Financing activities of the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment

The task of SECLE, which was established in autumn 2021, is to ensure that the working-age population’s skills meet the changing needs of working life. The focus of the activities is on such groups as people with only basic education, older people and learners with an immigrant background.

The audit sought to ensure that the administration of financing allocated to continuous learning supports the achievement of the overall objectives set for the continuous learning reform.

The legislation defining SECLE’s activities was drafted rapidly, and SECLE was expected to allocate financing in an agile manner. The haste that characterised SECLE’s launch and the streamlining of its financing processes have exacerbated the risks associated with the financing activities. The budgeting schedules of appropriations have caused SECLE to launch its financing application processes rapidly, which has not optimally promoted SECLE’s impact.

SECLE’s steering is not underpinned by concrete goals, which has undermined the effectiveness of its activities. The authorities, public officials and stakeholders involved in steering SECLE have failed to adopt a common view of the steering. The NAOF recommends that the Council of the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment steer SECLE by setting concrete goals for its activities in the future.

Due to the shortcomings found in its steering, SECLE’s role as a pilot platform has remained unclear, and in the early stages, its activities have not focused on its main target groups. For these reasons, the impacts of its activities are at risk of remaining sporadic.  The NAOF recommends that the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment determine if the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment should remain a pilot platform or if direct population level impacts are also sought through it.