OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training Vocational Education and Training in Sweden

Foreword
Executive summary
	Key findings
	Key messages
		Improving co-operation and consolidation of VET provision
		Strengthening work-based learning
		Empowering social partners
		Increasing the attractiveness of VET and strengthening pathways to post-secondary education
		Unlocking the potential of migrants through VET
Chapter 1.  Assessment and recommendations
	Introduction: Background
		Sweden has made great strides in the development of its VET system
		But other challenges have emerged
		This study draws on the extensive experience of the OECD in the area of VET
		This review looks primarily at upper-secondary VET
	The labour market in Sweden
		Unemployment is low and employers are facing labour shortages
		But unemployment in some groups remains high
	The VET system in Sweden
		A snapshot of the upper-secondary system
			At upper-secondary level, students choose between academic and VET pathways
			At post-secondary level, there are two main paths
		Introductory programmes
			There are four introductory programmes
			The proportion of students entering introductory programmes has increased
			The introductory programmes cater for different groups with diverse needs
		Upper-secondary VET
			Apprenticeship and school-based VET lead to the same qualifications
			The National Agency for Education (Skolverket) oversees upper-secondary VET
			The Swedish Schools Inspectorate is responsible for supervision and quality assurance
			Upper-secondary VET and academic graduates have not dissimilar outcomes
			Enrolment in VET has been falling
		Adult education
			Many adults in Sweden participate in different forms of education and training
			Municipalities are the main provider of adult education (komvux)
		Higher VET
			Higher VET programmes, by law, must reflect the needs of the labour market
			Most programmes involve two years of full-time studies, but some are as short as six months
			The National Agency for Higher Vocational Education oversees provision
		Overview of policy development: 1990s reforms
			Reforms from the 1990s changed the education landscape
			It also introduced a quasi-market in education
		Overview of policy development: 2010s reforms
			More vocational content was added to VET programmes and apprenticeship were established
			It reinforced the involvement of social partners
		Recent developments
			Better quality work-based learning is promoted
			Sweden invests in adult education
			Sweden introduced partial qualifications
			Measures addressing fragmentation have been introduced
			New reform measures aim to help newly arrived adults transition to education and labour market smoothly
	Strengths of the VET system in Sweden
		Sweden has a strong evaluation culture ensuring that policy is based on solid evidence
		Upper-secondary VET is provided in a flexible way and allows individuals to build on their previous knowledge and experience
		Higher vocational education and training has been expanding
		Sweden has strengthened links between VET and the labour market
		Sweden is committed to help prepare young migrants to progress in education
	Summary of policy options
		Chapter 2: Strengthening collaboration and consolidation of the VET provision
		Chapter 3: Enhancing work-based learning
		Chapter 4: Empowering social partners
		Chapter 5: Increasing the attractiveness of VET
		Chapter 6: Unlocking the potential of migrants through VET in Sweden
	Notes
	References
Chapter 2.  Strengthening collaboration and consolidation of vocational education and training provision in Sweden
	Introduction: Background
		Governance in VET
		Local autonomy and accountability in OECD school systems
			Many countries have increased school autonomy, balanced by accountability
			The same balance between autonomy and accountability applies to VET schools
		Autonomy and accountability in Swedish VET provision
			In Sweden, the owners of VET schools decide on many aspects of VET
			The Swedish government steers and oversees VET policy
		Markets in education
			Market models are intended to increase choice and drive quality improvements
			Many countries have partial markets in VET provision
			The introduction of markets in VET can be challenging
		Markets in education in Sweden
			Private and public providers compete in upper-secondary education in Sweden
			Independent schools are run by private entities but are publicly funded
			The independent sector has remained relatively stable over time
			The gap in resources for education has widened across municipalities
	The challenge: Small average size of VET schools with weak co-operation between them
		How the size of VET schools is defined
		Swedish schools might concentrate the provision of VET programmes if they obtain economies of scale
		Other countries maintain much larger VET schools than Sweden
		There is no definition of the perfect size for a VET provider or a VET school
		Many countries have concentrated their VET provision and promoted collaboration
		Insufficient collaboration has been recognised as a challenge
		Despite incentives for co-operation in adult education, large differences in the level of co-operation at the regional level remain
		New structures have been created but their impact remains limited
		A National Commission of Inquiry has been set up to examine the issues of co-ordination and consolidation of VET provision
	Policy options
	Policy arguments and implementation
		Sweden would benefit from consolidation of VET provision
			Benefit 1: Larger schools can lower the cost of provision
				Economies of scale are more salient in VET than in general education
			Benefit 2: It can better match labour market needs
			Benefit 3: Larger VET schools can help to address teacher shortages
			Benefit 4: Larger VET schools may facilitate the involvement of social partners at the local level
			Benefit 5: A more consolidated system may improve attractiveness of VET
