Project “Harmonization problems of lifelong learning in the context of providing quality and recognition”

NORDPLUS NEIGHBOUR
project

“Harmonization problems of lifelong learning in the context of providing quality and recognition”

RECCOMENDATIONS AND BEST PRACTISE EXAMPLES

INTRODUCTION

1. Formal learning system – takes place in education and training institutions, leading to recognized diplomas and qualifications;
2. Non-formal learning system – takes place alongside the mainstream systems of education and training and does not typically lead to formalized certificates. Non-formal learning may be provided in the workplace and through the activities of civil society organizations and groups and also through organizations or services that have been set up to complement formal systems.

1. Recognition and evaluation of the quality of non-formal lifelong learning providers and outcomes.
2. Credit transfer system from non-formal lifelong learning system to formal learning system.
3. New trends and effective forms and programs of lifelong learning.

1. EDUCATION SYSTEM

1.1. Denmark

1.2. Estonia

• Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (Eesti Vabariigi Põhiseadus, 1992) provides the right to education for all.
• Education Act (Haridusseadus, 1993) provides an overall framework and general principles for the education system.
• Basic School and Upper Secondary General Schools Act (Põhikooli-ja gümnaasiumiseadus, 1993) provides more specific conditions for establishing, running and closing state and municipal primary schools, basic schools and upper secondary general schools. Defines the principles governing basic schools and upper secondary general schools.
• Universities Act (Ülikooliseadus, 1995) regulates higher education.
• Pre-School Childcare Institutions Act (Koolieelsete lasteasutuste seadus, 1999) defines the foundations for pre-school institutions in municipalities, as well as the whole pre-school education system.

1.3. Finland

• Basic Education Act (Perusopetuslaki 628/1998)
• Act on Vocational Education (Laki ammatillisesta koulutuksesta 630/1998)
• Act on Vocational Adult Education (Laki ammatillisesta aikuiskoulutuksesta 631/1998)
• Polytechnics Act (Ammattikorkeakoululaki 351/2003)
• Universitites Act (Yliopistolaki 645/1997)
• Act on Liberal Adult Education (Laki vapaasta sivistystyöstä 632/1998)

1.4. Latvia

1.5. Lithuania

• In 1992, the Lithuanian Government approved the General Concept of Education in Lithuania which has been the main and the most important document of the education reform ever since.
• In 1990, the [“Seimas”] of Lithuania assumed responsibility for the legal basis of education. On 25 June 1991, the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania was enacted.
• The main law regulating the most important educational issues is the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania adopted by a referendum of Lithuanian citizens on 25 October 1992.
• The activities of institutions of science and higher education are regulated by the Law on Science and Studies (12 February 1991).
• The Law on Vocational Education and Training (14 October 1997) defines the structure and administration of the vocational education and training system, the activities of vocational schools and institutions of vocational education and training in the Lithuanian Republic.
• The Law on Special Education (15 December 1998) determines the structure and administration of special education as well as the procedure for organizing education for people with special needs.
• The Law on Non-formal Adult Education (30 June 1998) regulates the system of non-formal adult education, determines the fundamentals of its structure, activities and management.
• The Law on Higher Education (21 March 2000) determines the system of higher education, regulates the activities of the institutions of higher education and establishes the binary system of higher education.

1.6. Norway

• ”The act of primary and secondary education” (Lov 1998-07-17 nr 61: Lov om grunnskolen og den vidaregåande opplæringa), which covers the 13 first years of education.
• “The act of higher education” (Lov 1995-05-12 nr 22: Lov om universiteter og høgskoler).
• “The act of adult education” Lov 1976-05-28 nr 35 om voksenopplæring.

2. LIFELONG LEARNING

2.1. OVERVIEW

2.1.1. Estonia

• formal education acquired within the adult education system outside the daily study form or full-time study (basic, secondary or higher education);
• adults' professional training;
• informal adult education.

