Finnish competitiveness, the growth of the productivity of working life and the financial wellbeing of society and individuals are based on competence. Competence is also in the core when we speak about employment, structural changes in society and wellbeing at work. Competence is the best response to the transition of work caused by the climate change and technological development.
Working life built on competence, legislation and agreements must support the increase of competence for all employees regardless of gender, age and duties.
Competence creates security
The competence of approximately one million working-age Finns calls for an update. An up-to-date competence brings security to individuals in the changes of working life. A wider attendance in training during the career after qualifications would speed up competence development at workplaces, too. The threshold to apply for training should be lowered accordingly.
A workplace is a central place for learning. Work must encourage to increasing competence, enabling the utilisation of new competence and rewarding for it. Every employee’s training needs must be regularly evaluated in personal competence surveys. The employer shall draw up a comprehensive training plan on an annual basis.
Competence development helps to create new, better products and working practices in the work community. The work community, again, is doing well and operating productively, when the competence of all its members is in order, and cooperation will yield results that nobody would accomplish alone.
Extension of compulsory education
All those with lower secondary education should complete at least upper secondary education free of charge. A solution to this is the extension of compulsory school age. The reform would pay off as higher employment and smaller marginalization. The extension of compulsory education would improve men’s equality in particular, since boys now fall behind in learning results already in comprehensive school.