This is a project by: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Finnish Work Environment Fund and the Veto Programme of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to promote safety and health in general vocational education through resources and integrating it into skills competitions.

An educational package - ‘Passport to health and safety skills’ - was developed in the project ‘Top Excellence in Health and Safety at Work (2004-2005)’, coordinated by Skills Finland, and health and safety was included in the WorldSkills competition for vocational training.

The aim was to develop health and safety material to support teaching and learning in the different fields of study, and to plan practical tools for promoting occupational safety and health in the education of young people in vocational schools and in on-the job training. To achieve this goal, special emphasis was placed on developing methods for achieving effective cooperation in health and safety between the young people, workplaces and educational establishments. Planning started in spring 2004, and the objectives of the health and safety passport were established:

• to raise students’ awareness of safety and teach them to appraise their own health and safety knowledge and skill;
  | Bild: | To make students familiar with the central safety issues of the trade concerned
• to analyse the safety of the workplace and to develop the student’s and the workplace’s way of action
• to develop the students’ health and safety knowledge and skills for skills competitions

The health and safety skills passport was divided into four units containing seven task cards.
Skills Finland chose the promotion of occupational safety and health as one of the themes for WorldSkills 2005 - the world championships in vocational training. The theme received a great deal of positive attention and was highly commended nationally and internationally. The importance of occupational safety and health as part of occupational skills as highlighted during the project Top Excellence in Health and Safety at Work, which was ongoing during the event.
During the competition training was provided for the many groups of players involved in vocational education at the national level including relevant aspect of occupational safety and health. Training was provided, for example, for trade organisers, coaches and high school students who acted in various tasks such as team guides.
The test cards of the health and safety skills passport were piloted among coaches, and the importance of occupational safety and health in successful work performance was highlighted in the Finnish national team camps in spring 2005. The health and safety skills passport will be used in the coaching of the next Team Finland for the WorldSkills competition in Japan in 2007. The skills passport can be accesses on the Internet: www.skillsfinland.com
The aim was to use the results at the European level in 2008 when EuroSkills – the European championships in vocational competition - will be organised in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and disseminate the knowledge and experience among all the European Union Member States.