• General
• Ensuring study opportunities
• Organisation of training
• Financing training
• Implementing provisions

2.1.2. Finland

2.1.3. Latvia

• Professional continuing education programmes fostering persons’ professional competences. These programmes have to be accredited. Upon the completion of the programme they are given recognized diplomas / degrees / certificates indicating their professional qualifications. /formal education/
• Programmes fostering persons’ further professional development. Upon the completion of the programme a certificate is issued indicating the contents and length of the programme. These programmes do not necessarily have to be accredited. /both formal and non – formal education/
• Interest related programmes fostering persons’ social skills, social adjustment, integration and personal development. They are not subject to strong restrictions. /non-formal education/

2.1.4. Lithuania

• organized activity of groups of people sharing common educational interests;
• courses: day, evening, continued, short-term;
• day schools offering comprehensive teaching programmes.

2.1.5. Norway

2.2. RECOGNITION AND EVALUATION

2.2.1. Estonia

2.2.2. Finland

2.2.3. Latvia

Older people
non-formal adult education 1	2 formal adult education
less formalised settings	more formalised settings
problems with recognition	no problems with recognition
children interest related education 4	3 initial education or basic school education

2.2.4. Lithuania

Components of procedure	Acquisition of documents certificating completion of vocational training or completion of particular vocational training stage or module	Acquisition of junior college education
Requirements to applicant:	minimum 18 years old; professional experience minimum of 1 year duration.	secondary education; professional experience minimum of 3 years duration.
Expenses:	covered by person if he/she applies independently; covered by employer, sending employee; covered by territorial labour exchange, sending unemployed or person who is warned about discharge.
Providers:	every vocational school which provides vocational training programme and has license to provide it	institutions providing junior college programmes.
Form of formalization:	equivalency examination (eksternatas arba egzaminų laikymas eksternu)
Procedure of formalization:	person who wants to take equivalency examination presents application to vocational school for taking examination; vocational school creates schedule of taking qualification examination and credit tests for particular study programme’s parts necessary to obtain certificate of qualification in case if person wants to obtain such document; vocational school creates schedule of taking compulsory subjects of vocational training programme and final qualification examinations in case when person wants to obtain diploma of qualified worker; qualification examination and qualified worker examination are provided according regulations of labour market vocational training or Order on final qualification examinations of basic vocational training adopted by the order of minister of the Ministry of Education and Science.	schedule of individual assessment of knowledge, abilities and skills is created by institution providing junior college programmes after getting the application to take equivalence examination; examinations and credit tests of subjects included into schedule are provided by teachers of subjects; organization and supervision of final examinations and final thesis (project) is under the power of Commission of Final Examinations and Final Thesis (Project); Ministry of Education and Science delegates’ representative to Commission of Final Examinations and Final Thesis (Project) to supervise the organization and process of final examinations and defence of final thesis (project).
Awarded documents or qualifications after passing the examination:	Certificate of qualification; Diploma of qualified worker.	Diploma on junior college education and professional qualification.
Possibility to repeat examination:	not earlier than one year after last try to pass examination

2.2.5. Norway

2.3. CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM

2.3.1. Estonia

2.3.2. Finland

2.3.3. Latvia

2.3.4. Lithuania

2.3.5. Norway

2.4. NEW TRENDS, EFFECTIVE FORMS AND PROGRAMS

2.4.1. Estonia

• The transition to competence-based study programmes will be supported by information and training targeting the teaching staff, and covering the topics of modern teaching methods and assessment (with an emphasis on assessing the competence acquired).
• In study programme development (incl. in-service training), the professional standards developed on the higher education level, and the need for in-service training, will be taken into account.
• The organisation of work practice will be updated (incl. a clearer determination of the responsibility of the parties in the organisation of work practice, developing funding schemes that include enterprises, etc). There will be a clearer linking of work practice with the achievement of competence in the completion of a study programme.
• In order to improve specialty Estonian-language skills, students will be able to take Estonian language study within the framework of elective subjects, to the extent of at least one credit point.
• In order to strengthen international cooperation, and to expand the specialisation opportunities for students, legal acts will be prepared which will enable the issuing of joint degrees and joint diplomas (2006).

• The feedback from labour market changes into the study process will be introduced through the compilation of regular labour market overviews and forecasts regarding workforce demand, by professional group and economic sector, and taking account population trends.
• Employers will be included in the development of study programmes and in assuring quality.

