APPRENTICESHIPS
Apprenticeships WITH A FINNISH ACCENT
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n Finland, we have been facing the growing challenge of integrating vocational education and training into working life. This has led firstly to the inclusion of about six months of learning in the form of work modules in the training, and secondly to an overall increase in the number of apprentices. Under the current legislation apprenticeships are a form of vocational education and training at the secondary level. It is an alternative way of getting a vocational qualification, and provides the trainee with the same access to further training as schools and training institutions. Today there are close on 350 apprenticeship qualifications available. The apprenticeship contract is a work contract of definite duration where the trainee is a new recruit. However many trainees are already employed upon entering apprenticeship training. In Finland, apprentices are mainly adults. About 80 percent of the trainees are over 25 years of age. Since the beginning of 1999 private entrepreneurs can also attend apprenticeship training although they do not have any work contract. From the beginning of the year 2008 civil servants can also enter apprenticeship courses. Of the total training about 80 percent takes place in the workplace. The employer must be able to guarantee appropriate and diverse training and appoint a qualified or sufficiently experienced
person as tutor to the trainee. Apprentices are paid according to the general agreement in force in the industry concerned. An individual study programme must be drawn up for every single trainee. It is a general plan, which sets up guidelines for both training in the workplace and in the vocational institution. In this study programme all the previous learning, skills and knowledge of the trainee are credited. In most cases the study programme leads to competence based qualifications where the trainee has to demonstrate his or her skills in practice. The individual study programme as well as an outline of the demonstration of the skills test must be attached to the apprenticeship contract. Apprenticeship training is financed by the state. The annual subsidy paid for one apprentice is calculated from the average costs of vocational training in Finland and is about 60 percent of this average expenditure. The money is spent on training procurement from an institution and also on training reimbursement for the employer and student welfare benefits if needed. Apprenticeships are provided by municipalities, the various federations of municipalities, registered associations or foundations (i.e., individual vocational schools and institutions. Apprenticeships are work conducive, and this has been one of the reasons for developing this form of training through work, also inside the European Union. The major challenges we are currently facing are the quality of apprenticeships and international co-operation within the framework of new forms of student exchange. In these articles you will come across some experiences of Finnish enterprises and their trainees concerning “Apprenticeships with a Finnish Accent”. Hopefully, you will find these examples interesting and perhaps they may give you some ideas of developing your own way of organising work-linked vocational education and training. Kari Viinisalo
APPRENTICESHIPS is the English language supplement of the magazine Osaaja • Publisher: The Association of Apprenticeship Training Organizers in Finland (Suomen oppisopimuskoulutuksen järjestäjät ry) • Editor-in-Chief: Kari Viinisalo • Reporter: Leena Keskiaho • Translator: Edward Bonney • Place of Printing: Ecapaino Oy Lahti • E-mail contact information of the editors: kviinisalo@gmail.com
Research Casts a New Light on Apprenticeships
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pprenticeship training and its effectiveness has been studied in Europe and to some extent in Finland too. Apprenticeship training, among other things, has been found to create jobs and improve readiness for the labour market. In addition its costeffectiveness and quality is regarded highly. A key performance indicator of vocational education and training (VET) is how smoothly the transition from school to work takes place. In this respect, apprenticeship clearly demonstrates its strength. According to one particular piece of research done in Finland apprenticeships were the most work conducive of the various educational policies used to foster employment. State subsidies for apprenticeship training paid per student are lower
than in other forms of VET. Employers also make a significant financial contribution to the training by paying a salary to the apprentices. In addition the students participate in maintaining social welfare services by paying taxes. From this it may be reasonably concluded that apprenticeships are somewhat cost-neutral from the point of view of society. The quality of VET can also be assessed on the basis of the students’ and employers’ own perceptions. In 2011 extensive information was collected on the views of apprentices and their employers. The information below sets forth the quality of education and training policy objectives based on the distributions of the responses on a five point Likert-type scale ranging from poor to excellent.
