Project information
Project manager
Daniel Alvunger
Other project members
Eva Klope, Linnaeus University
Maria C Johansson, Malmö University, Sweden
Per-Åke Rosvall, Umeå University, Sweden
Camilla Gåfvels, Konstfack (University of Arts, Crafts and Design), Sweden
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University, Malmö University, Umeå University and Konstfack (University of Arts, Crafts and Design), Sweden
Financier
The Board of Teacher Education, strategic effort on the Vocational Teacher Programme's scientific basis
Timetable
2024–
Subject
Pedagogy (Department of Education and Teachers' Practice, Faculty of Social Sciences)
More about the project
Vocational education should contribute to relevant skills for the labour market and, not least, to young people's ability to independently shape and exercise influence over their own lives. This requires collaboration between schools and the labour market, which can pose challenges.
Another issue raised is that vocational education reproduces traditional gender patterns through young people's educational choices, reflecting the gender-segregated labour market. Interest in vocational education among young people is declining, and employers are finding it difficult to recruit, especially for essential roles in sectors such as healthcare and industry.
In recent years, we have seen how the government has prioritised collaboration and content issues, broadened recruitment, and sought to break gender-stereotyped choices in vocational education. Another current example is that the Education Act of 2023 stipulates that local labour market needs should guide the regional structuring of vocational education, and that inter-municipal cooperation should be expanded.
To address and manage these various challenges, different concepts for vocational colleges have been developed over the past few decades to improve collaboration between schools and the labour market. The most prominent examples are technology colleges (TC) and healthcare and care colleges (VOC). However, these initiatives have been explored to a very limited extent.
A pilot study conducted at a high school with a TC program showed that the local steering committee values general vocational skills more than specialised expertise. For labour market representatives, recruitment needs are central, but they prioritise students learning a variety of techniques to quickly adapt to different companies in the area. The school leadership appreciates the creativity of the labour market representatives and values initiatives such as the creation of mentoring companies. However, there is caution about giving too much influence to external actors in setting learning goals.
Studies also show a tendency for traditionally masculine-coded vocational education to be attributed higher material value for local growth and specialised skills compared to feminine-coded fields, where VOC is more often seen as characterised by generic and general competencies. Both TC and VOC organise activities to attract students, but a noticeable difference is that TC specifically highlights "girls' nights" with company visits.
The project is part of the research in the Research on pedagogical professions and practices (PEPP) and Forskargruppen med inriktning mot yrkesutbildning research groups, and the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment Education in change.
Staff
