Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to analyse and problematise the most recent upper secondary school reform in Sweden in the light of European Union policy on lifelong learning. We identify and discuss three tensions that permeate the education system and relate to the motives behind the new educational reform. Firstly, there is a tension between keeping all upper secondary school programmes together versus separating the vocational programmes into their own track. Secondly, there is a tension between general and generic competencies versus work-specific competences. Thirdly, there is a tension between educational flexibility and working life predictability. Our main argument is that the new reform implies a return to a previous school form with two tracks, one preparing for higher education and one for vocational work. Further, that the Swedish upper secondary education is moving away from the lifelong learning policies where vocational education is concerned. The educational life courses for those who have chosen a vocational programme risk being less flexible and more predictable.
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Notes
- 1.
The common subjects for all the study programmes were mathematics, natural science, religious instruction, Swedish, English, civics, sport, aesthetics, courses chosen by the individual and a larger project assignment.
- 2.
It is worth mentioning that there is also a new teacher education system in Sweden, launched in the autumn of 2011. Students studying to be teachers in vocational subjects no longer study together with students who will be teachers in general subjects. Furthermore, the vocational teacher education no longer leads to a bachelor’s degree as it did before. The new teacher education programme strengthens the division between vocational and general upper secondary school programmes.
- 3.
The municipalities are responsible for the organisation of komvux, but most often these education programmes are provided by private contractors.
- 4.
HVE was preceded by advanced vocational education, a similar form of education that started as a pilot project in 1993.
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Andersson, E., Wärvik, GB. (2014). Vocational Education: The Tension Between Educational Flexibility and Predictability. In: Zarifis, G., Gravani, M. (eds) Challenging the 'European Area of Lifelong Learning'. Lifelong Learning Book Series, vol 19. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7299-1_8
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