Completion of the qualification
Three levels of competence
A person completing a vocational qualification grains wide-ranging basic skills for work in the field. Usually, this is the first qualification to be completed when entering a new field.
A further vocational qualification provides professional skills targeted at the needs of working life, which are more in-depth than the basic-level vocational qualification. The student receives the knowledge and skills required of professionals in the field.
A specialist vocational qualification provides professional skills targeted at the needs of working life, which go beyond the further vocational qualification. The students gain the skills needed to manage the most demanding work tasks in the field. In general, it is good to have at least five years of work experience in the field before these studies.
Full or partial qualification
All vocational qualifications consist of units. A unit is a part of a qualification, and it is assessed as an independent entity. The number of units varies from qualification to qualification. The qualifications include compulsory units, which all students complete, as well as optional units, from which the student can choose the most suitable ones. Units of other vocational qualifications can often also be included as an optional unit of the qualification.
Instead of completing the entire qualification, it is possible to complete e.g. only one unit that serves your current need.
More information on qualifications is available on website of the Finnish National Agency for Education.
Qualification requirements
The professional skills required in the qualifications are based on work tasks in working life and the professional field. The requirements are recorded in the qualification requirements. The qualification requirements also define what units the qualifications consist of, and what are their
- competence requirements
- objects and criteria of assessment
- ways of demonstrating competence.
In practice, a vocational qualification is carried out by demonstrating competence, knowledge and skills in more than one competence demonstration. Requirements of all vocational qualifications ePerusteet.opintopolku.fi.
Demonstrating your competence
At TAKK, qualifications are completed with demonstrations, i.e. skills are demonstrated in genuine work tasks at workplaces. In the competence demonstration, the student performs practical work tasks, and thus shows how well he/she has achieved the key skills and competence defined in the qualification requirements. The competence demonstration system is flexible and well suited for adult students.
At the beginning of the studies, the student and his/her instructor draw up a personal competence development plan (HOKS) for acquiring the required skills and completing the qualification. At the same time, the suitability of the qualification for the applicant and the possible need for guidance and support measures are examined.
The necessary skills are most often acquired by participating in training. However, from the qualification point of view, it does not matter whether the competence has been acquired through studies or, for example, through training at work. It may even be possible to complete a qualification completely without studying.
Assessment and certificates
Your competence will be assessed in units or competence areas. The assessment of competence ensures that the student receiving the certificate has the competence required by the qualification requirements.
The vocational units of the vocational qualification and the common parts of the qualification are assessed (starting from 1.8.2018) on a scale of 1 to 5:
- 1–2 satisfactory
- 3–4 good
- 5 excellent.
The units of the further vocational qualification and the specialist vocational qualification are assessed on a pass/fail scale.
Two assessors are responsible for assessing the units of vocational qualifications, one of whom is an instructor, and the other is usually a representative of the working life. The common units of the vocational qualifications are assessed by the instructor.
Completion of a qualification or a partial qualification will give you a qualification certificate at the end of your studies.
International Certificate Supplement
It is possible to obtain an international Certificate Supplement to all certificates. It contains basic information about the qualification, level, and competence it provides. The Certificate Supplement is used in the same format in all EU and EEA countries. You can print out the Certificate Supplement related to your qualification, the Europass website of the Finnish National Agency for Education, or request it from the education secretary of your field.