Nordic Network for Lifelong Learning (NLL) has conducted fieldwork in the field and discovered a cautiously increasing commitment in Finland for the national skills badges. The badges are directly linked to the national information resource called Koski and thus have the potential to become a concrete tool for documenting and recognising basic skills. 

– The skills badges have got off to a great start. More than 2,600 badges have been issued so far, says Heikki Tulkki, Counsellor of Education at the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Up to now, the most popular badges are Communication, My skill set, Participation in a group, Using feedback and My personal learning journey.  

– The most popular theme cluster is Communication skills and occupational health skills. This shows that social and everyday skills are in particularly high demand, Tulkki says. 

Not everyone wants their skills registered

Borgå Folkakademi (People’s Academy in Porvoo) is a Swedish-speaking folk high school in Eastern Uusimaa. In autumn 2024, the school tested a course focusing on mental wellness for young people. The course was linked to a national skills badge under the theme Communication skills and occupational health skills. 

– The course turned out to be a real lifesaver for some of the young women who attended it. The participants were very happy with the course and felt that it was useful for them, says Maria Ingman, programme coordinator for the International Swedish Courses. 

The biggest challenge, however, has been how to reach the target group in the first place. It has also proved difficult to justify to course participants why skills badges are necessary.

– The participants were almost reluctant to hear about the possibility of receiving a skills badge upon completion of the course. This could be due to the specific challenges of this particular target group, Maria Ingman says. 

Potential for increased visibility

Nevertheless, Maria Ingman does see potential for the future, provided that the badges gain more visibility.   

– I think we should invest in an information campaign targeted at youth workers, study and career advisers, social services and other actors who work with people with inadequate basic skills. In addition, more awareness about the badges is needed among employers and in the education sector. 

Heikki Tulkki confirms immediately that the National Agency for Education plans to continue supporting implementation of the badges by offering guidance and updated information material to education providers. He lists a host of measures already taken. 

– There are also plans for possible networking meetings and webinars where we can share experiences and good practices. 

Arbis wants to avoid parallel structures 

Arbis, the Swedish Adult Education Centre in Helsinki, is currently launching new pilot courses in digital security and information retrieval, which will allow participants to acquire national skills badges. 

Jan Amnell, the teacher responsible for designing the digital skills courses, says that Arbis no longer offers courses where students can earn badges linked to the Open Badge system. Badges issued through Open Badge cannot be registered in the Koski nationwide database. 

– We don’t have the resources to invest in both systems at once, and it might be confusing for students to have two different systems. The national skills badges are linked to the nationwide information resource Koski, which makes them more relevant in a wider educational context. National skills badges suit our profile well, since we also offer courses for which study credits can be earned. 

The courses are being piloted at Arbis starting from October, and Amnell sees them as a first step in the right direction. 

– Since the courses are only starting now, we don’t have practical experience as yet, but the themes covered are topical and important. They correspond well to the concept of civic skills embodied in the national skills badges. 

Overall, he has a favourable opinion of how the national badges have been formulated.

– The descriptions are detailed enough that you can use them successfully for course planning, yet general enough to be adaptable to the current situation.

Heikki Tulkki notes that future challenges concerning national badges include dealing with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and issues tied to security and preparedness.

Sivis gives up Open Badge after ten years

Heikki Tulkki highlights Sivis Study Centre as an example of an institution that has successfully integrated skills badges into their operations. 

Sivis, a nationwide institution for non-formal adult education, has tried to promote the Open Badge system for the past ten years. But according to adviser Sanna Saarimaa, the badges never gained the popularity that Sivis had hoped for. 

– Even though our member organisations were keen to create and issue badges, the reception has been less than enthusiastic. Many people felt that the system is technologically challenging, and few employers are familiar with the concept of skills badges.

She also describes that it was often difficult to justify why badges might be preferable to traditional certificates. A further obstacle was that users would frequently need to pay a license fee to a private actor to gain access to the system.

Sivis focuses on national skills badges  

Sivis currently focuses exclusively on national skills badges. The institution has been piloting the badges in a project offering basic skills training to prison inmates. The project is funded by the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment’s (SECLE). 

– Course participants have shown a lot of interest in the badges, and over 120 badges have been issued during the project, says Sanna Saarimaa. 

Sivis also participates in an ESF-financed project called “Tunnusta työelämäosaamisesi” (Get your work-related skills recognised), where the issuing of skills badges is tested within training programmes implemented by different organisations. 

However, the national badges do have their limitations, says Saarimaa. They are less flexible than Open Badge, and the themes are fixed in advance. 

Sanna Saarimaa sees considerable value in the idea of skills badges even if she currently finds it difficult to comment on their future within non-formal adult education. 

– The series of courses is a good initiative by the National Agency for Education, and one that many are already familiar with. I also hope that going forward more badges will be created with different themes.

As mentioned above, the future of the national skills badges still remains unknown for now. However, the NLL’s fieldwork points to a growing, albeit cautious, commitment. With continued support from the National Agency for Education and increased visibility, the badges could potentially become an important instrument for boosting lifelong learning.