Looking Through the Eyes of an Apprentice - Harjoittelijan terveisiä Opistosta

huhtikuuta 16, 2021

Looking Through the Eyes of an Apprentice - Harjoittelijan terveisiä Opistosta

Remote meeting with Lisa and Sanna.

Eager and Excited. These two Es are the exact terms to describe how I felt when I got a work practice place (työharjoittelupaikka) in Järvenpään Opisto. I have met wonderful people and I have learnt so much from them. My short experience here has been extremely rewarding!

Being here for three weeks have given me the advantage to get to know about the work culture and the adult education system in Finland. This is where I got to know more about Finnish civic colleges (kansalaisopisto). A civic college is an institution that has a place-based strategy about how it connects to its local city area and local community. Järvenpään Opisto is an example of civic college. This place has been offering many great programs to the local community - children, families, youths, working adults as well as senior citizens.

A photo from the course (before corona).

In the beginning, I was given the opportunity to present Malaysian education system to the people working in Järvenpään Opisto. Both Finnish and Malaysian education system are quite similar with only slight differences. For example, Malaysian education system is governed by two ministries (Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE)), while Finland only has one (Ministry of Education and Culture). On top of that, I was also assigned to assist in English language courses for Finnish senior citizens. Although they are English language courses, I was able to learn Finnish at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone. During one of the sessions, I “brought” the participants to Malaysia. Virtually, of course. I presented to them where Malaysia is and all the interesting facts about the country. Nojatuoli matkailu! Armchair tourism, that is. It was absolutely fascinating to see how diligently these participants learn English. Their hard work and motivation are beyond imagination. I personally think that they are more hardworking than me! It was an honour to be with the groups.

Furthermore, I was also given the opportunity to discuss about how civic colleges could best support the integration process of international people in Finland. In my personal view, integration is not just about learning the language, but also to blend well so that everybody feels a sense of belonging in the community. Integration is unification. Finnish people and international people unified. That means accepting each other’s differences and respecting them. Therefore, civic colleges play important roles because these are the centres that can start educating people about diversity and inclusion. For instance, learning programs could be offered not only in Finnish, but also in other languages such as English, Arabic, German, Russian, etc.

Last but not least, the korona pandemic has also affected how I learn and how much I learn. One of the objectives of our työharjoittelu is to improve students’ Finnish language skills, especially speaking and listening. During this time, we have been working from home and this means that I have neither physically stepped foot into Järvenpään Opisto nor have I met any of my colleagues face-to-face. All the meetings and discussions have only been done online through Microsoft Teams. This was a small disadvantage for me. If we were at the office, I would at least be able to practice speaking Finnish more, especially during break times. This does not however, put a barrier in my learning. I was able to learn different things I have never learnt before. Things like how to maneuver in an online meeting software (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom) and how to engage more effectively and interactively with participants online. As a certified IT and LEGO Serious Play facilitator, I have been doing face-to-face trainings my whole career life. This newly acquired skill is something I am proud of, especially during this pandemic when everything is done remotely.

In conclusion, my short yet exciting experience with Järvenpään Opisto has truly been rewarding. With my experience and what I have learnt so far, I look forward to contributing more to the society one way or another. Stay safe and never stop learning!