FOR TEACHERS

1. The Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate

1.1. WORK CAPACITY CERTIFICATE OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION
1.2. COMPLETION OF STUDIES, ASSESSMENT AND DIPLOMA

The Vocational Professionals’ Work Capacity Certificate affect the well-being behaviour of the students. The objective is to increase the students’ knowledge, skills and motivation to take care of their own health and well-being during and after studying, while introducing the maintaining of well-being at work as part of the lifestyle. The second paragraph of the Vocational Education and Training Act states that the purpose of the qualifications and education is to provide capabilities for continuous maintenance of work and functional capacity, and to support the students’ development into good, balanced and educated people. The introduction of the Work Capacity Certificate promotes and enables the learning of these capabilities.

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Supporting professional growth and development, and responding to work capacity challenges in your field, such as occupational safety and ergonomics.

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Motivating and guiding the student to maintain his/her own functional and work capacity, and to take care of health and well-being through health-promoting exercise.

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Supporting student participation in both groups and as independent actors.

The Work Capacity Certificate is a teaching tool to bring forth learnable matters that support work capacity and well-being at work. The Work Capacity Certificate includes the key areas that maintain work capacity and well-being at work: exercise, health competence, and hobbies and cooperation skills. The Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate provides the teacher with means to connect the sections to the completion of the qualification and associate the sections with the corresponding sections of the qualification.

For a student, the Work Capacity Certificate is an indication of work capacity and well-being competence. The student is able to take care of his/her well-being by the lessons learned. He/she knows the factors that affect the well-being of the work community, and is involved in building and promoting the work well-being of the community. The Work Capacity Certificate and related learning methods guide the student to care for his/her health and work capacity.
For an education provider, the Work Capacity Certificate is one way to carry social responsibility and implement the training guarantee. The Work Capacity Certificate makes visible the contents of teaching included in a healthy learning environment model that promote functional ability, health and well-being. The purpose of the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate is to involve those working in educational institutions in promoting the health and well-being of the educational community.
For an employer, the Work Capacity Certificate provides information about the job seeker’s own motivation, knowledge and skills to take care of his/her functional ability and work capacity.

Download the Work Capacity Certificate handbook

(pdf)

1.1. 1.1. Work Capacity Certificate objectives and description

Organizing the teaching and guidance of the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate is optional for the training provider, as is completing it for the student. The training provider issues the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate to the student.

The sections of the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate will be studied as a part of a vocational upper secondary qualification, further vocational qualification, or specialist vocational qualification. The sections can be linked to the vocational, joint or optional parts of the qualification. Competence acquired in student union and tutoring activities, as well as in leisure activities, can also be recognized as a part of the Work Capacity Certificate.

1.2. Completion of studies, assessment and diploma

The student must attain the national competence objectives of the Work Capacity Certificate in each section. The Work Capacity Certificate is recorded in the personal competence development plan (PCDP) and monitored in the credit management system used by the training provider. The certificate is issued to the student when the objectives of the sections have been achieved. No numeric grade is given for the Work Capacity Certificate.

The competence of the sections of the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate is assessed and recorded in the credit management system by the person responsible for the teaching of the particular section. The competence of the certificate sections is demonstrated in competence demonstrations, portfolios or by other appropriate means. In case a section is completed outside the educational institution, the competence is assessed by a responsible teacher or a separately appointed teacher or supervisor, whose duties include teaching and guidance. The competence must be in line with the national objectives of the Work Capacity Certificate and their contents must be linked to the work capacity requirements of the field of study. The assessment can be supported by the student’s self-assessment and the assessment of the workplace instructor. One assessment criteria can be the change in behaviour that promotes the student’s health and well-being.

Competence in accordance with the objectives of the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate is entered into the certificate. The entry is made on the qualification certificate section. The following sentence is added under the heading ‘Composition of the qualification’: “The student has demonstrated the competence required by the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate.”

It is recommended to issue a separate Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate diploma to the student.

Download diploma:

suomeksi (pdf)
på svenska (pdf)

2. Tools and materials

2.1 WORK CAPACITY CERTIFICATE MOBILE APPLICATION
2.2 ASSIGNMENT CARDS
2.3 OTHER MATERIAL AND SUPPORT

2.1. Work Capacity Certificate mobile application

Work capacity maintenance is part of the competence objectives of vocational studies. A young person completing his/her vocational studies and heading for the working life needs means to take care of his/her own well-being and work capacity. The Work Capacity Certificate software is a free tool for learning working life skills and developing work capacity skills in secondary vocational education. The software consists a mobile application for the students and a web interface for the teachers.

What is a mobile application?

 

The mobile application is a tool that strengthens the students’ working life skills, and skills that support their work capacity and participation. It also strengthens the students’ competence in occupational safety, work ergonomics, organization of their work, and lifestyle that support their work capacity (exercise, adequate sleep and rest, nutrition, etc.).

The software also serves as a tool for collecting study credits into the Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate and supports learning at the workplace.

