1. Theme 4: Impact Evidence and Impact Measurement - Steps taken in Finland 2001 - 2007  
Raimo Vuorinen
Senior Researcher, Ph.D.
Institute for Educational Research
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Fourth International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy,
October 24, 2007, Aviemore, Scotland
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2. Themes Recent evaluations of guidance in Finland
Quality features and challenges remaining…
Strategy to develop a framework for a national feedback mechanism in Finland
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3. National evaluations of guidance 2000 - 2007
OECD activity on guidance policies
Comprehensive
schools
Upper secondary
Vocational
colleges
Polytechnics
Universities
Adult education
Employment offices
Vocational guidance and
career planning
Educational and vocational
information services
Employment exchange
services
Centre for International
Mobility CIMO
- Euroguidance Finland
Ministry
of Labour
EU-DGempl
National
Board of
Education EU
Commission
2004
FINHEEC
+ Follow-up
2005
NBE
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4. Key quality features in guidance practise in Finland
Educational settings:
Career guidance as a student entitlement in legislation
Career guidance as a part of national core curriclula
The competences for career practitioners defined in legislation
PES settings:
Tiered services in employment offices
Qualifications of vocational psychologists defined in legislation
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5. Recent quality features in guidance policy development in Finland
As a result of the national and international evaluations lifelong guidance has been included in the key documents of educational and labour market policies
National cross-sectoral initiatives based on the evaluation recommendations
Network of regional cross-sectoral fora established
Cross-sectoral thematic working groups feed the national policy development – still need for a sustainable national lifelong guidance forum
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6. Some features of the current evidence base – PES settings
Systematic client and careers guidance database and statistics
Systematic customer and quality feed back surveys and occasional studies on outcomes of services, results and productivity
The main feedback system of labour market training is an online Internet based tool (OPAL)
In co-operation with the employers the Ministry of Labour provides cyclical and seasonal information and forecasts on employment and recruitments
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7. Some features of the current evidence base – Educational settings
Due to the decentralised administration there is little national comprehensive data available in addition to the occasional national evaluations
The local authorities are required to evaluate their guidance services in connection with the overall evaluation of the educational institutions
The National Board of Education has developed online tools which can be used in evaluating guidance services within institutions.
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8. Challenges remaining…
The evaluations revealed that there is a need:
to develop a more sustainable evidence base to support the policy development, especially for the purposes of quality assurance of the overall arrangements of guidance and for assessments of impact and cost-effectiveness
for more explicit legislation related to guidance
to strenghten the user voice in the guidance policy development
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9. Suggested strategy to develop a framework for a national feedback mechanism
The development of the feedback mechanism will be integrated in the design and implementation of national pilot projects in lifelong guidance
The development of the feedback mechanism includes training of researchers
Establisment of a strong co-operation network of Finnish and international universities and research institutes for the needs of the educational and labour administrations
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10. Tools for service providers for self-evaluation
Suggested strategy to develop a framework for a national feedback mechanism (2)
The overall goal is to focus on general factors of lifelong guidance and some specific context related factors of guidance
Tools for service providers for self-evaluation
Support for the documentation of their provision
Data for national evidence base
Interfaces to feed the national lifelong guidance policy development
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11. Themes of the development work
Suggested strategy to develop a framework for a national feedback mechanism (3)
Themes of the development work
Linkages of career development and labour force development
Linkages of guidance in the design and implementation of the educational system
Linkages of guidance in the new ministerial structure in Finland
Evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of different service delivery modes
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12. Interfaces, co-operation in Transnational pilot projects
OECD/
IAEVG/
ICCDPP
Developing evidence base for guidance practise
and policy development in Finland
Ministry of
Industry and
employment
Ministry
of education EU
-Cedefop/ETF
Interfaces, co-operation in
Transnational pilot projects
NBE
Linkages with ministries
Nordic countries
2007
Parallel
national systems
e.g.
Statistics Finland
National framework for a feedback mechanism on lifelong guidance
- A common structure for data collection
Tools for documentation and self-evaluation
of the guidance provision
Companies
Comprehensive
education
2. level HE
Adult
education
PES
settings
Integration within national pilot projects funded by the Ministry of Education and the NBE
Integration with the development programme
within adult education

13. Steps taken to implement the strategy…
The Finnish National Board of Education has included the theme in their next work program
The Ministry of Labour has commissioned a national study to evaluate the new role of vocational guidance in PES settings
Establishment of the National Centre for Lifelong Guidance Expertise (pilot phase , University of Jyväskylä)
Discussions on the interface of the national strategy with parallel international initiatives e.g.:
Linkages with the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Work program
Linkages with the Nordic network on the quality of guidance
Linkages with the CRWG in Canada
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14. Conclusions: Finland has not solved the question yet…
However, the recent joint ministerial working groups have provided an opportunity to invest on sustainable research and development of the evidence base while redesigning the service delivery modes in co-operation with research & training units
The implementation of the strategy provides opportunities and potentials for transnational co-operation… …
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15. Thank you! For further information, please contact:
Raimo Vuorinen, Ph.D.
Senior researcher, Co-ordinator of the ELGPN
Institute for educational research
P.O. Box 35
FI University of Jyväskylä
(Street address: Keskussairaalantie 2, Building Opinkivi)
tel , Mobile
Fax
www:
Skype: vuorai
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