The Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (WEFFI) has placed Finland on top of its 2018 ranking, which measures how countries equip their youth with future-oriented skills and prepare them for tomorrow’s working life
Altogether, the study analysed young people aged 15–24 in 50 economies around the world. The findings were categorised across three tiers – policy, teaching and socio-economic – and shed light on how well countries are gearing up their youth for a more interconnected world.
This year’s list saw Finland and Switzerland claim the top two spots over the best performers in 2017, New Zealand and Canada. The new top two are applauded especially for their policy environment.
Finland’s phenomenon-based learning was recognised as a key innovation complimenting its well-functioning society. Formulating and systematically reviewing a future-skills strategy are considered vital in turning high-minded visions into reality for the next generation of global citizens.
Other specific strengths in Finland include teacher quality and the use of digital technology in classrooms. However, the study does call for improvement in the Finnish teaching environment, stating that Finland is lacking a national framework for teacher evaluation.
The index was established in 2017 by The Economist‘s Intelligence Unit (EIU) and is commissioned by the Yidan Prize Foundation. The full report can be downloaded here.