A tool for assessing impacts of the development of qualification requirements has been introduced

The impact assessment tool has been designed to support the work of the National Agency for Education’s experts on qualification requirements and is used for evaluating the impacts of the qualification requirements before and after the changes made. The tool is based on the Guidelines for Impact Assessment in Law Drafting issued by the Finnish Government, which have been adapted to the context of vocational qualifications.

In the tool, impact assessment is divided into six themes: economic impacts, availability of skilled labour, accessibility of the qualification requirements, working life competence, environmental and social impacts, and other specific impacts. Other specific impacts may relate e.g. to security of supply or animal welfare.

“The tool helps users to consider the key themes and viewpoints relevant to the reform of national qualification requirements for vocational education and training from a wide range of perspectives,” says Inka Ruokolainen, Lead Adviser for Education, who was involved in developing the tool.

The tool is also intended to manage the risks associated with the reforms and to ensure that the various objectives for vocational education and training are achieved. “I believe the benefits of the tool will be evident in the implementation of the qualification requirement projects, as well as in the quality and implementation of the qualification requirements,” says Head of Unit Marko Aaltonen.

As part of the introduction of the tool, the content guidelines for drafting the qualification requirements have also been updated. The guidelines take into consideration, amongst other things, the perspectives of sustainable development, digital skills, social responsibility and the language skills required in the world of work.

Requirements to be drawn up in network collaboration

One of the key themes of the tool is ensuring that the skills required by the world of work are met. The important thing here is to identify the stakeholders who are relevant to the qualification requirements and to involve them in the reform process. When collaborating with stakeholders, consideration should also be given to things such as working with special groups and consulting the bodies that represent them. 

Implementation support at different stages of the life cycle of the requirements

Planning the content through joint discussions with stakeholders will make the implementation of the qualification requirements easier. When stakeholders are informed of the details of the reform whilst it is still being developed, they can also begin to prepare for the changes well in advance. The need for information guidance will continue once the qualification requirements have come into force: The tool helps to anticipate the themes that will be highlighted in implementation support, thereby assisting vocational education and training providers in planning the implementation phase.

In addition to the drafting phase of the qualification requirements, the National Agency for Education encourages people to provide feedback and put forward initiatives to launch the reform process in various ways: information on the needs for developing the qualification requirements is gathered through ongoing and informal cooperation with workplaces and interest groups, as well as through network-based cooperation, but feedback can also be provided e.g. via an online form.    

For more information, please contact: 

Inka Ruokolainen, Senior Adviser, Finnish National Agency for Education, firstname.lastname(at)oph.fi

Laura Jauhola, Senior Adviser, Finnish National Agency for Education, firstname.lastname(at)oph.fi

The impact assessment tool has been developed as part of EQAVET The National Reference Point for quality management project 2023–2026 coordinated by the Finnish National Agency for Education.