TAKK receives its second national quality award
- A record year in fast reactions and recruitment training
The Tampere Adult Education Centre TAKK received recognition for the second time in the quality award competition organized by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The award winners were published today in Helsinki, and the awards were presented by the Minister of Education Li Andersson.
- I hope that the education providers awarded today will spread their best practices forward and are doing their part in strengthening Finnish competence, says Minister Andersson.
In TAKK’s operations, it is essential to understand the rapid changes in working life, to solve competence challenges, and to match jobs and professionals. An ability to react fast is TAKK’s most important competitive edge, reads the award justification.
In 2020, this has been evident in a record number of recruitment training courses which have educated 303 adult students directly for the needs of businesses and society. This year, there have already 35 training courses either organized or planned. In 2019, the number was 24, and in the year before that, 18.
The number of recruitment training courses, organized in close co-operation with businesses and the labour administration, has increased significantly. A few years ago, there was a maximum of five training courses per year.
TAKK received the vocational education quality award in 2016 as well. It leads the quality statistics of adult education centres and is the only education provider who’s been awarded in the competition twice in four years.
”Needs must be answered in a matter of weeks”
The largest number of recruitment training courses has been organized in the social and health care field, where the changed nursing quota and the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly increased the need for labour force. For instance, in the field of cleaning services, where the workforce availability is a challenge, training courses have been organized regularly. In technical fields, e.g. heavy machinery assemblers and machinists have been trained. In recruitment training courses, the company commits to employing the student.
TAKK listens to the needs of business life regularly in collaboration groups. Developing the groups is a part of TAKK’s quality work.
- Launching new education products cannot be a matter of months but weeks. We do not start new training courses in the autumn and spring but whenever needed, basically at the beginning of every month, says TAKK’s principal Teppo Tapani.
He regards the quality award as an important testimony to the fact that TAKK’s operations model is the right one.
- Receiving the quality award again tells us that our playbook is in order. We can concentrate on boosting our strengths.
Systematic quality work brings results
The theme of the 2020 quality awards was comprehensive quality management and the overall quality of education provided. The award justifications emphasize TAKK’s great performance and results, such as the feedback received from students and working life, the societal impact of immigrant training courses, and the employment of students who have completed labour force training. The results are promoted by high-quality study guidance and career guidance.
- TAKK’s strength lies in systematic development: we continuously listen to the needs of our customers and the markets and make changes, says TAKK’s development manager Satu Neuvonen.
Currently, we are developing distant and online studies based on feedback collected in May.
TAKK commissions an external assessment of its operations at least once every three years. This investment in quality work is exceptional in comparison to other vocational education providers nationally. The previous assessment was performed in 2018 by Excellence Finland, which presented TAKK with the four-star EFQM Recognised for Excellence recognition for high-quality operations. TAKK is the only educational institute in Finland with a valid recognition from Excellence Finland.
Earlier this autumn, TAKK was awarded in a national apprenticeship competition. The award was presented to the construction company Tampereen Pienrakennus Oy which has employed and trained workers with apprenticeship contracts for qualifications in the construction field together with TAKK. There has been a record number of apprenticeship students this year at TAKK, a total of 2,416 students. In apprenticeship training, studying and learning happens mostly on the job. With apprenticeship contracts as well, the TAKK process has been perfected to be as smooth as possible, and a contract can be drafted the next day from the employer or student contacting TAKK.
