Entering working life with a high level of competence. Evaluations of higher education in humanities, business, technology and social sciences

Release Higher education

NEW PUBLICATION. FINEEC carried out an evaluation of the higher education in the fields of humanities, business, technology and social sciences in 2019. A summary has now been published in English on the main findings of the evaluations.

The evaluations produced an overview and information on the current state of the educational provision as well as on the competence-base and the working life relevance of the degrees in the four fields of study. The evaluation looked at the strengths and development needs of the fields and the ability of higher education institutions and the higher education system to develop the educational provision to respond to the changing competence requirements and the challenges of future working life. The evaluations also included the continuous learning provided in the four fields of study.

The Summary includes key strengths and recommendations for the four fields of study as well as joint recommendations. An important strength of higher education degrees in the fields is the versatile core competences and the key skills specific to the fields that they provide. Graduates from higher education institutions not only respond to the current competence needs, but also develop and reform working life.

The joint recommendations for the four fields of study are:

  • Higher education in the fields of study examined must be implemented so that they cover geographically all parts of Finland. However, the number of units must be justified and their size
    sufficient to guarantee the good quality of the education.
  • The profiling of educational provision must be based on the higher education institution’s own strategic choices.
  • The learning outcomes must be described in such a way that students learn to recognise the development of their competence and to describe it in different situations, for instance, when applying for a job. The learning outcomes of the degree programmes must ensure a balanced development of substance knowledge and general skills. Special attention should be paid to improving international competence and digital skills as well as to understanding the digital culture and transformation.
  • In the fields examined, connections with working life should be strengthened and alumni should be actively involved in the development and implementation of the educational provision.
  • Higher education institutions must engage in systematic cooperation within fields and sectors, but also nationally, across the boundaries of the fields and sectors.
  • Continuous learning should be developed in close cooperation both with degree education and with working life. Quality assurance in continuous learning must be ensured.

The publication: Entering working life with a high level of competence. Evaluations of higher education in humanities, business, technology and social sciences

More information on the evaluations on FINEEC’s website. (linkki päivittyy)

For further information, please contact

Mira Huusko, humanities, tel. +358 29533 5565, firstname.surname@karvi.fi
Kirsi Mustonen, business, tel. +358 29533 5515, firstname.surname@karvi.fi
Mirella Nordblad,  social sciences, tel. +358 29533 5541, firstname.surname@karvi.fi