Teamwork for top performance

Last year, Skills Finland celebrated 30 years of work and excellence together with its partners. The year was full of memorable experiences, success in international competitions and joint development of vocational education and competition activities. The overriding emotion from all this is gratitude for the great cooperation in our vocational education and training network. Recent years have highlighted the strength of networking and Skills Finland's role in coordinating the work in vocational skills competitions in Finland.

Cooperation brings success in vocational skills competitions

In my own work, I see the power of cooperation and teamwork. How we dealt with the WorldSkills network when the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai was cancelled in 2022. We did not want to crush the dreams and chances of young people who had trained for the competition. Instead, we organised a decentralised competition led by WorldSkills. Finland wanted to play its part in these efforts. We received co-funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture, and twenty educational institutions joined us from the get-go in organising the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition in four skills categories in Finland. In four months, we worked wonders with the other countries, and praise continues to pour in for all those responsible for organising the event.

Last year, our national team returned with a staggering medal haul from both the Abilympics in Metz, France, and the EuroSkills in Gdansk, Poland – again the result of great teamwork. There would be no vocational skills competitions without partners who are involved as makers, funders, participants and supporters. In autumn, 1,903 students registered for the Taitaja2024 semi-finals, which is the best result in ten years. Last year, we were also given the opportunity to apply to host the 2027 Abilympics Competition in Finland. Once again, we received support from the Ministry of Education and Culture, and our network was eager to support us on this journey. We look forward to working together with the 20 or so institutions that have already signed up for the work.

Research has proven the benefits of teamwork

According to Scott Tannerbaum, who has studied teamwork and organisational efficiency, the popularity of teamwork is increasing. The benefits of teamwork are significant for both the participating organisations and the participating people, as long as the teams are properly constructed and work well. According to researcher John J. Murphy, everyone has unique gifts, talents and skills, and when we bring them all to the same table and share them for a common purpose, it creates a real competitive advantage.

Research has proven that teamwork increases problem-solving skills, personal growth, well-being at work, efficiency and creativity. It is the reason why both the events and our national teams have been so successful. Our network has so much expertise, respect for others, willingness to learn and cooperation skills that it spurs us on to excellence. At Skills Finland, we share the responsibility for ensuring that the teamwork we coordinate is correctly constructed, productive and rewarding. It is important for us that all those involved benefit when we work together to promote the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training.

Eyes toward the future

At Skills Finland's office, we have kicked off this year of operation with enthusiasm. We are about to launch the teamwork for the Abilympics & Taitaja 2027 event, which is shaping up to be a major event and first of its kind in Finland. We are on the journey together. The Taitaja2024 event is being built in Kuopio under the leadership of Savo Vocational College and with the support of Skills Finland. The national team coaching is also under way for the WorldSkills Competition in Lyon. Our work in the WorldSkills, EuroSkills and Abilympics networks is developing and changing its form, and of course, we are constantly working together with other actors in vocational education and training.

The year 2024 is full of important projects and the power of teamwork. It is great to start the new year and aim towards common goals with the actors in the VET network. Let's show Finland and the rest of the world what we can do!

Maria Ekroth, CEO, Skills Finland

Finland won its first Abilympics medals at Abilympics Metz 2023. In autumn 2023, International Abilympic Federation choose Finland to host Abilympics 2027 in Helsinki. Photo: Skills Finland / Juha Nurminen.