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Finnish National Agency for Education

Hakaniemenranta 6
P.O. Box 380, 00531 Helsinki, Finland

Telephone +358 29 533 1000
Fax +358 29 533 1035

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© Finnish National Agency for Education 2023

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  2. Education system
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  4. Quality Assurance National Reference Point for VET
  5. VET quality strategy and frameworks
  1. Quality Assurance National Reference Point for VET

VET quality strategy and frameworks

  • Education and qualifications
    Vocational education and training
    Erasmus+
    Quality and development
On this page:
  • Quality strategy for VET
  • EQAVET Framework
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Quality strategy for vocational education and training (VET)

The work on quality strategy in Finland has been on-going and tenacious. In 2008, a Quality Management Recommendation for Vocational Education and Training was published. Its aim was to support training providers in developing their quality management systems and to encourage them to continuously strive for excellence in their work. A VET Quality Strategy 2011-2020 was published in 2011. It is a proposal for a quality strategy for VET with suggestions of steps to take to implement it. Due to changes in the operating environment and new legislation, the VET quality strategy document will be updated and revised to support quality management.

VET Quality Strategy 2011-2020

On 16 March 2010 the Ministry of Education and Culture appointed a committee to prepare a proposal for a quality strategy for vocational education and training (VET), covering all sectors of the national quality assurance (QA) system and all forms of VET provision. The VET quality strategy was drafted taking into consideration the EQAVET Framework (European Quality Assurance Reference Framework).

You can find the official strategy document linked below.

VET Quality Strategy 2020-2030

The law on vocational education and training (531/2017) came into force on 1 January 2018 in Finland. The new law requires training providers to implement quality management systems and quality assurance at all levels.  Development of quality management in VET is one of the five themes of a programme that supports implementation of the VET reform.
Quality management will play a more prominent role, as new legislation and changes in the operating environment give training providers more autonomy in targeting and organising their training. The VET quality strategy has been revised to match the new legislation and changes in the operating environment. The new VET quality strategy will come out in June 2019.
The new quality strategy will be drafted taking into consideration the new legislation and EQAVET+ (EQAVET network paper on complementing the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework). 

Strategic policies up to 2030 (Draft 1.4.2019)

The following is a summary of the strategic policy proposals made by the VET quality strategy working group to ensure and improve quality in VET. Policies and their implementation will be monitored every three years and updated when needed on the basis of the monitoring and changes in the operating environment.

Comprehensive quality management: Quality management should be comprehensive and systematic at all levels of VET, in service networks and partnerships. Quality management is an integral part of the work of anybody working in VET.

Customer-orientation: Quality and quality management will be developed on the basis of the needs and expectations of different customer groups, and customers will play an active role in the process. Quality management will add value to customers at all levels of VET, in partnerships and networks.

Continuous improvement towards excellence: Those working in VET will develop their work systematically and pro-actively to respond to changing requirements of the operating environment. They and the entire competence development system is able to recognise when changes are needed and to update and develop quality management systems in line with them. The improvement of quality is based on continuous learning and strive for excellence in all activities.

Decision-making, steering and leadership: Steering, leadership and decision-making at all levels of VET are based on a wide range of appropriate, reliable and comprehensive information derived from anticipatory activities, assessments, monitoring, from results and other sources. Those working in VET are able to produce, analyse, process and use information in decision-making and development.

Results, competences and result-orientation: The key role of VET is to produce skills and competences needed by individuals, employers and the society. Those working in VET will set clear targets for their activities and quality management. Results will be monitored and evaluated against the set targets. The results form the basis for setting new targets and for improvements.
 

  • VET Quality Strategy 2011-2020 (pdf in Finnish, Abstract in English on page 5)
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EQAVET Framework

The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework (EQAVET Framework) which called for Member States to further develop the quality criteria and indicative descriptors was given on 18 June 2009. The framework covers the different phases of quality assurance: planning, implementation, evaluation and feedback. Each phase includes common quality requirements and indicative descriptors, which Member States and training providers can use to support them in implementing the framework when needed. Furthermore, the framework includes a number of indicators from which Member States can select those that best suit them to support assessment of VET systems and/or providers and improvement of quality.

In 2016, a working group consisting of national representatives of the EQAVET network and European stakeholders produced a document to complement the EQAVET framework (EQAVET+).

The National Reference Points (NRP) play a key role in implementing the framework. In Finland, the NRP is the Finnish National Agency for Education.
 

Attachments
Read more about the EQAVET framework and the complementing EQAVET+ paper. Downloadable files in pdf format.
European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET-viitekehys) (pdf, 749.97 KB)
EQAVET+ Indicative Descriptors English (pdf, 341.95 KB)
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Hakaniemenranta 6
P.O. Box 380, 00531 Helsinki, Finland

Telephone +358 29 533 1000
Fax +358 29 533 1035

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© Finnish National Agency for Education 2023