Education and training is one of the fastest growing global business areas, and thanks to its outstanding PISA (Programme for Student Assessment) results, Finland gets top marks in training skills and enjoys an excellent reputation. Finpro presented its Future Learning Finland project in the Finlandia Hall on March 19th. Led by Finpro, the project aims at turning the award-winning Finnish education and training expertise into an international brand and a hot commodity in the global markets.
- Competition is fierce in the global training markets, but due to the excellent PISA results, Finns have a head start. Our outstanding PISA results are one of our main trump cards with which the Future Learning Finland project will turn our award-winning education and training expertise into an international best seller, project leader Aija Bärlund from Finpro explains.
A wide array of training companies, conglomerates and schools participate in the project. Launched in early 2009, the project initially focuses on supporting the internationalization and product development of companies, schools, and universities as well as promoting their cooperation.
- By networking, Finnish educators and trainers are better equipped for meeting the needs of large international customers. The objective of the project is not to have all the participants secure extensive international agreements with direct customers, but to help each company identify how best to benefit from the global training markets, Bärlund states.
Business opportunities for Finns identified
Alongside the project, a review will be carried out on turning the Finnish training expertise into a service export. The review will identify the business areas with most potential, our strengths and national actions required for promoting the export of education and training. The initial results of the review are already known:
- Demand for an export cluster clearly exists in Finland, because the parties need to be able to network with each other. Finns have special expertise in fields such as education system development, teacher training, special needs education, language training and learning technologies such as eduentertainment, learning environments and mobile learning. Recognizing the most promising business areas, identifying market possibilities and testing the products and services are the main tasks of the Future Learning Finland project, says Managing Director Timo Juntunen from Oy Uniservices Ltd, the organization which is carrying out the review on turning Finnish education and training expertise into a service export.
Identifying market possibilities and testing the services got underway in February 2009 with a concept testing visit to the Arab Emirates. Next in line are Singapore, Malaysia and Portugal.
- When it comes to promoting the export of our education and training expertise, it is very important that our success in the PISA and innovation assessments continues. The Finnish education and innovation system has to be internationally competitive to make us a credible exporter of education and training expertise, Mr. Juntunen says.
More information:
The Future Learning Finland project:
Aija Bärlund, Finpro, Tel. +45 22 440 338, aija.barlund(a)finpro.fi
The Finnish training expertise export review:
Timo Juntunen, Oy Uniservices Ltd, Tel. +358 40 7790 763, timo.juntunen(a)adm.jyu.fi