The responses of apprentices and employers below confirm the results of research that has been done: Apprenticeships produce the skills required by working life. One recent doctoral thesis showed that small and medium sized as well as micro businesses are better environments for apprentices compared to the bigger companies. The personalization of learning and learning opportunities in the smaller workplace was considered to be significantly better than in larger workplaces. This is vital information for all of us in making sure that Finnish apprenticeships meet the rapidly changing needs of future working life. Kari Viinisalo
Apprentice Responses The percentage of responses falling into the categories good and very good. The number of responses is given in brackets (N) • Accreditation from previous learning (APL) when planning studies 84% (6817 responses) • My workplace is committed to apprenticeships 92% (4126) • I reached the learning targets for my studies 91% (4865) • Theoretical training and work-based learning supported each other 87% (4855) • I can recommend an apprenticeship to others 94% (4843) • Apprenticeship promoted skill development and finding employment 87% (8204) • Apprenticeship is flexible 94% (4330)
Employer Responses The percentage of responses falling into the categories good and very good. The number of responses is given in brackets (N) • Workplace needs were taken into account in the planning of education 86% (5970) • Basic training supported learning on the job 90% (3007) • Apprenticeship training promoted the development of student skills 93% (3750) • Apprenticeship training is a good form of VET 94% (3740)
Apprenticeships are an Important and Growing Form of Education and Training
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pprenticeships are a particularly relevant and growing work-oriented form of education in which we are investing, stated the Minister of Labour, Lauri Ihalainen. According to the minister working life has changed so that during one’s career it may be necessary to change profession three or five times, and education and training form a bridge over which the transition from one occupation to another is possible. Working life also involves lifelong learning and requires a variety of different elements. Apprenticeships are a complementary form of education that matches the changes in working life, and it is a form of learning that is being strengthened.
THE SOCIAL GUARANTEE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN FINLAND “The rate of employment for young people in Finland provided by the Social Guarantee is not high enough when compared with other Nordic countries”, the minister argued, “and now we are thinking about how we could find more flexible forms and build a variety of career paths for young people.” Among other things the Minister stressed were the use of workshops, combining a variety of educational forms, and modularizing the training in order to make it easier for young people to commit to training and to reach their goals by a series of shorter steps. One new path that has been suggested is to combine apprenticeships and full-time training so that the training starts with two years of off-the-job full-time training. Then, in the third year, the student would enter upon an apprenticeship. To this end there are some experiments going on in Finland on this so-called 2+1
model, with the results being currently analyzed. This model was started in order to find more flexible, work-intensive study habits, and it includes some interesting ideas such as the opportunity for marginalized youngsters to achieve an apprenticeship through a series of accredited modules. At the beginning of 2013, the youth guarantee comes into force. This means that school leavers from comprehensive or other secondary tier schools are ensured a workplace, study, a workshop or a place of vocational rehabilitive work so that no young person will see their period of unemployment drag on for more than three months. Funding has been earmarked for apprenticeships from within the social guarantee. Apprenticeships could be, in Mr. Ihalianen’s view, an alternative for some
people, but not for everyone since they are a demanding way of studying. Mr. Ihalainen, who has toured the country speaking of the importance of the youth guarantee and inspiring companies to take on apprentices, said that it was desirable to enhance apprenticeships by increasing training compensation for companies which take on youngsters when they finish their compulsory education. There is also a skills programme for young adults of 20–29 years of age with no secondary level education, or for young adults in the same age group who are qualified, but who have been unable to find a job within the first three months of qualifying. Apprenticeships are one of the tools used in this programme too.
The editor-in-chief of the periodical Osaaja, Anne Vuorinen, and the Minister of Labour, Lauri Ihalainen, discussing the challenges and future of apprenticeship training.