• A career guidance system will be developed, which operates on common principles and will enable all young people to find study programmes that are suitable for their interests and talents. Such a system will make specialty choices simpler, thereby enabling a saving in resources in the entire educational system (2006).
• There will be regular analysis of the implementation of higher education graduates on the labour market, by the link between economic sector, professional group and specialty studied, and by pay rate and unemployment.
• Opportunities will be created for career guidance training for teacher training students and for working teachers.

1. In order to make higher education more accessible and to include non-traditional learners in the higher education system, measures will be developed which will enable the combination of studies, work and family life, and the taking into account of previous studies and work experience, as a significant part of completing the study programme. Universities will be autonomous in determining the conditions for entry and graduation.
2. The access to higher education by learners with special needs will be supported.
3. In order to improve the communication ability of young people, language-learning programmes will be initiated with the assistance of resources from the European Social Fund (ESF). Young people who do not speak Estonian as their mother tongue will have access with state support to Estonian language study of up to one extra year in duration. In the case of young people whose state language skills gave them a result of 60-80% in the state language test, ESF resources will be used in addition to state budget means.
4. Within the framework of a pilot project, young people will be provided with access to professional higher education study after the completion of secondary vocational education based on basic education, without sitting for state examinations. After an analysis of the experience, a decision will be made as to whether this opportunity should be made the rule.
5. The Ministry of Education and Research will cooperate with the higher education institutions to develop general national principles for the recognition of previous studies and work experience in the study process for all levels of study (together with career guidance).
6. For lifelong learning there will be a goal to ensure access by 12.5% of the 25–64-year old population to in-service training and retraining, and to adult formal education (also including vocational education). A relevant funding scheme will also be created.
7. In order to achieve this aim, the special benefit tax will be removed for formal education, state support principles for adult in-service training will be developed, access to state-commissioned education (SCE) will be ensured on the basis of secondary education for those adults who acquired secondary education before the implementation of state examinations, and it will be possible for persons with higher education to study part-time using a SCE student place in specialties preferred by the state.
8. In order to increase access to higher education in the counties, the opportunities provided by e-learning will be actively utilised, developing higher education institutions' joint e-learning centres based on public law university colleges and the e-learning centres of the e-university project. In the centres it will be possible to study any of the programmes of the higher education institutions that have joined the e-university, and if this condition is filled, state support for education specialists and tutors will be guaranteed

2.4.2. Finland

2.4.3. Latvia

• group work;
• business-like and role-plays;
• learning in action, learning by doing, with tasks on practice and their analysis;
• video training, as well as the use of audio and video materials;
• development of projects and their presentation;
• problem based learning;
• organising of presentations and their analysis;
• learning to teach others, develop study aids;
• promoting independent learning.

2.4.4. Lithuania

2.4.5. Norway

3. BEST PRACTISE EXAMPLES

3.1. Example Nr.1

2.1 PROMOTING OF LEARNER-CENTRED APPROACH

Guidance services can be divided to advice services and guidance services. Advising means giving a single information to the client, when guidance is interactive conversation about the clients situation, future plans etc. Both services are provided individually and in groups. The target groups for the guidance services are students and recently graduated academic jobseekers. Employment Office provides guidance services for job seeking clients by a psychologist and an employment counsellor specialized in academic labour market.
Working in the field of career guidance requires individual approach. It is possible (and advisable) to standardize the guidance procedure at least partly in order to maintain the high standard and ensure equal treatment in guidance. Each client has, however, individual background, values, needs and aims. Therefore it is not possible to create any universal solution to career problems, regardless of field of study and individual choices.
Theories about guidance methods are familiar among the guidance staff, but each counsellor may conduct the work according to the method which is best fitted for the counsellor and for each client. The most common methods are based on constructivist approach. It is also common to apply so-called solution focused and resource oriented methods, where the idea of working is based on brief, appreciative, collaborating and resource oriented ways in the field of guidance. These approaches are empathizing the empowerment of the client; he/she has already the needed skills and competences, but it is one of the roles of the guidance to make these skills apparent.
The guidance process begins usually as the students come to the office, although more and more frequently the first contact comes by e-mail. An info desk secretary will help the student to find a specialist according to the individual needs, or guide the client to find information by him or herself from the information services available (newspapers, magazines, the Internet). The premises are located in the middle of the campus area in the city of Turku. The service is set up in an easy-access basis and the information services are available for all without any registration procedures. All the services are available free of charge.
From the autumn of 1994 the Turku Academic Career Services has been a unit of co-operation between the University of Turku, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Åbo Akademi and the Employment Office of Turku. This model and the opportunities it provides constitute the factors that brand the agency both functionally and organizationally.
The three universities represent the academic community widely. More than half of the students who graduate from the universities of Turku find employment in the Turku area.
The primary mission of Turku Academic Career Services is to support the academic students and jobseekers when they are placing themselves in the working life. The services can be described with the following adjectives:

