Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Finland (Ratification: 1977)

The Committee notes the joint observations of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK) and, the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland (Akava) contained in the Government’s report. The Committee notes the concerns expressed in the joint observations regarding the position, allocation of working hours and the role of workplace counsellors. In addition, the Committee notes the observations from the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), which encourage an increase of the competencies of the study counsellors. EK also calls on further efforts to implement the 2018 vocational education reform in various educational institutions. The Committee invites the Government to provide its comment in this respect.

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies. COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee notes the Act on the temporary amendment of the Act on Public Employment and Business Services (1139/2020), which was in force from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2022. The Government indicates that the amendments aim at promoting employment and ensuring the availability of skilled labour, while considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market. As an example, the legislative amendment (1139/2020) allows the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and the Employment and Economic Development Offices to procure degree studies and offer them as part of labour market training, under certain conditions, between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2022.

The Committee also notes with interest the temporary amendments of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service (916/2012) in order to extend the possibilities of the labour market training. Thus, the Government indicates that the following could be acquired as labour market training: studies leading to a university degree in order to complete interrupted university studies; studies leading to a university degree for a person who already has a post-secondary level degree or a similar level degree completed abroad in the same field; and studies leading to a new university degree for a private customer (who has already completed a university degree to an education targeted at a limited group of people for which the eligibility of the applicants is defined separately by the university and if the studies are estimated to be completed within 24 months). The act applies to studies which started at the latest on the 30th June 2022 and will end on the latest on the 30th June 2024. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information on the policies and programs adopted to attain the objectives of the Convention. It further requests the Government to continue to provide specific information, including disaggregated statistic by age and sex, on the results achieved by the amended Act on Public Employment and Business Services (1139/2020) and the Act on Public Employment and Business Service (916/2012). In particular, the Committee invites the Government to precise the conditions under which persons are suitable to follow a labour market training.

Article 1(5). Equality of opportunity. The Committee notes the existence of the Youth Guarantee, which offers a personally suitable solutions for young people within three months of the beginning of their unemployment. The Committee also notes with interest the existence of 70 One Stop Guidance Centres for young people (Ohjaamo). The joint observations of the SAK, the STTK, and the Akava indicate that Ohjaamo caters to young people under the age of 30 with different services, such as career services, guidance and counselling for studies, living and wellbeing. The Government precises that according to a study published in 2019, the Ohjaamo were found to produce great results, and that the employability of young people improved. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information on the impact and of the future developments of One Stop Guidance Centres for young people (Ohjaamo), including disaggregated statistics by age and sex.

Indigenous people. The Government’s report does not provide information regarding the implementation of policies and programmes of vocational guidance and training adapted to the Sami people. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the implementation of the Convention for the indigenous people in Finland. In particular, the Committee invites the Government to provide detailed information on the vocational training and related educational opportunities offered to the indigenous people, in respect with Article 3(2) of the Convention.

Articles 2 and 3. Vocational guidance information. The Government indicates that the Act on Vocational Education (531/2017) was reformed in the beginning of 2018. The Governments adds that, according to two reports of 2021, the reform of the Act on Vocational Education: improved the efficiency of the implementation of education; harmonized vocational education and training/operation practices; increased cooperation between education providers and companies; and supported the organization of working life-oriented education and training. The Committee also notes the existence of the Programme to Develop Quality and Equality in Vocational Education and Training (2020–22); and the Programme for the development of student guidance, which was launched in 2020 and aims at strengthening the implementation of student and career guidance, practices, cooperation, systematism and continuity. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information regarding the reform of the Act on Vocational Education, the Programme to Develop Quality and Equality in Vocational Education and Training (2020–22), and the Programme for the development of student guidance, as well as their results. It also requests the Government to provide detailed data disaggregated by age, sex, ethnicity, national origin, language spoken and other relevant indicators.

Article 4. Lifelong learning. The Committee notes with interest the Strategy for Lifelong Guidance 2020–23, which aims at improving people’s ability to make educational and career decisions for themselves. The Government emphasizes that the Strategy for Lifelong Guidance will be implemented in an inclusive way and with a support at a regional level. This Strategy include the following measures: the creation of a well-functioning digital service for continuous learning that will improve the share of information on education, the labour market and competences; the improvement of cooperation across governmental sectors through a permanent national representative structure to coordinate the development of evidence-based quality and impact of lifelong guidance services; the conduct of evaluations of the training programmes; and the development of descriptions of the core and special competences of the career professionals in order to promote the overall quality of the guidance service. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the implementation of the Strategy for Lifelong Guidance 2020–23, and any other measures implementing lifelong learning in respect with Article 4 of the Convention. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the cooperation and the role of trade unions in the Strategy for Lifelong Guidance.