Apprenticeship as Part of a Generational Shift in Ownership
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he apprenticeship scheme of Evita, the women’s fashion clothes shop, was part of the changes that took place as a result of a generational shift. After a long career as the head of a restaurant, Heli Nieminen had already acquired some business expertise when she succeeded to the family business, first founded in 1952, but she wanted to obtain the complementary business skills that were now needed by taking the professional entrepreneur exam. “When I thought about becoming an entrepreneur, an apprenticeship seemed to be the most natural option for me since all the development projects in the apprenticeship are related to the generational changeover and development of the company. I also wanted to network with other entrepreneurs.
Off-the-job training amounted to 10 to 12 days over a period of a year and a half, and the training was based on my own company-related tasks. The theme of generational handover was also the subject of the demonstration of my skills.” Next on Heli’s program is the Business Management Specialist exam. “The best thing about the apprenticeship contract is its flexibility and the training, which is tailored to the personal needs of the student. When your studies directly benefit the company, you don’t get the feeling that the time spent on those studies is in vain. In daily working life there is no time to reflect on the company’s future, unless you make an effort to take time out from your normal routines. In my training, however, I have been able to see my business from the
Heli Nieminen
point of view of an outsider. If a business owner operates only within his or her business, the perspective can become rather narrow, but as a result of this training some important and thoughtprovoking ideas have emerged.”
APPRENTICESHIP AS A TOOL IN GENERATIONAL CHANGEOVER
Providing appropriate education and training for the entrepreneur and the management:
Entrepreneurs can also take part in apprenticeships. They may acquire entrepreneurship-related education or useful vocational training and professional skills in their own field. Learning takes place at your own place of work and is complemented by studies at an institute of education about 1 to 2 times a month. All study tasks are tailored to the needs of the company.” On hand to offer support as a mentor and as a sparring partner in the student’s entrepreneurial studies is an experienced entrepreneur. The mentor
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR ENTREPRENEURS • The entrepreneur’s qualification for strengthening entrepreneurial business skills and know-how • The specialist qualification of business management for the developers of enterprise leadership skills and expansion of business operations in companies • Professional training for developing products, services and processes • Developing one’s own skills and the relevant updating of acquired knowledge and practical skills.
brings an outside view to the development of the company that helps the students to mirror their own ideas. Apprenticeship is also an excellent way of bridging the changeover from one generation to another. When a company begins to plan the transition time, a suitable apprenticeship can be designed for the successor, ensuring the necessary entrepreneurial skills and other expertise needed in the field. When the mentor is the person who is stepping aside, this also ensures the transfer of tacit knowledge.
Good Trainers Make Their Mark on the Quality of Learning
Anja Brander (on the right) works as the workplace trainer of four apprentices.
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pprenticeship students have their own on-the-job trainer at the workplace responsible for the training that occurs. Students are usually supervised at the place of work by experienced workers who are ready to pass on their skills to others. The Uusimaa Hospital Laundry employs 230 people, of whom 200 are actually doing laundry work. Anja Brander, Shift Supervisor, works as the workplace trainer of four apprentices. Twenty years of experience in the laundry area and two apprentice examinations under her belt have qualified her to be a workplace tutor. Not only that, but she also got plenty of ideas from her twoday course to prepare her for her work as a trainer of apprentices.
“It was a rewarding experience. Some very useful discussions were initiated as a result of the participants coming from various fields and differently sized companies. It also allowed me to see that the problems are all very similar. We also had good trainers that expected us to be active too. In other words you were expected find things out for yourself. Good job trainers make themselves available whenever help is needed. They are interested in the students, ready to share their expertise and also give honest feedback. This last point is a kind of art in its own right. If I were to give any negative feedback about the course in fact, it would be that good things about the student’s skills need to be emphasized and encouraged too.
I try to consciously every now and again to put my things aside and go round visiting students to ask how it’s going, and when I come across problems I stay and talk until everything has been sorted out. I also follow what theoretical courses have been gone through and organize practical on-thejob training to run at the same time to make sure things are in sync. I want the students to have a clear idea of what things we do here. For example, occupational safety issues are important when studying, so I ask the head of occupational safety and health to talk about what safety means in our company. And when the subject is maintenance, the building maintenance manager comes in to talk to the students about it.”
