Adequacy of student counselling in vocational education

The assessment focused on examining whether the Education Division’s actions to improve student counselling and the rate of studies completion in vocational education have been adequate. The Helsinki Vocational College and Adult Institute observes the principle of “the entire education institution counsels”. According to the principle, students are entitled to get counselling from all the institution’s teaching and counselling personnel and private counselling during the drafting and updating of the personal competence development plan (PCDP). The legislation concerning vocational education changed in 2018 to emphasise the personal counselling of students. The 2017–2021 City Strategy had the objective of improving the rate of studies completion in upper secondary education. The counselling strives to improve the rate at which studies are completed.

Many measures have been taken to improve student counselling and the rate of studies completion. However, according to the assessment, student counselling, workplace guidance and guidance related to well-being have not been adequately available. The students require more support in the workplace. Vocational special needs teachers are experts in how to counsel students who need a lot of special support. Room for improvement was also identified in the utilisation of the feedback on the counselling and in the monitoring of how successful the counselling was. The Helsinki Vocational College and Adult Institute has not regarded monitoring the rate of studies completion as meaningful after the amendment of 2018: the amendment emphasised personal competence targets, while completing one’s degree includes completing parts of the degree, which is something the rate of studies completion does not take into account.