Ministers of education has augmented exports

Minister of Education and Culture Sana Grahn-Laasonen and Lomita Toivakka Foreign Trade and Development last week presented a proposal to parliament to remove the legal obstacles to the export of Finnish education and experience products.

"There is huge potential for exports to Finland's education, but today, the legal issues blocking them. Now we are taking steps to remove these obstacles," said Grahn-Laasonen. "The aim is to create more room for research to improve the resource base, and that's why education is sold abroad."

Several projects have been carried out since 2009 in Finland, the Finnish export to devise strategies to work out a definition of education. It was agreed that the term "education export specialization" did not properly Finland plans, consulting services and technological solutions, such as cover to facilitate the learning process.

Exports of business education in several areas have been developed in Finland, for example, public services, including the use of multi-mode virtual learning methods for further education; learning games (such as product Rovigo’s "Angry Birds"), and Fungi learning platform "Skills to build your dreams - your mobile delivered"; and other learning products, such as Sana language-learning products.

Grahn-Laasonen higher education institutions and private companies are creating obstacles currently mapping out a survey of the primary factors in the increase in exports - in such laws and the possibility of charging tuition fees to block the partnership arrangements to flexible contracts Institution and institutions, business Private, including abroad.

Survey information that "by removing barriers to create a map and export of education, higher education, but also to strengthen the training and profession" is used, he said.

January 2016 is the roadmap and Team Finland Network Termination - whose core members of the education and culture, employment and economic ministries, and foreign affairs, as well as public institutions operating under their guidance, among others - who will coordinate the activities of public education to discourage exports and also to provide support actor.

"Companies will be encouraged to implement plans for education abroad and sell it, that 560 people will be hired in the near future in this sector is estimated," the minister added Toivakka.

Growth in exports in the educational program "Future Learning Finland" this autumn, the Ministry of Employment and Economic funded and administered by Finer was established.

The plan is being put forward a proposal at the same time students tuition fees are not taught in French or Swedish outside Europe as presented, by the University World News last week.

Education in the Persian Gulf region is about the interests of potential exports, the ministers said Grahn-Laasonen and Toivakka Helsinki.

Interest in the Persian Gulf

Minister of nearly 40 business and university and Polytechnic Toivakka a delegation led Team Finland on a mission to the United Arab Emirates on October 31 and November 2 and November 2 to 4 on Saudi Arabia. Delegation of health, education and 'clean tech' companies.

University of Helsinki, Lappeenranta University of Technology and Polytechnics (Ajani University of Applied Sciences, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and the Helsinki Metropolitan University of Applied Sciences JÄMKA) representatives have participated.

Given the "present us with an excellent opportunity to experience the cutting edge of the Persian Gulf region in Finland, which is the development of investment in different sectors" of the visit, Toivakka said.

Education and training sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The size of the global market is estimated at about € 3.3 billion (US $ 3.6 billion) in 2017. It also estimated a growth rate of 7%, the fastest growth areas of excellence expected by Finland is to be expected, that is, learning games (30% increase) and network (23%), learning solutions.

Finland has raised great interest in the international educational experience, but the educational value of exports in general, it is difficult to assess because of inconsistent statistics. However, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, and Takes, the estimated value of around € 268 million in 2014 due to a business survey.

Takes pushed this summer that the meeting attracted a large number of agents and business representatives. "Hundreds of millions worth of exports to the micro level, waiting to be discovered," Suva Sundquist, Takes' program manager, told the meeting.

"Micro-businesses are the most eager to grow. Also, they are very abundant."

A recent survey commissioned by Takes reveals export-education capital investments up to € 26 million in the next two years, and a hundred export experts, Sundquist added. "However, the challenge is to be the engine of innovation in the Finnish education system," he said.

Losing Ground

Groan Melina, Group releases a report, commissioned by the ministry of education and culture, lead author of the behavior of the Finnish universities, said the government, charging tuition fees for non-European Union plans to remove the legal obstacles on the road is moving in the right direction, given economic.

"In addition, Finland is a high level of higher education, and well-marketed and supported a scheme to take care of foreign students, this could be a business opportunity. Finland has the potential to sell something here," he told University World News.

He said that the Finnish system of higher education and research at all levels should be increased internationalization. But raising tuition fees might make it easier to attract foreign students.

"Charging Tuition fees will be an opportunity for higher education institutions, it is not a requirement to be regulated," he said.

The president of the University of Helsinki, Professor Juke Kola, told University World News his university sees a lot of potential in the export of education.

"Our education and research experience abroad. International cooperation is also looking for new ways to sell, we are actively seeking new.

"We see a lot of potential, for example, education, law, health care sector, as well as forestry and agriculture and climate change. At the same time, these activities will provide career opportunities for graduates and post-docs," he said.

Koikkalainen Petri, chair of the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers, said the university courses abroad or sold domestically through massive budget cuts the government was not the solution, nor payment of tuition fees for students from outside the European Union.

"These proposals may seem like a minor fixes a big problem, and the commercialization of public higher education system in a way that they can be," he said.