Omnia Education Partnerships Ltd. (OEP) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) have signed a memorandum of understanding. It marks the beginning of a strategic partnership aimed to bring high-quality accredited education to vulnerable populations and hard-to-reach areas.
The collaboration includes
- Offering Finnish vocational and professional qualifications to vulnerable populations and hard-to-reach areas.
- Support in developing the quality of education by providing training to education and guidance professionals in developing countries.
- Support in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem by training local trainers and offering a localized version of the Finnish Further Qualification for Entrepreneurs.
At the moment, only 2% of humanitarian assistance focuses on education. Only 23% of refugees are enrolled in secondary education and just 1% in tertiary education. The collaboration between OEP and UNITAR addresses the challenge of developing scalable re- and upskilling models while also supporting the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development goals. Supporting local education and the entrepreneurial ecosystem works toward creating long-term impact and paths to livelihood regardless of present or future location.
Why Finnish vocational education and training?
“In Finnish vocational education and training, competence is what counts, not how or where it is acquired. Finnish qualifications are internationally recognized, which ensures that competence is measured according to working life criteria, and also opens doors to further studies”, explains Mervi Jansson, the CEO of Omnia Education Partnerships.
OEP’s scalable training model includes capacity building and certifying of local trainers. As the programs lead to official Finnish qualifications, Finnish trainers support the training process and ensure that the achieved competence is assessed to Finnish standards. OEP has been developing the model with international partners and Finn Church Aid in countries such as Uganda, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.