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Omnia Skills Centre Nominated As “Promising and Innovative Practice in TVET”

News | 22.01.2021
Omnia has actively participated in Skills for i-Hubs -project, which included a self-assessment week in Omnia and The Philippines in 2019. The final report of the project was published in the end of 2020.

Omnia’s Skills Centre is included as a case study in Unesco-Unevoc publication, which provides tools and a framework for innovations.

Omnia has actively participated in Skills for i-Hubs -project, which included a self-assessment week in Omnia and The Philippines in 2019. Over 50 members of Omnia’s staff participated in the activities. The process gave Omnia new insights for development and an opportunity to compare its services internationally.

Omnia’s Skills Centre is referred to as an example on how leaders in TVET institutions can respond to a challenging new mandate from central government to create a completely new TVET service – in this case, for migrants. By forming new internal units and processes, adapting teaching methods and through close coordination with its public and private partners, Omnia has put in place an institution-wide innovative approach that is being scaled up in Finland and can inspire other TVET institutions.

New networks

Kati Valtonen, Omnia’s Service Manager, states that participating in the project opened new possibilities and networks for Omnia.

”Skills for i-Hubs-project was an interesting experience in utilising assessment methods and sharing experiences in an international context. It gave us many new ideas and tools for development and opened new international networks and forums”, she says.

Teemu Haapalehto, Manager of Immigration Affairs at Espoo City, emphasises the role of Omnia’s Skills Centre in skills development and employment.

” Omnia’s Skills Centre responds directly to the target set by Espoo City, which is to increase the education rate among immigrants and bring more fluency to both integration and employment.  According to studies, most immigrants in Espoo have a degree from higher education. However, there are many who need to develop their professional skills in order to find employment in Finland”.

Focus on the Client

Sirkka Wiman, Service Director from Omnia, is also pleased with the cooperation and its results.

”Since its beginning, Omnia’s Skills Centre has been developed together with Espoo City and the Employment and Economic Development office. In the assessment, the focus was on its success factors and whether it can be scaled-up. Client’s own resources and aims play a central role in Omnia’s Skills Centre. Cooperation with Unevoc has been a great experience and it has given us a comprehensive perspective for development. We are also currently starting a new international project with our new partners.”

Unesco-Unevoc acts as a clearinghouse for promising and innovative practices in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). These practices have been selected based on their relevance to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (sustainabledevelopment.un.org), and their advancement of youth employment, access to decent work, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning opportunities.

Omnia has been nominated as Unevoc Centre for the period of 2020-2023. Omnia has been a member of Unevoc network since 2013.

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