Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, PIAAC

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Ministry of Education and Culture are financing PIAAC, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Some 25 countries are participating in the study, initiated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. The study will assess the various basic skills needed by the adult population in different walks of life, as well as their application to work and everyday living.

The results will be published in October 2013

The data for the study were collected between September 2011 and April 2012. More than 5,400 persons resident in Finland and aged between 16 and 65 participated in the personal interviews. Internationally, the total number of study participants was 157,000.

The first results from the study will be published on 8 October 2013.

Building a knowledge base for education and employment policies

The PIAAC study will survey adult literacy and numeracy skills, and problem solving skills in technology-rich environments. At the same time, new information will be obtained on education amongst Finns, their activities as citizens and in working life, and the way in which these factors affect their social and economic well-being.

Based on the results, adult skills and competencies can be developed in various ways. The results of the study can be utilised by, for example, Finnish educators, decision-makers and researchers. The results will constitute a knowledge base for the planning of future educational and employment policies.

The international aspects of PIAAC make the study particularly interesting. Information accrued in Finland can be compared to corresponding information from other countries, thus arriving at an even more comprehensive view of national development needs.

Implementation of the study is being steered by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, and the Finnish National Board of Education. The study will be implemented through the co-operation of the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, and Statistics Finland.

Further information is available from:
Antero Malin, Professor, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, tel. +358 (0)50 411 6551
Petri Haltia, Counsellor of Education, Ministry of Education and Culture,
tel. +358 (0)9 1607 7457
Varpu Weijola, Chief Counsellor, Ministry of Employment and the Economy,
tel. +358 (0)10 60 48029
Marko Ylitalo, Researcher, Statistics Finland, tel. +358 (0)9 1734 3560 (data collection)

Links:
The website of the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä includes more information on the PIAAC study.

Last updated 19.2.2013

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