The skills required in the labor market change constantly, especially in vocational professions, and ensuring the availability of a skilled workforce is key to success. Furthermore, skills once acquired need to be regularly updated and kept current, in order to benefit both employers and employees.
Rapidly increasing youth unemployment globally proves that relying on traditional forms of education is not sufficient to foster vibrant economies. In most countries, there are too many graduates with university degrees, while at the same time there is a shortage of vocational professionals. The world around us is transforming through technology, globalization, shifting demographics, economic and environmental change. Vocational education holds the promise to respond to these challenges by producing the skilled workforce essential for innovation and progress to adapt to our changing world.
Finland benefits from a sound track record in high-quality vocational education, and this expertise can be successfully transferred to other countries and localized to yield the best results. Finnish professional development programs for teachers focus on the knowledge and practical skills needed to improve the performance of teachers in vocational education and training. Finnish companies specializing in Education Technology (or EdTech, for short) facilitate blended learning – part online, part face-to-face – for use in Vocational Education.
