Ammatillinen osaaminen ja pedagoginen toiminta tanssialan perustutkinnossa

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) carried out an evaluation of the Vocational Qualification in Dance in 2026. The evaluation focused on the pedagogical activities of vocational education and training (VET) providers offering this qualification and the competence of students. In addition to this, the evaluation provided information on how the education and training prepares students for employment and further studies. The evaluation encompassed five VET providers. The evaluation is part of the national evaluation of learning outcomes in VET and is based on a plan drawn up jointly by FINEEC, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education on vocational qualifications to be evaluated in 2021–2026.

The evaluation data consisted of an extensive and varied range of data. Information on the pedagogical activities of the VET providers was obtained through self-evaluations that the VET providers carried out in collaboration with employers. Pedagogical activities were also evaluated on the basis of the results of national VET student and working life feedback surveys as well as information obtained from the KOSKI database. The competence of students was evaluated on the basis of grades awarded for competence demonstrations and common qualification units as well as assessments carried out by the VET providers and employer representatives. The effectiveness of the provided VET was also evaluated with the help of data available in the Finnish National Agency for Education's statistics service Vipunen on VET completion and employment after graduation, among other things.

The personalisation of studies is well-realised overall in the Vocational Qualification in Dance. The identification and recognition of previously acquired competence, planning for the acquisition of missing competence, progressing through the studies in line with the student’s individual timetable and the updating of students’ personal competence development plans based on their needs are all well-realised in the qualification. However, there is room for improvement in regard to students’ opportunities to influence the choice of qualification units and ensuring that workplace instructors are made aware of the objectives recorded in students’ personal competence development plans.

The implementation of workplace competence demonstrations and the participation of employer representatives in the assessment of competence demonstrations are realised fairly well in the Vocational Qualification in Dance. The majority (67%) of competence demonstrations were carried out in real-life work situations, in addition to which the majority (64%) of the competence demonstrations were assessed jointly by a teacher and an employer representative. That being said, more than a third of the assessments were carried out without an employer representative. 
The average level of competence of Vocational Qualification in Dance students based on grades awarded for competence demonstrations and common units is very good. The most common grade awarded for competence demonstrations and common units was excellent (5). The proportion of satisfactory grades awarded was slightly higher for common units (10%) than for vocational units (4%).

The key professional strengths of Vocational Qualification in Dance graduates include a wide range of fundamental dance skills, as well as collaboration, interaction and teamwork skills. Furthermore, graduates possess strong self-development skills. However, there is room for improvement particularly in the recognition of one’s own skills, entrepreneurial skills and self-employment skills. The students, too, felt that the qualification should have prepared them more effectively for entrepreneurship.

On average, students are satisfied with the VET that they have received and felt that it improved their preparedness for transitioning to working life and operating in the labour market or pursuing further studies. Four out of the five VET providers consider that Vocational Qualification in Dance graduates are sufficiently prepared to pursue higher education studies.

The completion rate of Vocational Qualification in Dance studies is good. The majority of students (72%) who started studying for the Vocational Qualification in Dance in 2022 had completed their degree three years later. Only a few students (1–4) had switched to and completed another vocational qualification or dropped out. 
Just over a third of those who completed the Vocational Qualification in Dance in 2022 were either in full-time employment or working while studying one year after graduation, while just under a third were unemployed. Three years after graduation, the employment situation was significantly better: in 2023, two-thirds of those who had graduated three years earlier were employed and approximately one-tenth were unemployed.  According to the VET providers, the employment of graduates is promoted by close cooperation with employers, networking with industry operators and colleagues and the work experience gained through traineeships. 

The end of the evaluation report presents development recommendations based on the results of the evaluation. The recommendations are related e.g. to the development of cooperation between VET providers and employers. The recommendations regarding students’ competence focus in particular on strengthening their entrepreneurial skills and self-employment skills.