High quality
Products, services and functions are adapted to purpose, of high quality and they are produced as well as possible.

Active
The unit reacts to changes and needs that become evident in the operational environment and is a part of these changes. The unit also creates development and steers the direction of changes.

Effective and innovative
Functions have effectiveness and they are successful and innovative. The success and effectiveness of these functions justify the investments.
During the ten years of activity several established and advanced functions have been created. Further development of the services is based on systematic client-feedback. In addition to this the unit is active on developing new functions both spontaneously and in co-operation with other organizations.
Career Services operates as an interactive channel between education and working life. One of the major aims is to integrate labour market orientation and feedback to study programmes and to students’ individual study plans. There are several ways to enhance “learning by doing” during the studies – some examples:

Training
Employers, departments, faculties, the rest of the university and the students use the Career Services as an expert in questions of training and placement. Career Services notifies about the importance of training both as a learning process and as a promoter in a transition to the working life. Because of the importance of training period, the students should make their choices according to relevant individual counselling.
For the employers the training provides a chance to become acquainted with the know-how of the students and it gives them a channel to the most recent academic knowledge.

Mentoring
There is a “Way to the working life” –project that has been developed and executed in collaboration with the alumni practice of the University of Turku. The Career Services is participating in choosing, coaching and the follow-up of the students, whereas the alumni coordinator provides the students with mentors by putting to use the network of active alumni.
The aim is to provide the students with contacts to the working life and a deeper outlook to the labour market, opportunities of employment, assignments and requirements.

Working Life Thesis
The students are encouraged to make their thesis either directly to a working life organisation (companies, institutions, associations, etc) or in collaboration with university department and working life organisation.
The aim is to provide the students with contacts to possible future employers as well as to give students a chance to take part in “real-life” problem solving processes.

First Destination Survey
Career Services sends yearly a questionnaire to the newly graduated in which they are asked to evaluate their position in the labour market and the factors that have impact in it. Career Services circulates this information in printed reports and in the Internet. The information is also distributed via lectures in different occasions and via articles in media.
The primary aim for the First Destination Survey is to provide information about the labour market for the whole university. It supports the career advice given in Career Services and helps the guidance given elsewhere in the university. The received information can/could be used in student recruiting and in developing the studies.
Career Services participates actively in developing new curricula and remodelling the old ones. With the remodelling of the system of degrees and curricula there has been discussion about the interaction between the university studies and the working life, the relevance of the studies with the needs of the working life and the generic working life skills that the education gives. A number of faculties and departments are planning and piloting special working life oriented study modules, in which Career Services is producing material and giving instruction.
The unit is a partner in different projects and working groups that are developing the study programmes and study guidance. There’s a wide collaboration between faculties, departments and different study supporting units, but also between local, national and international networks (FEDORA, PEDA-Forum, Aarresaari).
In the near future one of the most important targets of development will be the evaluation of the new personal/individual curricula from working life’s point of view. Each student makes a personal study plan/curriculum in the beginning of the studies. The plan is assessed and revised with the study counsellor every now and then. The working life orientation and relevance of the plan can be discussed with career adviser.

Well-being of the students
The unit is also participating in various student social well-being projects in collaboration with other organisations. The mental pressure that students feel is a consequence of the uncertainty. Often students are not enough aware of the direction the studies are leading to, and they may be wondering weather the choices they have made are the right ones. This uncertainty weakens the motivation to study, which may lead to prolonged studies and poorer study success.
The aim is to give these uncertain students information, knowledge and the equipment to evaluate the choices and to make right decisions.


2.2 STRENGTHENING OF LEARNER’S LIFE MANAGEMENT SKILLS AND MOTIVATION

A variety of services are available for the students. Individual and group counselling is provided. Career advisers and psychologists help the students to structure their studies and prepare for working life. The students sometimes have lost their motivation to continue their studies and to graduate. Some have found the academic-level studies too demanding. Counselling for life management skills is the key element in these cases. Many problems are solved in individual counselling where the career advisor or psychologist asks the relevant questions to the client, helping the client to find the answers him or herself. Peer support from similar or different clients help to set things into perspective. Some of the clients are referred to consultation by the mental health services of the Finnish Student Health Service unit of Turku.
Individual guidance includes career guidance and advice discussions with career advisers, vocational guidance, evaluation of personal suitability and working ability, labour guidance and entrepreneurship guidance.
The target of the individual guidance is to clear the client’s career plans and job seeking situation, to increase knowledge about the process of job hunting and about the situation in the labour market and to get an objective picture of oneself as a job applicant. In the deepened guidance discussions the goal is to improve the client’s self-knowledge and to chart his/her resources in relation to studying and working. Better self-knowledge increases and allocates jobseeker’s motivation for studying and searching for work.
The different forms of group guidance consist of info sessions about job seeking, small discussion groups for career planning, career groups and different workshops. The goals are basically the same as in individual guidance, but group discussions often bring a wider perspective to career planning and job seeking.
One qualitative improvement is to develop a concept of coaching guidance, where client’s development could be guided and followed more systematically. The feedback system of the guidance services could be improved by expanding the use of the feedback form.
Although Guidance Services are designed for the whole span of studies, it is important to reach the students as early as possible, so that the career choices could be planned in time. For example all the students in Åbo Akademi University are invited for career guidance discussion in their second year of studying. When they advance in their studies they will be called in discussions for the second time.


2.3 SUPPORT IN IDENTIFYING OF POSSIBLE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

A career advisor helps the client to identify and clarify career orientations and competences in the labour market. The advisor can suggest the client to use the services of a career counselling psychologist. The psychologist and client can identify together a possible need for a further consultation to find out if the client has learning difficulties, life management or mental problems.
In the University of Turku there has been developed a new form of psychological guidance for the students with learning difficulties. During the first couple of years of the activity it has proven to be highly valued and needed service as the use of the service has exceeded all expectations. It has previously been taken for granted that the university-level students would be well enough equipped with learning skills and competencies. The studies are, however, become more complex and demanding and at the same time the pressure from the outside (e.g. the restrictions in the system for financial aid to students) has become harder to meet and cope with.


2.4 ENHANCEMENT OF LEARNER’S LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION

The Career Services is organised as a cooperation unit of the three universities in Turku. The Employment Office provides an essential part of the services available. The cooperation model also brings the vast resources (e.g. information, vacancies) of the Employment administration « under the same roof ». The services has a computer room with access to the registries and databases of job offers and to the Internet. A researcher specialised to labour market information provides the staff and clients with topical information.
The Finnish labour market is quite Helsinki-oriented. The unemployment rate of the population in working age is 8 % and among academics it is 2-4 %. Employers appreciate proper education, work-experience, social skills, languages and activity.
Best advice for students in their final year and for the newly graduated job seekers to get a job is that they have to be active and have own initiative. According to a recent survey, almost ¾ out of true job opportunities are invisible in a way that employers do not publish an advertisement but hire people from prevailing contact networks. However, it is important to use the services of the employment office, recruiting agencies, career services – they offer information about jobs they can apply for and about ways to enter into the invisible labour market.

The recruitment procedure can be seen as a 6 level model:

1. Job ad /own activity
2. Acquiring further information by phone call or e-mail
3. Sending an application
4. Interviews
5. Psychometric evaluation of skills, competencies and orientation/motivation
6. (more interviews)
7. Decision

The decision making can take from 2 weeks to 6 months.