Employers See Apprenticeships as an Investment in Personnel
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company can develop the staff and management know-how through apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are not only flexible, but the design takes into account the employee’s knowledge and training needs. Apprenticeships can be used as a form of staff recruitment. They are suitable for situations where a company lacks know-how or skills, or when it is required to train people for new tasks.
“We have long-term employment relationships and the age structure of students varies widely, with a couple of dozen people of more than 50 years old. This means a lot of varied and different kinds of expertise. Apprenticeship training is a great way to keep staff skills up-to-date and thus gain access via this training to the latest information.” Development Manager Leena-Maija Meller, Ruokatalo Saarioinen “About a third of the staff are taking apprenticeships and 20 percent of them study with the aim of getting a qualification. In addition, there is education which is not degree oriented in order to update and complement older qualifications among other things. As well as these people, there are prospective job trainers and evaluators of the demonstration of practical skills who must also be taught.”
APPRENTICESHIPS Are Suitable for the Social and Health Care Sector “Oiva is a municipal enterprise that provides the basic services in which apprenticeships are used along with other existing channels of recruitment and staff training. The recruitment channels in social services and health care, however, are not being sufficiently exploited. We have a shortage of practical nurses despite weekly enquiries from people about apprenticeship courses. These are people who have an interest in the field, but who are unable to undertake formal school learning for one reason or another.” As Director of Home and Residential Services, Tarja Rautsiala strongly argues the case for this potential not being wasted and considers apprenticeship training to be the best way of orientating oneself to working life. She says, “Training takes place mainly in a real work environment where there is professional work available after graduation.”
HR Business Partner Eira Karvonen, Canon “The final diploma work involves dealing systematically with work-related issues that are related to some of our most important indicators such as productivity, complaints, and safety and environmental issues. The ultimate idea is to transfer the knowledge acquired in studies for use in practical work.” Production Manager, Vice Managing Director Jari Palosaari, Rani Plast Ltd
Tarja Rautsiala
A Career that Took Off Through On-the-Job Learning
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Tomi Oksanen
n apprentice at 16 years old and a CEO at less than 30 years old, Tomi Oksanen has progressed from being an electrician to the position of CEO in his company by carrying out a number of different apprenticeships. Tom’s career development was driven by the fact that he was working for a company that grew rapidly and opened up for him new and challenging tasks. Tomi initially passed the basic vocational qualification in power engineering. At the same time, as he progressed in his studies and his skills grew, the work became ever more diverse. After completing his special-
ist qualification he was promoted to supervisor, and then to construction manager. “My employer supported me all the time,” he says, and Tom was very happy with the company and his work. However, he was also interested in expanding his horizons. As becoming a shareholder in the company where he was working was not possible, he applied for a job at Turku Electricity Services, who were then seeking a new Managing Director. It is almost two years now since Tomi was appointed the Managing Director of the 25-person enterprise in which he is one of the shareholders.
THE APPRENTICE PATH In an apprenticeship you can work towards becoming an expert in your own field by progressing from the basic qualification to the specialist qualification. The starting qualification provides the competence to work on basic tasks in the field. The apprenticeship period is usually 2–3 years. The further qualification can be taken when there is work experience in the field of about three years. Qualifying will take 1.5 to 2 years and provide a person with the necessary competence to be able to work in the field as a professional. Specialist qualification graduates work in demanding professional tasks. The apprenticeship period is usually 1-2 years and a degree in the field requires about five years of work experience after the basic training has been completed. Students who have taken the specialist qualification can also apply to become a Master. Apprenticeship training may also involve further professional training simply to become familiar with new tasks. The duration of training varies from four months to a year.
