Ingrid Berglund Stockholm University, Dept. of Education [email protected]

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Introducing an apprenticeship pathway in Swedish VET

- chances and difficulties in workplace learning

Ingrid BerglundStockholm University, Dept. of Education

[email protected]

Johannesburg, 23 April 2013

mailto:[email protected]


School-basedVET

programs

School-basedVET

programs

Appren-ticeshippathway

2011

Enhancing employabilityRaising the qualityImproving the throughput

Swedish Upper Secondary school – 3 year programs (post 16).After 2011 a more diversified system was introduced.


Swedish Apprenticeship Education- fundamentals

• Apprenticeship differs from models of apprenticeship in for example Austria, Denmark and Germany.

• Apprentices are not employed – they are students• Apprenticeship is (by the politicians) directed

towards students who risk to fail in school


Swedish Apprenticeship Education- regulations

• At least 50% of the curriculum content has to be carried out at workplaces

• A contract for every apprentice shall be signed prescribing the curriculum content that is intended to be realized at the workplace

• Trilateral talks between teacher, apprentice and workplce supervisor are proposed.

• The teacher has got the responsibility to:• follow-up and mark students• continuously inform students about their progress


Follow-up study of the national pilot project 2008/09 – 2010/11

• The study was commissioned by the Swedish National Agency for Education. Focus was on pedagogical aspects of apprenticeship

• Interviews and informal conversations with teachers, apprentices and supervisors. In total 100 hours of audio-recorded data, 40 visits to workplaces and 54 interviews in 11 schools from geographically various areas

• Three VET-programs were selected: – Building and construction (95 % men, apprenticeship tradition)– Health and care (90 % female, tradition of clinic supervision)– Business and administration (65 % female, 35 % men)


Findings


Border

School Workplace


Possibilities • School and workplace have

complementary functions– Recognition of potentials at school and

workplace– Investigation of what can be provided by

school and workplace respectively (school/workplace curriculum)


New school establishment • Many (independent) schools offering

apprenticeship education was established • Commonly the schools where not

prepared to give school-based education• Lack of workshops and equipment for

vocational education at schools• VET-teachers where not qualified for

apprenticeship education


Workplaces as educators• 80% of the curriculum content in vocational courses has

to be carried out at workplaces• The production at the workplace sets the limit for what is

possible to learn• Narrow production ↔ curriculum content• Rotation between workplaces or not• Supervision is not made explicit – lack of supporting

structure for supervision• Supervisors is commonly not aware of their commitment


School to workplace• Workplace is provided by school/teacher

or brought by the apprentices themselves• The successful/competent apprentices:

– understand the culture of the vocation– have vocational experiences– show their interest for the vocation and the

workplace


Limitations• A shortage of workplaces• The vocational ”culture” sets limitations• The apprentice’s behaviour ”social

competence” is not good enough – assessed by teachers and supervisors

• The apprentice does not want to stay at the workplace or is sent back to school by the workplace supervisor

Documents

Ingrid Berglund Stockholm University, Dept. of Education [email protected]