Mats Lindell

From conflicting interests to collective consent in advanced vocational education: policymaking and the role of stakeholders in Sweden

This study considers the policymaking process of forming a new tertiary vocational education and training (VET) policy in Sweden during the 1990s, and the influence that external stakeholders played in that process. Since the late 1960s onwards, the VET system in Sweden has been mainly integrated with general and school‐based education. Due to the changes in working life VET has recently undergone a transformation process moving towards a more demand‐led mode of functioning. Following perhaps the most significant education policymaking process on the reform of advanced vocational education, the study by analysing requirements and policy recommendations made by the six largest employer, employee and public education bodies from 1995 to 2000, suggests that private industry and commerce managed to establish their requirements, while the employee stakeholders made the largest concessions from an ideological standpoint.

Meeting the Demand? Students within Swedish Advanced Vocational Education Entering the Labour Market: Reflections from an Ongoing Research Project

This article considers an ongoing research project concerning the outcome of the Swedish reform of advanced vocational education (AVE) from a graduate perspective. Launched in 1996 as an experimental post-secondary reform meeting the advancements within working life, several new educational features were introduced. In January 2002, AVE became a regular part of the national education system with 12,500 education places per annum. From start to present, over 6,100 students have graduated from the approximately 350 different national AVE programmes available. The purpose of this article is to present results from three sets of questionnaires collected in 1999, 2000 and 2001 surveying over 5,400 of the graduates concerning their opinions and experiences on how AVE corresponds to the demands and requests made of them when entering the labour market. The aggregate results suggest that a majority of the graduates (82%) had a job 6 months after having completed their AVE programmes and that approximately 80% of them were working, with regard to their educational focus, within a ‘target’ field of profession.

Among Demons and Angels: Attitudes towards system evaluation for quality improvement in advanced vocational education

This paper investigates attitudes among educational organisations towards the use of system evaluation for quality improvement in Swedish higher education. The subject of this investigation is the evaluation of the pilot project on advanced vocational education (AVE), which was conducted between 1997 and 1999 by a research team at the Luleå Technological University. The investigation was carried out in the form of a telephone inquiry with a strategic selection of the education organisers. The investigation shows that 65% of the respondents regard the work of the research team, built on the system-evaluation model, as an instrument to inspire confidence and contribute to renewal.

From formulation to realisation: The process of Swedish reform in advanced vocational education

Purpose – This study aims to consider the complexities of planning and implementation of a reform in the Swedish system of higher vocational education and training (VET). The study object of this article is the Swedish reform with advanced vocational education (AVE). The two main questions the study aims to address are: “What are the main driving forces behind the formulation of AVE?” and “How is AVE implemented into the system of continuing vocational training?”.Design/methodology/approach – This study is designed as a multiple case study, exploring different issues in the reform of AVE. These issues comprise organisation and structure, workplace learning and transition from AVE into working life. From a theoretical perspective, this study uses the analytical model of educational reform development by Lindensjo and Lundgren where reforms are perceived to take place at two different contexts in society.Findings – The findings of this study suggest that with AVE a number of educational innovative features ...