How to improve Employability of International Students?International Degree Programme Days 201530 Sep 2015

Decide upon and design programmes using information on labour markets

• Sample-based, about 2,700 EK’s member companies• Carried out every year on October-November

• Time span 1–3 years forward

EK Labour Force and Training Survey

Standard questions:number of employees, type of employment relationship, number of summer trainees, recruitmentdifficulties etc.

Theme questions: Current issues for examplelanguage skills needs, co-operationbetween companies and schools, personnel training etc.

Recruitment in EK companies 2013

43%

42%

91%

40%

20%

19%

7%

31%

16%

14%

2%

25%

2%

2%

19%

23%

4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

EK

Services

Construction

IndustryVET

Polytechnics

Universities

PHD

Basic education

Source: EK Recruitment and training survey 2013, Jenni Ruokonen

Recruitments According to Education Field, 2013

15%

67%

6%

4%

5%

8%

24%

12%

15%

2%

6% 16% 3%

2%

10%

4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Service sector Companies

Industry sector Companies

Technology Logistics Information SciencesBusiness Tourism and Hospitality Real estateHealth and Welfare Construction Other

Number of Recruitment Difficulties in EK’s Member Companies 2013, persons

0 400 800 1200 1600

Transport and warehouse workers

Consultancy and engineering design

Engineering professionals

Production and manufacturing workers

"White collar workers"

Construction workers

Cleaning and real estate maintenance

Health and social care workers

Hotel and restaurant workers

Sales workers

Causes of Recruitment Difficulties in EK’s Member Companies in 2013, %

Working life is changing fast

Work is becoming more abstract. Fewer jobs can bedone ”by the book”

Work is becoming less routine and thevariability of tasks is growing

The content and the rules of workhave to be defined individually

or with othersGoals can be reached in

various different waysFewer and fewer tasks are performed in isolation

The changes also reflected in the management and the organization of work

A wide range of (collaborative) skill needs• Expertise in innovation-driven societies

- Curiosity, motivation, interest- Collaboration, creativity, critical thinking (mind-set and skills)- Networking skills (mind set and skills)- Global “working together” skills (mind set and skills)- Business expertise- Technological expertise- Environmental skills- Service skills- Design thinking

14.9.2015 Marita Aho8

Finnish needed in most companies

9

10

No, butpromotingcreativity

should be the basis

of all education!

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Creativity ≈ entrepreneurial attitude• Divergent thinking

• Courage to grab problems• Enthusiastic experimenting

• ”The core of entrepreneurshipis in daring to try.”

Does education enhance innovation? ILessons from the OECD conference 26.4.2012

• OECD study on teaching methods (interaction, hands-on, application, autonomous investigation- Application has the best chances to result in high interest

• Train to be curious, allow questioning• Make connections with the real life phenomena• Avoid embarrassment• Complex problems often require group solutions• Enhance positive (not negative) critical thinking• Require accountability, encourage participation, use variety of

methods

1.6. 2012 Marita Aho12

Does education enhance innovation? IILessons from the OECD conference 26.4.2012

• Use also complex, unfamiliar, non-routine, authentic problems• Cooperation with other disciplines• Develop students’ abilities to use learning strategies and their

awareness that they use them, activate the trigger in the brain... (meta-cognition)

• Creative learning: learning is about creating information/knowledge/understanding, not only adopting...

• Hard and long practice needed in learning (new ways of thinking and doing)

• Capability belief (underachieving vs. overachieving)

14.9.2015 Marita Aho13

Different and similar skill needs*

Working life practices and methods, how to develop and renew them, cooperation, action!

Strong theoretical foundation, abilities to create knew knowledge and understanding, development capabilities to become a top level scientist/fusion maker, cooperation, action!

* In the beginning of career

14.9.2015 Marita Aho14

Evident, growing need for cooperation

• Expected learning outcomes – the most important systemic HE development objective

• Economic sustainability• International competition, how to increase

reputation and resources!• Bio economy, green economy, health and

wellbeing solutions, digital economy... Need to build, test and apply newest research results with companies and public sector organisations

• Fundamental and applied research are not (always) separate silos

Skill needs in the Digital Economy? 5 professions: teacher, data security specialist, engineer, business expert, health care professional?

Create new jobs and labour markets

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• Know what skills are needed, where?

• Enhance entrepreneurship• Enhance intrapreneurship• Contribute to the co-

operation of existing (big) companies and start-ups

Thank you!