Vocational Education in the Nordic Countries ― The Historical Evolution

The Historical Evolution of Vocational Education in the Nordic Countries is the first of two volumes that disseminate new and systematic knowledge on the strengths and weaknesses of the different models of vocational education and training (VET) in four Nordic countries. Vocational education in Europe has resisted standardisation to a higher degree than other fields of education, and during the last decade, we have seen a growth in international, comparative VET research. While the Nordic countries provide an ideal case for comparative education studies, the literature in English on the Nordic VET systems is at present very limited.

This first book provides thorough examinations of VET in each of the four Nordic countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Each section examines the historical evolution of vocational education and training (VET) at upper secondary level in one of the four Nordic countries. Contributors also analyse how each country manages a number of common challenges, with discussion and comparisons of each nation’s strengths and weaknesses. The books explore what can be learned from the diversity of the VET-systems in the Nordic countries, which otherwise have many similarities and share a common heritage in education policy.

The authors of these volumes hope that this volume will help strengthen the knowledge base required for transnational policy learning, and for developing vocational education internationally for the future. As a result, the book should be of interest to researchers, academics and postgraduate students involved in the study of vocational education, educational studies and educational policy.

Svein Michelsen is currently Professor and Head of Department in the?Department of Administration and Organization Theory at the University of Bergen, Norway.

Marja-Leena Stenstrom is Professor of Education and Working Life?at the?Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyvaskyla in Finland.?