Training Demand Barometer for Satakunta Region

Documentation of the Anticipation Practice/Method

Key words: Barometer, classification of working life qualifications, company-based anticipation, data-base, transfer potential

1. Anticipation Method

TRAINING DEMAND BAROMETER FOR SATAKUNTA REGION with a dynamic model for the classification of working life qualification

2. Developers of the Method

Project Manager Ms. Taina Hanhinen
Taitotoimisto T. Hanhinen
P.O.B. 88 FIN-28401 Ulvila, FINLAND

e-mail:taina.hanhinen@kolumbus.fi

3. Background and Framework of the Method

The regional supply of the CVET and LMT education has been defined mostly by the ad hoc method. The development in industry is so rapid that the skills of the employees will go out of date without relevant in-service training. The demand for a systematic company-based anticipation tool is largely presented by the educational and employment authorities as the industrial sector. The Project Manager Taina Hanhinen has been an initiator and a developer of the model. Her personal experiences from her former work, adult education manager of the adult VET centre is a background for this procedure. She has recognised a need the instruments and tools to analyse and forecast vocational qualification.

Funding Organizations: Ministries of Labour and Education with a contribution from European Social Fund, Objective 4, Priority 1.1.

Private funding sources are Association of Entrpreneurs of Satakunta Region, Satakunta Chamber of Commerce and Rauma Chamber of Commerce.

4. Use of the Method

The method continuously observes regional changes in occupational structures and occupational skill requirements. Predicting changes in training needs and vocational requirements is based on the definition of general and vocational qualifications. These occupational skill requirements and their changes are assessed by company, line of business, occupational group and regional criteria. The model defines skill classifications that depict the need for learning and training in order to match the training to the needs of working life. The data is recorded in a database and all the information is able to inquire by user-based. The model is quite easy to modified for different contexts, the classification can be re-construct and the barometer is flexible. The translation to English or any other language is quite easy to do because of the common PC programme (MS Access 7).

5. Users of the Method

Users of the method are regional employment, economic and VET authorities. The model will be adopted by the employment department of the EEDC of Satakunta for regular use.

Target group to which the results of the innovation are geared:

- regional employment, economic and VET authorities
- sectoral and industrial organisations in the region
- companies and individual employees

The expert support is needed when the classification of qualification is updated. The classification of qualification will be updated by project manager Taina Hanhinen.

6. Description of the Anticipation Method

The aim of the project is to develop a dynamic model for the classification of working life qualification and training demand barometer for Satakunta Region. This model is in the first phase a barometer for short-term training needs. The regularly updating of the system will generate time-series of the changes in qualification and it will make possible to add trend information to the barometer. The model will produce the future-oriented information for short term and medium term forecasting.

The data will be gathered regularly and the database will provide the trend information of the occupational changes. The main categories are the company's background information and the information about contemporary and growing key qualification in the target firm.

The questions concern the needs for qualification are:

1. What are the key occupations and what kind of skills are required for these occupations?
2. What will be the most remarkable occupations and competencies for your company during the next 5 years?
3. What kind of skills and knowledge do you require of the present staff?
4. Will you hire more employees during the next year, what occupations and what will be the qualification requirements?
5. Do you have a need to hire any qualified personnel temporarily or through sub-suppliers?
6. Are you interested in networking with other companies more than before and would it mean new kind of competence in your company?

Predicting changes in training needs and requirements is based on the definition of general and vocational qualifications. These occupational skill requirements changes are assessed by company, occupational group and regional criteria. The model defines classifications that depict the need for training in order to match the training to the needs of working life. The information is generated by systematic classification. There is a systematic model with nine qualification categories and under each category there are five sub-titles with various numbers of sub-categories. The aim of classification is a model with the maximum homogenous in each category and the maximum heterogeneous between categories. The total number of classified individual qualifications is approx. 7200. Each of these qualification is coded and by this code the qualifications can be analysed quantitatively. The classification is unlimited database it can be updated and extended continually.

The managing of the model is implemented by database system with relation. The unique application of the Access programme has been modified at the same time as the model. The database system gives an opportunity for easy updating and to make a real-time analysis for the barometer. The data can be saved in electronic form. The three main parts of the database analysis are

- the company variables (background information by interviews),
- the classification of qualification (the model above)
- the occupational classification (of the Ministry of Labour).

The database and the classification are ready for reporting. The first information is based on the data on 170 companies and most of them are SMEs. Using different parameters it is possible to inquire information by company size, occupation, qualification and so on and also to see the current training need or the future demand for key qualification. The innovation has produced the first reports few months ago and it seems that the information about the training demand and qualifications in the Satakunta Region is now more precise and reliable than before. It is assumed that the planning of the CVET and employment measures will be targeted at the regional needs.

7. Application of the Method

The objective of the model is to generate a tool by which the company-based data can be classified and processed by database programme. The Employment and Economic Centre of Satakunta is a key organisation to utilise the model. The EEDC has made an important contribution to development process and it has decided to adopt the model after the ESF project-funding period.This model will serve authorities, employers and employees with systematic information on present and future training needs. The information especially is suitable for the planning of the LMT, CVET and in-service training, but it is also possible to utilise it for IVET curriculum process and targeting of the polytechnic education.

The data will be gathered regularly and the database will provide the trend information of the occupational changes. The database system gives an opportunity for easy updating and to make a real-time analysis for the barometer. The data can be saved in electronic form. The database programme 'Access' was selected for data-processing.

This innovation will systematise information and the database system offers new possibilities to combine the qualification and company files. A new aspect of information will be the trends of the changes in qualifications in the company and occupation level.

8. Assessment of the Method

The data collection by company and the construction of the qualification classification by the inductive method are a new way to analyse regional training needs. The other part of the study, a barometer implemented by database programme is also a new tool for processing and reporting the forecast information.