What does the software consist of?

The Work Capacity Certificate software consists of a mobile application for the students and a web interface for the teachers.

The software assignments are related to occupational work capacity capabilities, health competence, exercise, and hobbies and cooperation skills. The assignments can be carried out, for example, in the classes of vocational studies, gym and health education. Some of the assignments are carried out at the work place or as independent studies outside the educational institution.

The web interface enables the teacher to create student groups that perform tasks, and monitor student performance and give feedback.

The Work Capacity Certificate mobile application is a student tool to work on the assignments of the Work Capacity Certificate software.

How does the teacher get the software?

The teachers have their own web interface for the Work Capacity Certificate software. You can register as a user of the teacher interface at: http://tyokykypassi.net. The registration key required for registration can be found in the teacher’s guide. The guide also provides examples of assignments, as well as support materials for doing the assignments during lessons.

Teacher’s Quick Guide (pdf) (currenlty only available in finnish)

How does the student get the mobile application?

 

The Work Capacity Certificate mobile application is available for download from Google Play and App Store. More detailed instructions for downloading and using the application can be found in this link (pdf).

SAKU ry and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health have developed the mobile application in cooperation with Kisko Labs Oy and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. The mobile application is based on the study module of Vocational Professional’s Work Capacity Certificate. The project has been funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) / Northern Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

2.2 Assignment cards

The Work Capacity Certificate’s assignment cards provide support material for the teachers and instructors. The assignment cards are divided into sections in accordance with the Work Capacity Certificate. The assignment cards include cards filled online that are sent to the teacher’s, supervisor’s, or alternatively the student’s own e-mail.

The assignment cards can be used as such or customized for own use. The assignment cards give ideas on with what kinds of assignments the different parts of the Work Capacity Certificate can be completed. SAKU has produced the assignment cards in cooperation with various parties: the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, MIELI Mental Health Finland, the Finnish Association for Substance Abuse, EHYT ry, the Family Federation of Finland, the Youth Academy, the Finnish Heart Association, the Finnish Road Safety Council, the Organisation for Respitory Health, Heli ry (Stump it – Stumppi Working Group), Nyyti ry and the UKK Institute. The assignment cards will be updated and new cards will be developed with the partners in the future as well.

The assignment cards help the students acquire the necessary skills in different sections of the Work Capacity Certificate. The teacher/instructor can guide the student to select a sufficient number of suitable assignments. The assignment cards can be used in a student group or, alternatively, the student can complete them independently, for example during the studies or at the work placement..

TO THE ASSIGNMENT CARDS:

2.3 Other material and support

Moving Student (Liikkuva amis) website

(Currently only available in Finnish)

The Moving Student website provides justifications and tips for increasing physical activity in your educational institute:

  • pictures of events and activities, as well as inspiring videos
  • instructions on how to increase exercise opportunities
  • downloadable material, posters, exercise impulses and much more to be utilized in order to increase exercise in everyday life

The purpose of the site is to inspire action and demonstrate how small things can increase exercise and well-being. Jump in and get the best ideas! Because a moving student gets up from the bed (also at the age of 40).

Moving Student (Liikkuva amis) website:
www.liikkuvaamis.fi

Permission to Move publication (Lupa liikkua -julkaisu)  (currently only available in Finnish)

Moving Student toolkit (pdf) (currently only available in Finnish)

Smart Moves -website

(Currently only available in Finnish)

The Smart Moves website of the UKK Institute offers lots of ideas and tips, as well as learning material to promote exercise and well-being in general in vocational education. The website provides content to promote work capacity, exercise and well-being, as well as to reduce sitting.

www.smartmoves.fi

Learning materials

Ideas and tips

 

Slideshows for teaching work capacity and well-being at work

 

The Smart Moves project of the UKK Institute has developed PowerPoint slides for teachers to support the teaching of work capacity maintenance, exercise, and health education study modules. The material is sufficient for 1-2 hours depending on the student’s skill level. Slides have been developed for exercise, nutrition, sleep and rest, and ergonomics. A module concerning mental health is also being developed in cooperation with the MIELI Mental Health Finland. The slides are also well suited as a part of the Work Capacity Certificate.

Slideshows on Smart Moves website

Let’s Move it -website

 

The website comprises of methods and materials created by the University of Helsinki’s Let’s Move It project to increase exercise. The Let’s Move It research project developed ways to increase the exercise of young people, and ways of transforming teaching practices and learning environments into physically active. The aim of the project was to assess whether the program succeeds in transforming educational institutions. More than 1100 students and nearly 200 teachers participated in the research phase.

www.letsmoveit.fi (currently only available in Finnish)

3. TEACHER'S USER INTERFACE FOR THE MOBILE APPLICATION

The teachers have their own web interface for the Work Capacity Certificate mobile application. The registration key required for registration can be found in the teacher’s guide.

The guide also provides examples of assignments, as well as support materials for doing the assignments during lessons.