THE MASTER’S TOUCH Juha Ruokangas is a master luthier builder who works in Riihimäki and builds musical instruments for some of the top guitarists in the world. He graduated as an artisan builder of luthiers, and while studying he founded his own company with the dream of creating his own guitar model. “In 2009, I started my Master studies as an apprentice. The Master’s thesis was planned to include a new guitar design, construction and marketing. The process was videotaped and placed on YouTube, where it was seen by about 70 000 people,” Juha Ruokangas says.
Members of the group that passed the first two exams.
Juha Mourujärvi
There Are More Than 500 Qualified People Working at Koskinen
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imber and building contractor, The Koskinen Group, has used apprenticeships to train more than 500 employees during the last twenty years with the aim of training multi-skilled workers. The need originated from the fact that the timber industry was finding it difficult to get suitably trained individuals. Apprenticeship training began by offering experienced employees the opportunity to undertake VET training. Later, many of these professionals became trainers in their own right who nowadays take part in training young apprentices in the company workplace. The company values education based on a demonstration of skills in genuine work situations in front of an impartial group of evaluators. Among other things, appreciation is shown for the efforts of those workers who have completed a basic or specialized exam with a presentation in special ceremonies of so-called master or journeyman books. The company wants to train multiskilled workers. As Juha Mourujärvi,
the Training Officer, points out, “Flexibility is critical nowadays and being multi-skilled is the best way to ensure work for our personnel. It also adds to one’s own esteem as a professional.” Every autumn Koskinen starts a new training group and the theoretical part of the training is organized inside the company. He says, “We do not just train for the sake of training, but the training is always preceded by a discussion between the employee and supervisor to map out the needs of each party. For example, there is no point in offering a demanding specialized qualification if we cannot offer work that corresponds to the training. We want to train motivated individuals to meet the different demands within our company.” CO-OPERATION WITH A SIXTH FORM COLLEGE – THE FIRST GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED TWO EXAMS In cooperation with Kärkölä Sixth Form College (Am. English: Senior High School), the students are offered the opportunity to take a professional or vocational apprenticeship while doing
their high school studies. Vocational subjects are studied in high school along with other normal studies, while on-the-job learning is scheduled during an extended summer vacation. The first of the so-called doublegraduates have already received their certificates and honourary caps for passing the qualifying examination in the timber and wood area. Further training opportunities and secure summer jobs were the major incentives for the students to go ahead and achieve two degrees at the same time. The Kärkölä experiment has already turned into an established part of the school study routine. Every autumn future sixth form students and their parents are presented with the prospect of a double degree, and every autumn 7 to 8 students grasp the opportunity offered. In fact students complete three exams: the high school examination, the university matriculation exam, and the qualification in the wood technology industry. Students are thus able to gain important extra points when making applications for further studies.
Training for Immigrants too
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pprenticeship training is also well suited to immigrants as long as they have the necessary language skills. Languages skills are demonstrated in language tests, which include tests of oral and written skills. Students must understand instructions and safety regulations and be able to cope with the oral and written tasks when being assessed. Maykel Mesa, a Cuban came to Finland in 2009 and ended up in Mikkeli under the guidance of the Red Cross. He got the opportunity to practise in the Saikkonen car maintenance company. At the same time, he studied Finnish. As his language skills improved and Maykel showed an interest in the automotive sector, his new employer started to talk about an apprenticeship. Maykel did well because he likes Finland and wants to stay here. A man doing military service in Cuba is also eager to get a profession, and he sees an apprenticeship for himself as a good way to learn, because you can work and earn a wage at the same time. Now Maykel is studying for the car industry qualification and doing his theoretical studies in Kouvola. This is also linked to his Finnish language studies with the focus on the special vocabulary required in the industry. Maykel says his boss, Simo Saikkonen, is a great job trainer, “Simo has a wide knowledge of cars, and he can fix almost any car,” Maykel says admiringly. The company receives compensation for employing and training Maykel. In 2011, there were more than 183 000 immigrants in Finland. Of these the largest group (nearly 19 per cent) were Estonian followed by Russians, Swedes and Somalis in that order.
