Leonardo da Vinci mobility consortia

HyväOlo network in Finland – success with the European credit transfer system for vocational education and training (ECVET)

HyväOlo is a network of 7 Finnish vocational institutions active since 2002 in the welfare sector. The consortium was founded to advance international student exchanges and develop tools for network collaboration and project work. Starting with student exchanges, in recent years HyväOlo has broadened its expertise to teacher and expert exchanges and introduced ECVET.

After 10 years the results are tangible. As well as increased numbers and better-quality exchanges, new approaches to both teaching and international cooperation have been cultivated. Initially, all member institutions had their own foreign partners – now these partners are shared by all. The consortium has also compiled an analysis of all their training placements, to give students more guidance and help them find a suitable placement. It has also developed common exchange procedures, assessment tools and forms. And network members also generally share their experience of organising and managing international exchanges.

In the early 2000’s, the network and all its projects were coordinated by Lapland Vocational College. As members have gained more know-how, responsibility for coordination is now rotated among different members. The network is a great asset especially for new international coordinators, who can learn a lot from their more experienced colleagues.

HyväOlo website (Finnish only) – training material, placement analysis, etc.

My experience of the HyväOlo network (video) – Maarit Saarenkylä, international exchange coordinator, Omnia College, Finland.