Competence & Education
Here you will find the key current topics of our advocacy work.
Subject overview
Starting from the premise that the funding for vocational education in the field of technology should cover its implementation costs, financing should take into account investment-intensive learning environments, machinery, and equipment. Funding should also be available for joint learning environments between the workforce and educational providers, in line with the spirit of the revamped vocational education law.
In the vocational education reform, a focus was placed on work-life orientation and workplace learning, individualized paths, and competence-based approaches, resulting in accelerated studies. However, funding remained fragmented and challenging to predict.
The challenges in vocational education within the field of chemistry include low attractiveness and poor employment prospects for graduates of basic vocational programs, all while the competency needs in the chemical industry are growing and diversifying.
Objective of the Chemical Industry
The relevance of funding for technology-related fields will be reviewed. The weight of feedback from the workforce will be increased in funding decisions, as promised during the law’s reform.
In the future, funding criteria should be adjusted to consider not only short-term realized costs but also other training cost metrics. Funding planning should take into account the specific characteristics of expensive training fields.
The entire vocational education funding system needs to be made more understandable, predictive, and supportive of vocational education’s role in the workforce.
Implementing vocational education reform; involving businesses and making learning flexible. Creating new learning environments in collaboration with companies.
English-language accreditation for vocational education should be granted whenever there is a need for skilled workers in a particular field, and local companies are involved in the applications.
Finnish industry actively works to secure Finnish future expertise. In the future, we need the best possible experts for businesses to secure renewal and growth towards a carbon-neutral future. Expertise in natural sciences and mathematics (LUMA) is one of the most important skills needed by the industry. The National LUMA Strategy responds to the long-term development of expertise needs.
Goals of the chemical industry:
- We closely monitor the implementation of the LUMA Strategy. The implementation of the LUMA Strategy must respond to the industry’s expertise needs, especially when considering the increased need for LUMA expertise due to the transition to carbon neutrality. Finnish LUMA expertise will increasingly compete in global markets in the future. Finland must remain a leading country in LUMA expertise, and PISA results must be improved.
- An objective impact assessment will be carried out for LUMA-CENTER Finland. The LUMA Finland network has been doing valuable work in promoting natural sciences and mathematical capabilities for almost a decade, but its impact has not been objectively studied.
Additional information: