Cross-structural quality within a VET provider organization

In this paper we show how certain management tools may be applied to a Vocational Education and Training (VET) provider organization. Firstly, we introduce the tools we view as important and useful in management. We apply three frames for managing an organization: evaluation/self-assessment, risk analysis and strategy. Secondly, in order to get a holistic view of quality at organizational level, we apply our process diagrams and quality manual and use the metrics defined by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland. Thirdly, we show what using these tools leads to when talking about human resource management and ICT in education. For human resource management, we have made a personnel program that is based on strategy and is evaluated annually as a part of quality assessment. In the personnel program, the management tools and the professional competence requirements are defined. Also, employee training is included in the personnel program and ICT plays an important part in it. In our strategy, we find points that emphasize the use of ICT. When all this is combined with current trends in education and learning, we get a well-defined plan for the development of ICT in education. Included in the paper is an example of our plan and our experiences and positive results when applying these tools in a holistic way across the organization.