The application works as motivational letter and CV. It should be sent on time. The employers favour short and clear applications with relevant information and good language. It is important to tell who you are, why do you want the job and what you can offer.
CV is usually from one to two pages. It contains personal information and also facts concerning education, work experience, language skills, it-skills and hobbies.
In interviews it is good to prepare yourself by finding information about the employer. It is also important to be prepared to answer questions about motivation, personality and work experience. The interviews usually take from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Best thing is to be just yourself an rely on your skills and competencies.
Psychometric evaluation might easily take a working day. During that day, consultants are testing your personality and/or skills. It is important to answer truthfully – not what you think they want you to answer.

3.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION/ “STATE OF THE ART” OF THE NATIONAL SYSTEM OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

Almost all the Finnish universities have a Career Services Office. The academic career services are organized as network called Aarresaari. The network operates in various levels of activities, most seemingly as a website in http://www.aarresaari.net. Apart from the website, the network promotes issues of marketing, quality assurance and professional development. Turku Academic Career Services has been an active partner in the network from its’ beginning.
Career Services were established in 1994, in the middle of a very difficult depression in the Finnish labour market – unemployment rate among the newly graduated was in general between 15-20 % depending on field of studies. Thus the primary aim was to promote immediate employment by strengthening the job exchange system targeted for newly graduated people, and by launching new forms of labour market oriented courses usually provided by the Centres for Extension Studies in Universities.
As the situation in the labour market got better during the other half of the 1990’s, the development of the services was focused more and more to guidance and counselling of the students from the very beginning of their studies. Apart from being an active partner and reacting to changes in the labour market, the services wanted to make a proactive influence in the development of both education and labour market.
In the beginning of the new millennium, the services’ cooperation with faculties and departments for the development of study programmes in the labour market point of view was enhanced. The concept of employability is discussed especially in the so-called Bologna Process. National network (Aarresaari) wrote and sent a memorandum to the preparation committee for Bologna Process of the Ministry of Education. In the memorandum, the career services focused especially on the issues of guidance, counselling and placements/internship/training.

The services supplement the possibly inadequate guidance and counselling services available in the faculties and departments as far as career planning is concerned. The system of guidance in each university is based on cooperation and interaction between various providers, which ensures that no overlapping or gaps should exist.

• In the department/faculty level, guidance is provided by study counsellors, tutors (both students and teachers) and teaching personnel.
• In the university level the guidance providers consist of career advisers and a psychologist for those students who have difficulties in learning.
• Among other providers of guidance (outside university administration) for students and graduates could be mentioned the Student Unions of Universities, Finnish Student Health Service and Trade Unions.

Because there are plenty of choices and actors in the field of guidance and counselling, the effective cooperation is needed. In its’ activities, Turku Academic Career Services is linking most of the providers to interaction whenever possible. This requires, however, the existence of (more or less) formal channels, working groups, meetings, efficient use of ICT, etc.
The cooperation between the staff members is enhanced by the fact that they share the same office and also meet during the informal situations (coffee & lunch breaks) during the work days. Crossing the borders of one’s individual organisation and scope of duties is more fluent when the staff knows each other and interacts in a daily basis. Innovative work methods and approaches are developed using the resources of the universities and the Employment administration. Experiences of these are then disseminated and mainstreamed in the faculties and departments by the networks of the individual staff members.


3.2 FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THE SYSTEM

The individual student and graduate can choose quite freely, which organization he/she takes contact with when there is a need for guidance. As all the providers are (should be) aware of others’ services, each one of them is able to refer the client to more accurate counselling services when necessary.
Almost all information that is gathered during the counselling process about the client is confident by nature. That fact restricts direct transfer or exchange of information between different providers of guidance, at least without the permission of the client.


