The vocational institution Hyria challenges other education providers to develop new solutions for the shortage of skilled professionals. Hyria has initiated a 12-month skills and competence guarantee for its students. Competence is a current topic of discussion as Europe celebrates Vocational Skills Week from October 23rd to 27th.
Occasionally, concerning assessments appear in the public domain, suggesting that graduates from vocational schools may not have enough practical competence to work. Employers have emphasized the shortage of skilled professionals in many fields. "The message has been heard. Now is the time to develop solutions.", says Hyria's CEO, Pekka Vaittinen.
As a new initiative, Hyria has started granting a 12-month skills and competence guarantee to its students who have graduated from Hyria with a vocational upper secondary qualification. The competence guarantee also extends to an employer who has employed an individual for an employment relationship lasting over six months if that person has graduated from Hyria with a vocational qualification within the last 12 months.
The skills and competence guarantee can be applied when insufficient competence is a barrier to a job seeker's employment or if the employer has identified a skills gap that, when filled, would improve the person's suitability for the job they have been hired for.
With the skills and competence guarantee, individuals are offered up to 60 hours of competence-enhancing or supplementary training. This training is provided as part of Hyria's existing student groups. The content and quantity of the training are specified based on the need and situation of the student.
"Vocational upper secondary qualifications are evaluated according to national criteria. With a rating scale from one to five, it's evident that there are differences in the competencies of graduates. These degrees also have optional components, and sometimes in the workforce, it becomes apparent that a different optional content than the one chosen by the individual would have been necessary. The skills and competence guarantee offers a solution to both of these challenges.", promises Hyria's principal, Tuula Kortelainen.
During European Vocational Skills Week, Hyria challenges other education providers to contemplate new solutions for the skills shortage. "Hyria's skills and competence guarantee is one method, but we believe that other good ideas can be found when we address this issue.", encourages CEO Pekka Vaittinen. The challenge also invites municipalities to consider how, in accordance with the government program, basic education can ensure that students have sufficient study readiness when transitioning to the secondary level.
The European Year of Skills aims to address skills gaps in the European Union and boost the EU skills strategy, which will help reskill people with the focus on digital and green technology skills. This will require helping people get the right skills for quality jobs and helping companies, in particular small and medium enterprises by highlighting national efforts as well as -existing and new EU initiatives and EU funding possibilities. It will support skills-related activities and events across Europe.
For more information: