Guest blogger: Cooperation and partnerships will ensure the competence needed in the future

We understand that competence becomes outdated rapidly and we need totally new competence quickly. It is interesting to note that we people have created the need for new competence ourselves; and we will continue to do so in the future as well. A good example of this is the rapid technological development we have achieved, by which we are creating new opportunities, while rendering what we have learned earlier out of date. In a rapidly developing operating environment, competence development tends to be a matter of urgency – and this situation emphasises bold anticipation and flexibility in operating methods. Sufficient basic skills and learning capacity also support rapid competence development, which emphasises the importance of basic education and degrees of different levels of education.

When we talk about developing the skills needed in working life, we must carefully and repeatedly consider whether we are developing the kind of competence that will be needed in the future at the level of both individuals and organisations. Challenging, but possible. This requires cooperation and close collaboration and interaction between working life and actors in the field of education. When responding to competence needs, the traditional customer-producer model is hardly a functional solution. The activities must be based on everyday cooperation and long partnerships.

Finland can be a model country for continuous learning in the world

One possibility would be increasing the presence of educational institutions at workplaces with an aim of anticipating future competence needs and supporting the development of the competence of organisations' personnel. The education-sector operators would not be present for the sake of the students only, but a broader partnership would enable them to support the development of competence throughout the organisation. In the future, there will be no boundary between those producing competence and those using it. Instead, both sides will work in close collaboration, combining high-level objectives. Adopting this kind of an approach could enable Finland to become a model country for continuous learning in the world.

This is not going to happen by itself. From companies, the cooperation between education providers and working life requires awareness of opportunities, open-mindedness and the courage to invest in cooperation. This cooperation must be seen as an investment, which does not necessarily produce the desired results in real time but is expected to produce them later. In fact, paying attention to developing the competence of the personnel often has immediate positive effects in organisations as well.

Cooperation requires the right attitude and willingness to renew oneself also from actors in the field of education, including teachers. The teacher of the future is a broadly networked working life partner. From teachers, this requires that they question and develop their own operating methods, just like in any other profession, where people want to develop themselves. A whole lot of perseverance is also needed to create networks and opportunities for cooperation.

Investing in continuous learning will attract companies and investments

Once we have become a model country for continuous learning, Finland will attract companies and investments. This will create opportunities for economic growth. This will also allow us to secure the well-being of our society. When we are a model country for continuous learning, Finland is a good place for people to live in. We will be able to offer everyone a wider range of opportunities for developing their personal competence and thus, for example, ensuring their labour market capacity. Whether these opportunities are utilised will ultimately depend on how willing individuals are to take responsibility for their own competence.

So, let us educate children and young people with a positive attitude towards learning. Let us have systems that encourage everyone to learn and work. Let's do this together.

Teemu Hassinen

CEO, Finnish Education Employers