3.3 EVALUATION METHODS The efficiency of the activities can be evaluated by various methods. The most important is client-feedback, both immediate (usually oral) feedback and postponed (written) feedback. The difficulty in immediate feedback is that it may include a factor of ‘social pleasing’; people tend to give more positive feedback in a face-to-face situation than later on, when they can give their opinion freely, outside the immediate context and personal contact with the adviser.
The clients have the opportunity to give their feedback by filling in a form, which is available in the premises, and leaving the form anonymously in a feedback-box. Forms are collected every now and then, and the answers are summarized as a report. The clients can evaluate the existing services in general, the services that they have themselves used in detail, and they are given a chance to propose improvements and ideas for new services.
The annual first destination survey consists partly of a general feedback of the Career Services. This is also a relevant way to evaluate the rate of use of the services among the whole population of recent graduates. That rate can be analyzed and the results can be grouped by faculty, by department etc. which gives important information for the marketing strategies as well, as it will be known in which faculties the students may be lacking sufficient awareness of the services.
Aarresaari –network is providing a model for quality assurance in career services for the units. Each unit has the opportunity to make use of the tested model when it decides to evaluate the quality of the services. Apart from self-evaluation it is possible to arrange a peer review, where the quality assurance working group of the Aarresaari –network audits the unit on the basis of its’ self-evaluation report.
Turku Academic Career Services made a thorough self-evaluation report of the services during 2004 and the unit was audited in December 2004. The aim of the project was to make a profound analysis of all the functions and services, and to make the work done by the unit more apparent and transparent for external evaluation. The project and also the peer review revealed that there is a need for setting clear priorities for all the activities in order to distribute the available resources according to importance of various tasks and responsibilities.
Turku Academic Career Services has been involved in various other QA-projects and external evaluations. The COIMBRA Group of European Universities (see http://www.coimbra-group.be) made a review of TACS activities and services in 2002, together with a similar monitoring of the services provided by the University of Granada and a consultative survey among other COIMBRA Group Universities. The review was a part of the LABORIENT –project (Lifelong Guidance; Competence, Partnership and Networking at the European Scale), financed by joint actions of Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth Programmes.
Career guidance services have been evaluated within comprehensive evaluations of quality, efficiency and regional role of some of the universities (External Impact of the University of Turku, 2000). At the moment there is a wide interest in quality assurance in the Finnish system of higher education. Each university is currently preparing to evaluate their teaching, research and other activities according to national framework provided by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC).
Among employers the services have been reviewed in 1998 by Taloustutkimus. According to this research, Turku Academic Career Services was ranked as second best provider of recruitment services in Turku region. There is in fact no true competition situation between the unit and other providers of recruitment services as TACS is not a commercial organisation. The unit is collaborating with both governmental bodies (local Employment Office, regional Employment and Economic Development Centres) and private companies (HRM/HRD consultancy and labour hiring companies).

4.1. CHARACTERISTICS AND ROLE OF THE COUNSELLOR

In 2004 the national networks of the Career Services in Finnish universities (Aarresaari –network, see www.aarresaari.net) and polytechnics (AMK-rekryt, see www.amk-rekryt.net) launched a project concerning the profile, competencies and needs for professional development of career advisers. The project was financed and managed in co-operation with the networks. Operational responsibility of the project was given to the Career Services of the University of Turku.

There are no formal specifications required for a person who gives career guidance in an institution of higher education in Finland. One of the questions that was studied in the project was the need for such requirements, and according to the final report of the project, more than 50% of the career advisers do not see any relevance in formal specifications. They were asked which kind of competencies are, anyway, needed in the profession:

• Personal guidance ; ability to listen, basic knowledge of guidance methods, social/interpersonal skills
• Group guidance ; same as above + pedagogical skills, presentation skills
• Co-operation with employers ; social/interpersonal skills, communication and marketing skills, knowledge of labour market
• Recruitment ; ICT-skills, knowledge of labour market, knowledge of various recruitment processes
• First destination studies ; methodological skills, ICT-skills, knowledge of labour market
• Strategic planning ; visionary and innovative orientation, management skills, conceptual understanding
• Management ; personnel management skills, interpersonal skills, ability to organize

Among other competencies and skills that are required could be mentioned a passion to be of service to the client and capacity to encourage the client to get involved and help themselves.
Among other sources of information about the characteristics of the counsellor could be recommended « Map of Competencies of the Guidance Workers », published within LABORIENT –project (SOIB & Scienter España SL, 2003). The map of competencies in the project report is more focused in self-management skills of the counsellor ; self-assessment, self-knowledge, keeping the high level of motivation and overcoming anxiety and tiredness, professional development, etc.
Counsellor’s basic role is to support client’s own decision making process by providing relevant and accurate information and by reflecting alternatives with the client. Long-term effects of good counselling are better self-awareness and self-confidence, which enable better career management and life-management for the client in future situations as well.


