Year 2008

Project Type Transfer of Innovation

Status completed

Country EE-Estonia

Marketing Text One of the main reasons for this project is to transfer the existing Finnish system of preparatory trainings and competence tests to Estonia and Latvia. This will be made developing a training program (Finnish-Estonian-Latvian) and by organizing trainings and competence tests for students to have further qualifications as electricity network technicians within the electricity network branch.
The project will act into the other direction, as well. The target is that all possible methods and techniques in Baltic countries which can be utilized in Finland will be transferred and trained to the Finnish partners.
The project will harmonize recognition of requirements for qualifications and their competencies in the participating countries. Furthermore it will lead to mutual recognition of certificates in electrical training, which in turn helps to establish preconditions for free movement of people within the Baltic countries as well as between Baltic countries and Finland.

Summary The main content of Distribution Cert - project is to transfer the Finnish system how to organize training and competence tests for students Estonia and Latvia. The target group consists of technicians who want to have further qualifications within the branch of electricity networks. The transfer will happen by implementing the existing Finnish system of preparatory training for competence-based qualification and competence tests.

Regarding the development of preparatory training for competence-based qualification the situation in Estonia and Latvia is to the certain extent similar to the situation in Finland 15 years ago. The problems were recognized in Finland in early 1990 and the development work started. In the middle of 1990 the system was established and the system for competence-based qualification started to grow.

The aim of this project is to solve the problem of a lacking method how to organize preparatory trainings and competence tests for electrical network technicians in Estonia and Latvia. The project will concentrate in producing the tools and methods for students to become a technician with further qualifications in electrical network engineering.

The objective of this project is to develop a system and a framework for electrical network technicians or anyone wishing to become one to earn the qualifications and other certifications that are required in Finland, Estonia and Latvia. The necessary joint teaching materials and training programmes will then be developed based on the Finnish, Estonian and Latvian qualifications guidelines (candidates can also earn the qualification through a competence test if they already possess sufficient skills and knowledge). A co-operation network, which will be established as a support tool, will facilitate the sharing of resources (teachers, equipment) between the participating educational institutions. The project will also set up possibilities and channels for student exchange and on-the-job learning / training in neighboring countries.
The key impacts of the project will be the development of multinational study programme and co-operation networks as well as establishment of competence-based qualifications in all participating countries. This co-operation will make enable and speed up the transfer of the Finnish model for competence-based qualifications to Estonia and Latvia in stages.

Description Electrical network sector is threatened by a severe shortage of labor, particularly of qualified technicians. According to recently made studies within the branch the situation is particularly worrying in Finland, where many electrical technicians are approaching their age of retirement and will shortly be leaving the labor markets. The similar situation has been said to be in Estonia, too. On the other hand, there is a lot of workforce without formal qualifications and / or certifications working actively in the sector.

As a result of the missing formal qualifications they cannot undertake all tasks independently. The lack of a formal qualifications or certifications also makes changing jobs difficult, if not downright impossible.

Nevertheless, it is with the formal qualifications difficult for technicians to get posted across the border or start working in a new job, because each country, Finland, Estonia and Latvia, applies their own respective legislations and regulations. In addition the contents of the qualifications and how they can be taken vary greatly, even if the basics and the actual work duties are pretty much the same.

The aim of this project is to try and find a solution to these problems. It will be achieved by developing a clear, jointly agreed method for taking the qualifications, certifications and preparatory training and education. The participating educational institutions will organize and offer training and education that is developed during the project as well as possibilities for taking competence-based qualifications. This enables anyone who is interested (with at least basic skills) to participate in the training and / or competence-based qualifications and certifications for Finnish, Estonian and Latvian labor markets.

The provision of further training and education in the Finnish electrical sector has developed and found its shape over the course of decades and its quality is very high both in terms of planning and contents. The planning of training and education in Estonia and Latvia has undergone major changes in the past 15 years, and further and continuing education is still developing in them. Transferring the Finnish experiences to Estonia and Latvia can essentially speed up the development of further education in energy sector in these countries.


The objective of the Distribution Cert project is to transfer the Finnish system and a framework that enables employees in Estonia and Latvia to earn the qualifications and certifications they need for working in the electrical networks sector. These can be taken as competence-based qualifications in co-operation with one (or more) educational institutions participating in the project.

As a result, the project will harmonize recognition requirements for qualifications and their competencies in the participating countries. Furthermore it will lead to mutual recognition of certificates in electrical training, which in turn helps to establish preconditions for free movement of people in the Baltic rim countries.

The aim is to create a system that functions with the same principles in all three countries (Finland, Estonia and Latvia) and enables acquiring certifications for another country from the candidate’s country of residence, as well as to promote harmonization of qualifications and certifications.

For employees this provides opportunities to access a better income levels and more stable employment. It also facilitates changing jobs in one’s country of residence and across borders.

Employers will benefit from a more competent work force and being able to easier comply with the requirements of the authorities. Employers will also gain assurance in the quality of their contracts, work results and up-to-date technology.

This creates completely new possibilities for cross-border subcontracting and for example rapid power line repairs in case of natural disasters.

Themes     Recognition, transparency, certification
    Open and distance learning
    Enterprise, SME
    Continuous training
    Lifelong learning

Sectors     Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply
    Education

Product Types open and distance learning
modules
program or curricula
procedure for the analysis and prognosis of the vocational training requirement
website
teaching material

Product information 1. Background studies / Comprehensive results through Internet-survey regarding the current situation of the electrical networks sector in each country, the needs of labor markets regarding the content of training program and numbers of potential students in the near future (in Finnish and Estonian).

2. Vocational skills requirements / Requirements of competence-based qualification to pass competence tests and to achieve the certificate in the “Multi-national Training Program for Electricity network technician” planned and developed in the project (in Finnish, Estonian and Russian).

3. The structure and modules of the multi-national training program (in Finnish, English, Estonian and Russian).

4. The structure of the curriculum (general part) for the training program (in Finnish, Estonian and Russian).

5. Translation of the training book “Overhead line installations in electricity networks” from Finnish to Russian, author Mr. Markku Monni / Other teaching materials for various modules of the Finnish-Baltic training program mainly as E-learning material.

6. The training program for trainers / The training program is planned for those persons who will take the responsibility for the future pilot trainings in Baltic countries.

Projecthomepage www.distributioncert.net