Higher education and adult learning

Norway does well on vocational training but should improve the quality of apprenticeships

 

23/10/2008 - Norway’s vocational education and training system has many strengths: good co-operation between employers, unions and vocational authorities and high-status vocational tracks in upper secondary education. But there are also challenges: weak quality assurance, high dropout levels, ageing school-based trainers and concerns that the priority accorded to student choice makes the system unresponsive to the labour market.

 

High-level workplace skills support economic growth, and vocational education and training systems are under intense pressure to deliver the skills required. Learning for Jobs: OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training – Norway is part of a new OECD study of vocational education and training designed to help countries make their systems more responsive to labour market needs.

 

Among the recommendations for Norway:

  • Improve the quality of apprenticeship through training for workplace supervisors and a standardised national assessment of apprentices’ practical skills.
  • Provide effective guidance to students entering upper secondary vocational education to help them choose their programme.
  • Reduce the size of vocational programmes that do not lead to apprenticeships.
  • Tackle dropout through stronger intervention in early childhood and school systems.
  • Improve data and analysis on vocational education and training. 

 

Drawing on evidence from 15 countries, the OECD study identifies policy options and develops tools to assess policy initiatives. A first round of policy reviews began in late 2007, covering Australia, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (England and Wales). A second phase, in 2009 and 2010, will include Austria, Belgium (Flanders), the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States (South Carolina and Texas). Initial findings will be available on the OECD website in 2009 and the final report will be published in 2010.

 

For further information, journalists are invited to contact Susan Copeland at OECD's Directorate for Education (tel. + 33 1 45 24 97 34).

 

The report on Sweden (April 2008) is also available.

 

For more information: www.oecd.org/edu/learningforjobs.

 

 

 

Countries list

  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Bouvet Island
  • Brazil
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China (People’s Republic of)
  • Chinese Taipei
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Cook Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Democratic People's Republic of Korea
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Ethiopia
  • European Union
  • Faeroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • French Southern Territories
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Grenada
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Guernsey
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong, China
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Islamic Republic of Iran
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Korea
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macao (China)
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mayotte
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia (Federated States of)
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Montserrat
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Netherlands Antilles
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Norfolk Island
  • Northern Marianas Islands
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Palestinian Administered Areas
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Pitcairn
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Serbia and Montenegro (pre-June 2006)
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • South Sudan
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • St. Pierre and Miquelon
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
  • Swaziland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tokelau
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • United States Minor Outlying Islands
  • United States Virgin Islands
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Vatican City State (Holy See)
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Virgin Islands (UK)
  • Wallis and Futuna Islands
  • Western Sahara
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • Topics list