Oulu University of Applied Sciences received special praise from the audit team for the use of the quality system in strategic management and steering of activities. The UAS has an inclusive and community-based way of working. The strengths also include the systematic development of competence-based and working life-oriented education.
The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) has awarded Aalto University and Lapland University of Applied Sciences the Quality Label for Excellence in recognition of their exceptional quality in the development of their activities. Both higher education institutions have demonstrated an innovative pioneering spirit, an approach that focuses on long-term enhancement, and a participatory operational culture.
The employment rates of holders of a further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification are good, but the employment rate of holders of initial vocational qualification is lower and varies considerably between fields of education. Employment also varies according to age. Especially among younger holders of an initial vocational qualification, the employment rate is initially low, but the difference balances out as time passes from graduation.
The Education Evaluation Plan for 2024–2027 and the new FINEEC strategy have been published. Strategic objectives include raising competence and education levels, fostering social, ecological and economic sustainable development and continuous improvement of the quality of education.
The University of Oulu (UO) passed the audit conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC). The university received special praise from the audit team for its key role and well-established position in the regional knowledge, innovation, and competence creation ecosystem. UO’s commitment to promoting multidisciplinary learning and studies is strong.
The audit team praised the Police University College for the design and delivery of working life-oriented police training and a strong ability to identify their own areas for improvement through an effective and systematic quality system.
Karelia University of Applied Sciences passed the audit conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC). Karelia UAS received praise from the audit team for its quality system. The quality system is widely known in the UAS community, and the information produced by it is used diversely, especially in the management of Karelia UAS. In addition, the audit team regarded the strong link of education programme planning and RDI with Karelia UAS’s strategy and regional development as one of the UAS’s strengths.
The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) will publish several sets of topical evaluation results in spring 2024. The themes of the publications will include an evaluation of education programmes in early childhood education and care, new forms of student counselling introduced as compulsory education was extended, and an overview of learning outcomes in Swedish-language schools.
Anticipation of skills needs and information resources related to education have been improved in recent years. However, there is room for improvement in the way this information is used to reform the qualification system. While the current qualification system addresses the skills needs of working life fairly well, challenges are associated with developing different qualification types as a whole, identifying overlapping skills in different qualifications, and tackling inconsistencies in quality between the qualification requirements.
The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) has audited the University of Ljubljana (UL). The university passed the audit and received a quality label valid for six years. As the largest university in Slovenia, the UL plays a pivotal role in contributing to societal reforms. The university received praise from FINEEC's international audit team for its responsiveness to social needs and priorities. One of the university’s strengths was also its culture of self-reflection, self-development, and self-renewal.