Concise, clear and comprehensive snapshots of vocational education and training systems in EU, Iceland and Norway: this is what the Cedefop Spotlight on VET series offers. Building on individual country Spotlights, this publication provides an overview of VET systems with their distinctive qualities, such as main accession and progression routes…

This article considers the place of theory within education in two contexts -- Sweden and the UK -- and advances the argument that both governments and academics themselves have contributed to a 'theoryless' education. Examples are offered from the fate of education science in Sweden and, in the UK, from responses to the Research Excellence…

Present higher education reforms in the Nordic countries diminish the role and influence of the state on the governance of higher education institutions. While still providing a framework for the management of higher education, in general, the state supervises rather than controls higher education institutions (HEIs). The rhetoric of change…

During the last several decades, educational reform in Sweden has been at once contentious, fast paced, and uneven as control of Parliament and educational policy shifted between left- and right-wing political factions. These political power shifts within Parliament created tension between national and local municipal governments and provoked…

The author, a former headteacher and now a county councillor, argues that the structural changes to the education system put in place in the first weeks of the new government in the summer of 2010 will exacerbate the gap between the highest and lowest achieving schools, will destabilise the state-funded education system, will expose it to…

In this paper the authors focus on the consequences of economies and cultures of speculation in the field of education. Education is one of the arenas where the logics of speculation are being played out. It is argued that the major shifts in educational policy over the past decades in Sweden derive from what Ian Baucom aptly called…

In this article on Sweden's very comprehensive labor market training scheme, the author provides a description of an approach to vocational training that is part of broader welfare state policies designed to maintain high levels of employment through state intervention in the market economy. (Editor/CT)

This article explores the changing relation between education and the state as this is expressed through a new language of education within Sweden, structured by terms such as the knowledge society, life-long learning and validation. The author read closely a policy document on life-long learning, taking as the point of departure the…

The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden are leaders in introducing comprehensive and targeted risk reduction programs for pesticides. Describes these programs and their implementation, incorporating material obtained through interviews with representatives of the main constituencies involved in reduction Tables list pesticides that do not meet the…

Current Swedish cultural policy was laid down in 1974. It was decided that one of the aims of that policy must be to ensure that earlier periods of history would be preserved and brought to life. The Government Bill (Prop. 1987/88:104) on protection of the cultural environment is concerned with helping the general public understand that cultural…

Reports on developments regarding the expansion, quality enhancement, and identification of effective child care models around the world. Notes that several countries that have made substantial progress in developing innovative child care strategies are in the process of refining and broadening their programs. Highlights the program improvements…

Part one of this book on education and youth employment gives extensive data and information on the behavior and attitudes of youth in Sweden, explanations for rising unemployment in that country, the government's policies to combat youth unemployment, and a description of the Swedish educational system. The emergence of the permissive society in…

Aims to describe how the concept of sustainable development, with a focus on the ecological dimension, can be applied practically in an institution for higher education and research. The institution used as an example is Malardalen University in Vasteras, Sweden. Encompasses literature studies and conclusions from practical experience in…

This document is a report on a 12-day symposium on work for the disabled--vocational rehabilitation and employment creation--which was held in Poland and Sweden in 1979. The symposium was organized jointly by the government of Poland and Sweden in close cooperation with the International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva. The report is divided into five…

Examines the provisions made by the Swedish government for the education of immigrants or ethnic minorities. Discussing the program in the city of Skovde, the author outlines the guiding principles and organization for preschool, compulsory school, upper-secondary school, and programs outside the school system. Evaluates the program and its…