Finland Project REACH 25. –

General background  The Ministry of Education is responsible for self- motivated education, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy for labour market training and employers for staff training  Some 800 educational institutions provide further and continuing education of varying duration, non- degree studies, as well as education leading to a qualification  In 2008 a total of 5.7 million hours of teaching were given in adult education not leading to a qualification  2.3 million participants

Why not Organise Training?  Nearly one enterprise in four did not organise any personnel training in 2005  The main reason was the fact that their personnel’s existing competence and qualifications met their present needs  Other reasons were personnel’s time pressure and lack of time and the fact that the enterprise had recruited persons with the necessary competence and qualifications

Good Training Practice Background  Marketing: web-page, local newspapers, personal contacts  Most popular programs: the ones where employment possibilities are considered the highest, like secretarial skills course for health care field and IT courses, in liberal adult education manual skills courses, languages and physical exercise courses  Learning form: face-to-face learning

 Obstacles: difficult to combine work, family life and studying, frightening to commit to studying as well as to take part in the competence based qualification examinations  Obs: the emphasis in the training offered by enterprises to their personnel has shifted from the development of professional skills to the improvement of the general skills needed in working life and work communities Other observations

Discontinuation of education  Six per cent of students attending education leading to a qualification or degree discontinued their studies during the 2007/2008 academic year  Male students more frequently than female

Solution finding  To find a solution for discontinuation and to keep the motivation we need cooperation with all participants either in organising the training or wanting to learn, that is the trainee himself, trainer, training policy makers  In addition, training methods, contents, place, time...

One selected good practice (GP)  Basic English for adults  Based mainly on listening, reading and speaking  A good balance between face-to-face and self- study sessions  Face-to-face sessions built around individual and pair work  Much teacher support and opportunity for discussing difficulties and coping with problems

 Internet-based self-study around interactive exercises which cover the topics and patterns studied in face-to-face sessions  Students supported by an on-line tutor  The trainees taught by students in collaboration with moderators (professional teachers)  Can be adapted to the teaching/learning practices of a specific country so that cultural differences are taken into consideration

Motivation is important because… ..a motivated person will surpass an unmotivated person in performance and outcomes ..if no motivation to learn, then no learning ..motivated learners for sure have a future interest in what they learned and are more likely to use what they have learned ..when persistence exists, people work longer and with more intensity