Maykel Mesa and entrepreneur Simo Saikkonen.
THE USE OF TOOL-VIUHKA Tool-Viuhka is a vocational education and training tool produced by the Keuda Group, Vocational Education & Training. It can be used in seven different language versions (Finnish, Swedish, English, French, German, Russian and Estonian) and covers the automobile, real estate and construction businesses. It is a practical tool for the students, entrepreneurs and immigrants and offers concrete help both inside the classroom and companies as well as on building and construction sites. On the 30.11.2012 at a special occasion to mark the annual European Quality Label, the Finnish Board of Education awarded the Keuda Group, Vocational Education & Training an honorary diploma in recognition of its services to multiculturalism in producing Tool-Viuhka.
Working in the Basque Country
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hen taking the specialized qualification to become a chef, Akseli Herlevi spent three months studying the work in San Sebastian in the Spanish Basque Country and says, “I chose the city because it is a Mecca of food culture and full of top restaurants.” Akseli Herlevi could simply have looked for work with the assistance of the Helsinki Bureau of Apprenticeships, but he wanted to find it by himself. Nevertheless, the on-the-job funding provided by the Bureau of Apprenticeships was of great help. “I got airline tickets and a little spending money. I also had my own savings.” He applied to the ten top restaurants and received a reply from the Restaurant Martin. The restaurant has been among the top 50 restaurants in the world for many years. At its peak, the restaurant kitchen had 80 employees from different parts of the world. Akseli says, “I made a lot of friends there with whose help I am able to follow trends in their own country’s food culture through the social media. Travel broadened my mind because in Finland I would only see what’s happening here. But these are not the only benefits of learning on the job as we had two days off a week. Then we went around with the other kitchen staff and waiters to eat at the top restaurants and to learn things. I also learned languages. The working language was Spanish, but I spoke English to the staff too. At the same time I also did research work related to restaurant management. I compared the methods of management in Spain and Finland. If you want to manage a restaurant, it is important to see a variety of management styles. You are then in a better position to decide what kind of manager you want to be.” Three months was a sufficiently long period of time in Akseli Herlevin’s view. “In that time I learned everything that was there to learn he says.” Akseli Herlevi
APPRENTICES ACROSS BORDERS In order to promote the mobility of apprentices in Finland, regional networks have been founded to apply for Leonardo da Vinci project funding. These regional networks have learned a lot in cooperation with foreign partners, and in particular cooperation with Germany and France has been smooth and effective. The networks were also created in order to establish clear processes and to develop information and marketing. The new thoughts and ideas that have resulted are available to everyone. The Leonardo da Vinci project funding has also provided good opportunities to develop these activities. The Rap4Leo-reporting system laid a solid basis for gathering feedback from students, and operations were developed in cooperation with one another as experience was steadily amassed from the exchange of students between countries. The application and selection process was structured, while the preparation of those who joined the exchange programme was modified and improved to better meet their needs. All in all the feedback of apprentices on their work-based studies abroad was very encouraging. They told us that after the exchange they were more prepared than ever to work abroad.
FACTS ABOUT FINNISH APPRENTICESHIPS Source: Statistics Finland, 2011
The Top 5 degrees
THE NUMBER OF DEGREES
1 Qualification in Sales 2 Qualification for Entrepreneurs 3 Qualification in Institutional Cleaning 4 Qualification for Teaching Assistants 5 Qualification in Secretarial Studies
• Qualifications 22 800 • Further Qualifications 4 636 • Specialist Qualifications 3 747
APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING STUDENTS BY FIELDS OF STUDY 25 000 20 000
Tourism, Catering and Domestic Services Social Services, Health and Sports Natural Resources and the Environment
15 000 10 000 5 000 0
THERE WERE AN ALMOST EQUAL NUMBER OF MEN AND WOMEN ENROLLED ON COURSES.
Technology, Communication and Transport Natural Sciences Social Science, Business and Administration Culture Humanities and Education