4.2. COUNSELLOR’S PEDAGOGICAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE BP

Career advisers are offered various opportunities for professional development. The universities provide general courses for all employees on pedagogical development, current academic and administrative issues in higher education, etc. The national networks of Career Services offer courses on guidance skills and methods, and seminars on current labour market issues.
The unit itself arranges educative and informative seminars for its’ personnel. In personal level, the heads of units have development discussions with all employees annually. A general principle is that each person in the staff has an opportunity and is encouraged to participate in education for professional development.

3.2. Example Nr.2

3.3. Example Nr.3

• Coordination of cooperation between universities and applied universities based on principles of profound studies
• Increasing the availability of quality education for students and other people willing to learn, for example adults, handicapped people, Estonians abroad and foreign students
• Educating lecturers of universities to compile and practice quality and efficient e-courses
• Providing lecturers with necessary technical equipment
• Improving the reputation of university education in Estonia and creating contacts for cooperation between foreign universities and business circles
• The e-University is the developer and provider of a necessary technological environment needed for e-learning
• Portal (including a database for courses and learning objects),
• Learning environment,
• Exchange system for courses.
• Necessary infrastructure for e-learning (incl. regional centres).

Number of Students

Environment	Courses		Students
Estonian IT College	WebCT	10	300
Estonian Agricultural University	WebCT	8	200
Estonian Business School	WebCT	28	550
Tallinn Technical University	WebCT	38	400
University of Tartu	WebCT	150	5800
Tallinn Pedagogical University	IVA+Learnloop	93	2500
Total		327	9750

• The increase of the quality of the higher education to the internationally recognised level by developing the cooperation between universities in warranting and evaluating the quality of study activities.
• The developing of study programmes of Bachelor's and Master's studies by transforming them into competence based and internationally competitive programmes.
• The achievement of innovatory study process through the improvement of the skills of teaching staff.
• The support of students through the development of the student aimed counseling system (e. g. counseling upon career and education as well as psychological counseling).
• The development of the support systems of the internship according to the expectations of the labour market.
• The elaboration of the conception of the improvement of the social-economic situation of the students and the social infrastructure by taking in account of possibilities of unified Estonia and necessities of the students.
• The development of life-time studies and the development of the correlations between the labour market through the creation and establishment of taking in account of previous study and work experience in collaboration between universities, institutions of professional higher education, vocational educational institutions, Kutsekoda and Ministry of Research and Education.
• The creation of the web based information and development center of higher education: for the presentation of information and auxiliary materials, training information, results of the research within the frame of higher education etc, and for the application of counseling systems.

• To improve access to education
• To diversify study opportunities
• To make the education more student-centred, taking the student's needs into greater account
• To provide high quality education under maximum flexibility, with course offerings being independent of time and place

• http://www.ut.ee/aveng/info/openuni
• http://www.emu.ee/avatud
• http://www.ttu.ee/?id=1879
• http://www.tlu.ee/?LangID=2&CatID=1335
• http://www.ema.edu.ee/index.php?main=310
• http://www.artun.ee/index.php?lang=eng&main_id=326

3.4. Example Nr.4

1. The international work and networking provided new partnerships between different organisations and expertise on a wide range of topics, e.g. theory of adult education, adult education management, and civic education, distance learning and others.
2. The criteria defined for the competencies of adult trainers provide a new approach for the further training of adult educators: to focus on what are the characteristics of a good adult educator.
3. A new education for adult educators dealing with different groups of practitioners such as educators, social workers, in-service consultants, trainers etc.

3.6. Example Nr.5