Sustainable development must be an integral part of all vocational education and training. In the future labour market, students will need sustainable development skills, the importance of which will keep on increasing.
One of the requirements listed in the qualification criteria is that the student “is capable of acting in accordance with the principles of sustainable development”. However, the content of this requirement may vary significantly from one sector to another. Therefore, sustainable development activities have been explained in more detail in the sector-specific competency promises on responsibility.
The competency promises are intended for teachers, students and employers alike. They describe in a concrete manner what sustainability competence means when working in a certain field. For the employer, they serve as a promise of the competency level achieved by the students when they graduate from TAI.
Read more about the competency promises in your field below (available only in Finnish). You can also print out the competency promises to be displayed in the classroom and workshop.
Aninkainen
Juhannuskukkula
Kuormakatu
Peltola
Lemminkäisenkatu
Ruiskatu / sosiaali- ja terveysala
Ruiskatu / liiketoiminta
Environmental attitudes of students
The environmental attitudes of TAI students were examined in a survey conducted in early 2023. A total of 560 responses were received from all school buildings. The students who responded to the survey considered environmental issues very important and believed that they could influence them by their own choices. A higher percentage of women (97%) than of men (83%) considered environmental issues important.
The students saw room for improvement in how environmental issues are taken into consideration at TAI and in teachers’ environmental competence. 61% of the respondents felt that environmental responsibility was taken into account in TAI activities, and 59% felt that teachers had enough information on environmental protection. Developing teachers’ environmental competence is also important because the educational institution proved to be the most important source of information for students on environmental issues.
The students particularly hoped that TAI would make the sorting of waste more efficient, develop and diversify vegetarian food alternatives and increase tidiness education and teaching in sustainable development. The students also hoped for more distance learning opportunities to reduce the need for mobility.
Read more about the environmental survey to students on TAI’s blog (available in Finnish only).
Students’ sustainability game
A sustainability game for TAI students has been created for the Seppo.io platform. It can be used for teaching or events. The game can be accessed via a link or a QR code. The game is played on the phone.
Summary: teaching
- The sector-specific competency promises on responsibility explain how responsibility should be reflected in teaching in the field and what kind of responsibility competence the students should have when they graduate.
- The units are tasked with ensuring that the skills mentioned in the competency promises on responsibility are included in vocational education and training.
- Students find environmental issues very important and hope that they would be given more visibility in teaching and the daily activities of TAI.