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30.11.2009 The
needs of working life are changing faster and faster
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Jani
Berkovits (left) of Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy and Samuli
Kolari of Tampere University of Applied Sciences are aware of the
importance of on-the-job training when students are qualifying for
their professions. High resolution image (707 Kb) Photo: Kalle Heiska |
The
findings revealed a wide variation in the success of university
students’ on-the-job training. Best practices and results of
on-the-job training were obtained mostly in those degree programmes
with large numbers of students. The students themselves are responsible
for their on-the-job training and reporting about it. The educational
institution and the workplace, however, give them guidance.
Students want to have good supervision from the educational institution
during their on-the-job training so as to be able to deepen their
theoretical studies and be able to apply in practice the theories
learnt in class. As the studies progress, the students need more
demanding tasks during their training in order to be able to learn how
to respond to the rapidly changing expectations of the working life.
Training recommendations have been set at national level, but they have
not been achieved in all respects. According to the survey findings the
universities lack clear procedures with which to support the arranging
of students’ on-the-job training. The employers of the training
place do not get information on a regular basis about the
trainees’ knowhow and the trainees do not get sufficient feedback
on their on-the-job training period. Many institutions of higher
education have been unable to provide enterprises with the clear
trainee service they want.
At the workplaces there is wide variation in the practices for
on-the-job training. Those enterprises whose employees also lecture at
the educational institutions, are more familiar with the level of
knowledge and knowhow of the students and have thus on the one hand a
better chance to support the students’ training period and on the
other hand to get goal-oriented trainees, and further to get capable,
innovative workers in the long run.
The on-the-job training of university students was surveyed in
enterprises in Western Finland. Data were gathered from supervisors at
the workplaces and from those responsible for on-the-job training in
the universities.
TAMK has sound experience in development projects of different fields
of engineering education, both nationally and internationally. Although
the students’ on-the-job training is recognized as an important
part of the education, Finland has been somewhat less successful in
fulfilling the versatile goals of the on-the-job training.
Publication: CASE – Korkeakoulutuksen harjoittelun työelämälähtöiset hyvät käytännöt ja kehittämishaasteet, 2009, 42 p., TAMK University of Applied Sciences (in print).
More information:
TAMK University of Applied Sciences Petri Murtomäki, Project Manager tel. +358 40 777 0956 firstaname.lastname@tamk.fi |
TAMK University of Applied Sciences Samuli Kolari, Principal Lecturer tel. +358 50 524 6520 firstname.lastname@tamk.fi |
Sandvik
Mining and Construction Oy Jani Berkovits, Production Development Manager Tel. +358 40 839 8618 firstname.lastname@sandvik.com |