Developing Quality of Guidance and Counselling Services in Education in

Finland

IAEVG –conference

October 19th 2011

Cape Town, South Africa

Heli Piikkilä, City of Tampere

Anu Turunen, City of Rovaniemi

Tampere

Rovaniemi

Tampere

Rovaniemi

• Where is Finland???

• Where is Finland???

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SERVICES IN FINLAND

COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS

UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

VOCATIONAL COLLEGES

POLYTECHNICS

UNIVERSITIES

EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICES

Vocational guidance and career planning

Educational and vocational information services

Employment exchange services

CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY CIMO

Euroguidance Finland

FINNISH GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SYSTEM

DOCUMENTS

National level• Acts of education (1999) • The national curriculum guidelines (2004)

Regional or local level• Local curriculum• Strategies• Agreements and year plans• Budgets• Other documents related to guidance and counselling services, evaluation plan etc

Organisational level• School curriculum• Year plan• Other documents

Education and training of guidance professionals

Strong research base

Support from the policy-makers

PES and school system complement each other

CHARACTERISTICS OF FINNISH GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SERVICES

NATIONAL CURRICULUM GUIDELINESHOLISTIC APPROACHPupils and students are entitled to have educational and vocational guidance during every working day at school.GOALS:• supporting personal growth and development • promoting the development of study skills and helping in learning difficulties • counselling and guiding students in educational and vocational and professional orientation • promoting students’ skills for planning and realising life long learning- skills to use different tools to search information

COUNSELLING PROCESS (Kasurinen 2005)

CURRICULUM GUIDELINES: psycho-social support counselling of study skills and learning career counselling

1 9Choices. decision making

CO OPERATION WITH WORKING LIFE

FOLLOW-UP

INDIVIDUAL STUDY PATHVocational school

Upper secondary school

TRANSITION

TRANSITIONTO WORKLIFE ORFURTHEREDUCATION

TRANSITIONTO FURTHEREDUCATION

Flexibleoptions

Comprehensive education

DIRECT TRANSITION TO FURTHER STUDIES IN FINLAND 9TH GRADERS

          

 

 

DISCONTINUATION OF EDUCATION IN FINLAND 2000/2001 to 2008/2009

CONTINUATION AFTER UPPER GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION IN 2009

Total number

of students

33011

FINLAND 17,7 % polytechnics

18,3 % university education

59 % did not continue directly in education

5 % upper secondary vocational education

CONTINUATION AFTER 9 YEARS OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN TAMPERE 2011

Total number

of pupils

(comprehensive school))

1934 (year 2010) 3,5 % optional 10th year 2 %

38 % upper secondary 41% vocational educ.

53 +3,7 % upper secondary 50 % general education

0,3% did not continue 8 % directly in education

3% other educationFINLAND 2009

I

Developing feedback mechanisms for guidance provision in basic education

Oporointi- pilot project

2009-2011

Heli Piikkilä

Guidance Counsellor

Coordinator

City of Tampere

Background

•Evaluation of Educational Guidance and Counselling in Finland in 2001-2002 (Numminen & al 2002) Finnish National Board of Educationhttp://www.oph.fi/english/publications/2003/evaluation_of_educational_guidance_and_counselling_in_finland

•Career guidance development project 2003-2007 (FNBE)

•New national project for quality development of guidance and counselling in basic education 2008-2010

Documents

Numminen et al 2002

FNBE

Time dimension - learning path

Questions to promote the cycle of strategic learning Dimensions of guidance

Policy dimension

Contextual dimension

Organizational dimension

Responsibility dimension

Division of labourdimension

Content dimension

Methodological dimension

Strenghts Development needs

Reformative activities

Flexible activities

Revision of the activities on the basis of client feedback

Actions and continuouslearning

Analysis and evaluation

Visios, strategies, development goals

Communication andcommitment

Bottom up

Top down

Systemic levels of guidance

I Public policies in guidance

Str

ateg

ic d

esig

n an

d e

valu

atio

nS

ervi

ces

visi

ble

to c

lient

s

II Guidance provision(I and IITheories related toorganizational development, management, leadership, networks and systemic thinking)

III Guidance services visible to clients

(Theories of careerdevelopment and guidance)

A systemic model for interdisciplinary guidance networks (Nykänen, Karjalainen, Vuorinen & Pöyliö 2007)

Some Examples

Questionnaires for students, parents, guidance counsellors, principals, decision makers

They include questions about• Necessity and access for guidance• Facilities and resources for guidance• Goals and aims of career guidance• Coherence of guidance services within the school• Individual learning programme• Study skills of the pupils

•Ability for further educational and career plans•Client satisfaction of career guidance services

Counsellors and principals:

Meeting the guidance goals, co- operation with the labour market, professional competencies,

prevention of social exclusion

Parents/guardians : overall co-operation with school, tuition education, worries related to school etc.

Some Examples (2)

Basic education 1-6N

Students 453 girls 222 boys 249Parents 185Teachers 25Basic education 7-9 Students 1235 girls 607 boys 620 Parents 339Teachers 67Guidance counsellors 38Principals (both) 30

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Test results

Availability and effectivenessBoys Sixth graders

6th graders boys (n=249)

11,251,5

1,752

2,252,5

2,753

3,253,5

3,754

Oppimaan oppiminen Kasvu ja kehitys Jatko-opinnot Työelämä

Osa-alueet

Kes

kiar

vo Saatavuus

Vaikuttavuus

Availability and effectiveness

6th graders girls (n=222)

1

1,251,5

1,75

2

2,252,5

2,75

3

3,253,5

3,75

4

Oppimaanoppiminen

Kasvu ja kehitys Jatko-opinnot Työelämä

Osa-alueet

Kes

kiar

vo Saatavuus

Vaikuttavuus

Availability and effectiveness

Further Steps

• Comparing results between groups

• Comparing school results to local, regional and national database

• Comparing resources and availability + effectiveness input- output

• Sustainable development and evaluation of counselling services

Case TampereResults

Study in  2004 shows:•  Transition phases are key factors•  Individual counselling is valued by students •  Information of working life is needed•  Special emphasis on:      -  students who have mental problems       -  students who have  different kinds of           learning difficulties      -  immigrant students

Case TampereResults (2)

• Discussions inside schools > transparency• Discussions  with practioners, principals, civil servants, policy makers, > decisions to  improve the access to the services > administrational co-operative  team for transition phase

• City level policy decisions• New study in 2008 > new project

Case TampereResults(3)

Study in  2008 shows:• Transition phases are still key factors• Quality has improved when there are more 

professional counsellors (7th and 8th grades)• Access to individual counselling has improved, 

average 256 pupils / counsellor• Information of working life is still needed  > special 

Opetet project to improve teachers knowledge about working life

• Regional website www.toponetti.fi 

IIImproving the Guidance Services

at High School/General Upper Secondary School

(16-19 years old students) pilot project

Anu Turunen

Coordinator

Guidance Counsellor

Rovaniemi

Background• Funding by Ministry of Education and Culture • 12 guidance and counseling projects in Finland

organized by local school authorities• The focus of the project is on the improvement

of individual counseling • Ministers emphasize this need of the counseling

services • An individual plan oriented to future studies and

career path is made for every student. • The aim is to create a collaboration model for

high schools, polytechnics/universities, employment authorities and working life

Student counseling survey made by the Union of Finnish high school students

• More services of personal, individual guidance about future studies and the choice of the career is needed

• Students make their own choices but they need support

• Students think that by making choices they can improve study skills and control of life

Future studies and working life

• Co-operation between high schools and working life is minor compared to that of comprehensive schools and working life.

• Survey (2009) of the union shows that students want high schools  to prepare them better for future working life. 

• Working life experience period (TET), visitors  from different professional backgrounds to classroom lessons 

• Preparation provided by guidance counselors help students enter  working life.

The purpose of the project

• Students should be able to consider different possibilities for their future and make individual plans.

• The plan will be started at the beginning of high school and will be supplemented throughout the studies.

• During high school studies the students search information for future possibilities and also learn about their own strengths and motivation.

Local pilot in Lapland- My own road-

Fluently to future studies and career 

• Associates : Kittilä (96 students), Ranua (69 students) and Rovaniemi (1652 students); total 1817 students

Background

• A lot of projects; Which are used?• A lot of good practices; Does everyone know about them?

• Combining the results and their re-development• How to bring information to schools about future studies and working life based on experience ? 

• The wishes of the students?

The project goals• Responding to an increasing need of career

counseling – More individual guidance services

• Increasing students’ knowledge, based on the facts and their own experiences about future studies, working life and entrepreneurship

• Providing working life and entrepreneurship information in everyday practice at schools

Associates• Regional State Administrative Agencies for Lapland• Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and

the Environment for Lapland• Lapland Chamber of Commerce• University of Lapland• University of Applied Sciences• Lapland entrepreneurs• The Union of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students

(SLL)• Economic Information Office ( TAT)• Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions(SAK)• The Finnish Association for Guidance Counsellors

Means

• Different collaborative models (web, visitors, workplace visits, study excursions)

• Improvement of counseling skills in entire school community

• Improvement of counseling skills of counselors; e.g a small group counseling

• Electronic portfolios and different platforms

THE PLAN

INTERACTIVE PLAN FOR FURTHER STUDIES AND CAREER• Electronic portfolios and different platforms

GROUP ADVISERS

• UPDATING MAP FOR GROUP ADVISERS• GROUP ADVISER TRAINING• UPDATING NEW TASKS

GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS•GUIDANCE TRAINING INCLUDING COUNSELLING METHODS, UPDATED INFORMATION OF FURTHER STUDIES AND WORKING LIFE•UPDATING PLAN OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING AT SCHOOL

FURTHER EDUCATION•EXCURSION TO THE UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS•VISITORS FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AT SCHOOL•TUTORS FROM FURTHER STUDIES

SUBJECT TEACHERS• PROVIDING INFORMATION OF WORKING LIFE AND ENTREPREUNERSHIP• TEACHERS’ TET• VISITORS FROM DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUNDS ON LESSONS

WORKING LIFE• COLLABORATIONS PLANNED TOGETHER WITH PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICES• SPECIALIST VISITS FROM WORKING LIFE AT SCHOOL• WORKING LIFE SKILLS• ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS• WORKING LIFE DAYS AT SCHOOL

DEVELOPING WELL-BEING

Results

• Strengthening capabilities for further studies , working life and career

• Electronic career plan is used• Collaboration with other actors are systematic

and continuous• Whole school supports the students’ career

choices in cooperation with other actors

• Strategic plans into action • Systematic cross-sectoral

activities• Sustainable evidence base for

policy development • Regional co-operation• National quality development• Training for practioners • Balance between formal and

non-formal guidance

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Key Challenges

• Information and communication networks will become more important

• Significance of guidance and counselling will grow

• Common challenges in all countries• Ways and methods to give

guidance and counselling will become more varied

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What lies ahead?

Contact information

heli.piikkila@tampere.fi

+358 40 7766322

Anu Turunen

anu.turunen@rovaniemi.fi

+358 50 3614506

Maarit Laaksonen

maarit.laaksonen@tampere.fi

+358 400 125761

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Thank you!