Integration for Holistic Development of Apprentices’ Competences in Finland

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the Finnish VET system and discusses the integration of vocational education and workplace learning in the context of Finnish apprenticeship training. The study reported here focuses on integration of apprentices in their work environment and the development of occupational (theoretical and practical) and personal competences into holistic vocational expertise in the context of apprenticeship training. The chapter presents the results of an empirical study conducted in ten Finnish small- and medium-sized technology and health and social care enterprises. The research questions for the study are as follows: (1) How does a student integrate into the social environment and work practices in apprenticeship training?; and (2) What competences are integrated with students’ holistic development of vocational expertise in apprenticeship training? We used the qualitative content analysis method to analyse semi-structured interview data (N = 40) from technology as well as health and social care services organisations. The results show that boundary-crossing and collaboration between workplaces and education providers rarely take place in the context of Finnish apprenticeship training. To support the holistic development of vocational expertise and to avoid dropouts in apprenticeship training, workplaces need to acknowledge not only the significance of apprentices developing occupational competence but also the role of social competence and meta-competence, i.e. self-regulation, when operating in vocational institution and, simultaneously, as an accountable employee in a workplace.