				Co-operation across various stakeholders minimises the side-effects of larger schools
				In Sweden, consolidating VET schools would create implementation challenges
				Schools specialisation would be linked to consolidation
				Co-ordination across VET for youths and adults would allow to better match individual and local labour market needs
				Lack of co-operation contributes to fragmentation
				Existing initiatives go in the right direction but are not sufficient
	Note
	References
Chapter 3.  Enhancing work-based learning in the vocational education and training system in Sweden
	Introduction: Background
		WBL is defined
		Reasons for promoting WBL
			There is wide recognition of the value of WBL
			Workplaces provide a strong learning environment
			WBL improves school-to-work transition
			Evidence on long-term effect is more mixed
			WBL is beneficial to employers
			WBL ensures VET provision matches labour market needs
		WBL in the Swedish VET system
			In Sweden, WBL is offered in different ways in different VET programmes
			Most upper-secondary VET students receive WBL
			The VET school is responsible for WBL
			A series of incentives seek to promote training of trainers
			Government grants support employers and schools providing apprenticeships
			Financial incentives are offered to youth apprentices
			Public funding supports adults in VET
		WBL in a cross-country perspective
			The use of WBL varies
			Comparison of WBL across selected countries
		WBL in apprenticeships – a cross country comparison
			Apprenticeship involves extensive WBL
			The time sequencing of WBL varies
			Apprenticeships can serve different populations
			Sometimes apprenticeship is preceded by pre-apprenticeship programmes
		WBL in school-based VET – a cross country comparison
			In many countries, WBL is a mandatory part of VET programmes
			Elsewhere, WBL is optional
			School-based practical training is also sometimes offered to those who cannot find apprenticeships
			Apprenticeship and school-based VET can lead to the same qualification
			In Sweden, strengthening WBL in school-based VET and in apprenticeships may require different measures
		Issues addressed in this chapter
	The challenge 3.1: Quality of WBL across VET schools varies
		WBL yields benefits to employers and students in Sweden but the benefits could be strengthened
			But the quality of work placements is not systematically assessed…
			…and provision and quality of WBL is highly dependent on individual VET teachers
	Policy option 3.1
	Policy arguments and implementation 3.1
		Policy argument 1. Sharing responsibility for WBL across various stakeholders would make its provision more systematic, and less dependent on individuals
		Policy argument 2. Clearly defined roles and evaluation mechanisms would improve the quality of WBL
	The challenge 3.2: WBL could be used more effectively to guide the mix of provision
		Half of the schools ignore the availability of WBL when planning VET provision
		Schools may not be aware of existing WBL opportunities
	Policy option 3.2
	Policy arguments and implementation 3.2
		Policy argument 1. By giving more prominence to WBL in planning VET provision Sweden could tie provision more closely to employer needs
			WBL provides an indication of employers’ needs
			There would be advantages in tying the mix of provision of VET more closely to WBL in Sweden
			Collecting information on supply and demand for WBL on a website is an easy way to improve access to information
	The challenge 3.3: In comparison to other countries Swedish apprenticeship is relatively school driven
		Enrolment in apprenticeships has been growing but its use remains limited
		In Sweden, school maintains the main responsibility for apprenticeship
		Unlike many countries, few apprentices in Sweden receive a wage
	Policy option 3.3
	Policy arguments and implementation 3.3
		Policy argument 1. Across countries, social partners typically play a more prominent role in apprenticeship systems than in school-based provision
		Policy argument 2. Apprentice wage is an important element of the apprenticeship model
			The apprentice wage reflects both the employer’s and student’s interest in apprenticeship
			An apprentice wage motivates students
			Apprenticeship with a wage can still be beneficial to employers
			If employers pay apprentice wages, they may reasonably expect more control over apprenticeship in return
		Policy argument 3. There are different types of incentives for apprenticeship
			Financial incentives for apprenticeship have a mixed effect
			Government can support employers by making them better at training
			In principle, employers are interested in providing apprenticeships to students with strongest performance…
			…but a carefully designed apprenticeship for disadvantaged youth can be attractive to employers
	References
		Annex 3.A. Characteristics of apprenticeship programmes
Chapter 4.  Empowering social partners in vocational education and training in Sweden
	Introduction: Background
		The role of social partners
			Strong VET systems involve social partners
			The social partners engage with VET systems at different levels
			How to design an effective model of involvement for social partners
	The challenge: Involvement of social partner at the local level is variable
		Sweden has successfully built a national framework for social partner involvement
		But at local level collaboration with social partners is variable
		Quality criteria for VET could better reflect occupational aspects of VET programmes
	Policy options
	Policy arguments and implementation
		Policy argument 1. A stronger institutional framework for the local engagement of the social partners in VET provision would have many benefits
			Involvement of social partners improves labour market outcomes from VET
			It fosters innovation
		Policy argument 2. In building a stronger framework for social partners’ involvement, Sweden can build on the existing College model
			The social partners created colleges to address skills shortages and promote excellence in VET
			The College has filled the gap in the system
		Policy argument 3: How to implement the proposed options
			Social partners are well placed to contribute to the quality of VET programmes
			The proposed development should apply to all schools
	References
Chapter 5.  Increasing the attractiveness of vocational education and training in Sweden
	Introduction: Background
		The role of VET has changed over time
		Many countries have built pathways between VET and higher education programmes
		Upper-secondary VET programmes in Sweden allow students to continue to higher education
		Falling progression rates for VET graduates may reflect the competing attractions of the labour market
		Many countries provide a range of professional post-secondary options
		In Sweden there are two main types of post-secondary VET provision
	The challenge: Enrolment in VET has been falling
		Sweden has recorded the highest drop in VET enrolment among the OECD countries
		The share of students enrolling in VET in Sweden has fallen
		In Sweden, young people believe upper-secondary VET programmes provide them with limited educational opportunities
	Policy options
	Policy arguments and implementation
		Policy argument 3: Post-secondary VET programmes often allow VET graduates to continue in education
			Diversified post-secondary options and different points of entry facilitate transition from upper-secondary VET within education
			The value of VET qualifications could be better recognised in the admission process
		Policy argument 4. Post-secondary VET programmes targeting adult learners can be attractive to VET graduates
			Post-secondary VET provided in a flexible way allows combination of work and studies
			In Sweden, working adults could benefit from more flexible provision
		Policy argument 4. Sweden can draw on its own experience
			Sweden has already introduced measures to improve transition to HVET…
			…but the progression pathways could be further reinforced
	Note
	References
Chapter 6.  Unlocking the potential of migrants through vocational education and training in Sweden
	Introduction: Background
		Migration in the context of skills shortages in Sweden
			Sweden is experiencing shortages of vocational upper-secondary graduates
			In this context, the recent increase in humanitarian migrants presents a set of both opportunities and challenges
			Therefore it is important to first address the barriers that prevent humanitarian migrants from engaging in, and benefitting from, VET
		Measures supporting entry of young humanitarian migrants into vocational programmes and the labour market
			Introductory Programmes are aimed at facilitating the transition to upper-secondary VET as well as the labour market
			The Language Introduction Programme is designed for newly arrived students
			There has been an increase of migrants in the Introductory Programmes, in particular the Language Introduction Programme
			Many newly arrived students in the Language Introduction Programme experience difficulty in transitioning to a National Programme
			Other Introductory Programmes have higher transition rates
			Other countries exhibit higher transition rates from their Introductory Programmes
			Vocational Packages: A measure that changes the composition of VET qualifications as a means to address barriers preventing the success of learners at risk
			Vocational Packages are an attractive option for newly arrived students
	Challenge 6.1: Vocational Packages are a promising but potentially risky means of facilitating the transition of young migrants to the labour market and their progression through education.
		Vocational Packages offer an alternative way for young people to obtain qualifications…
		…however, there are potential risks in introducing the possibility of obtaining partial qualifications within Introductory Programmes
	Policy option 6.1
	Policy arguments and implementation 6.1
		Policy argument 1. Vocational programmes for young people that are lower than upper-secondary levels usually aim at transitioning them into upper-secondary vocational programmes
		Policy argument 2. The success of Vocational Packages can be measured through how well they encourage and support young people to obtain a full VET qualification.
			Vocational Packages should be primarily regarded as an entry point to full VET
			Sweden should monitor Vocational Packages over the long term
		Policy argument 3. Sweden could attract more migrant as well as native students into National VET programmes
			Migrants are not familiar with the VET system
			Choice of upper-secondary education by migrants is influenced by diverse factors
			Increasing the attractiveness of VET and active career guidance can help young migrants
			Additional support for learning is necessary for the transition to VET
			Individualised approaches and quality insurance also help
	Challenge 6.2: Recent humanitarian migrants are a diverse group with different needs
		Newly arrived learners, in particular those who arrive in Sweden when they are in their late-teens, face extra barriers when entering into a National Vocational Programme
			Difficulties facing late-arrival migrants regarding the National Programme entry
	Policy option 6.2
	Policy arguments and implementation 6.2
		Policy argument 1. With more flexible entry requirements, more young people would enter into and complete National VET Programmes
			Flexible arrangements may facilitate transition to national upper-secondary programmes
			Migrant students need more time to succeed
			Late arrivals are overrepresented among NEETs in Sweden
		Policy argument 2. Transitions between educational institutions or programmes unfortunately present opportunities to leave the system
			For young people without an upper-secondary qualification, the transition to upper-secondary adult education is not automatic
			Issues to overcome for the smoother transition to upper-secondary adult education
			Adult education is essential for young migrants in particular
	Notes
	References