More flexible Vocational and Professional Education. With Covid-19 and the Completion Reform as a context.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss vocational training and education in the light of the Corona pandemic and the proposed completion reform. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to both unemployment and a shortage of labour, and apprentices are not allowed to complete their apprenticeships contract because companies closed down. Import infection is also a problem that is exacerbated by the fact that we have become dependent on labour immigration for basic necessary societal tasks. At the same time, in recent years there have been reports of large applications for vocational subjects. How is it related, and what is the problem? In the school year 2020-21, there were 246,838 students, apprentices and apprentice candidates in upper secondary education. Of these, 45,300 were apprentices and apprentice candidates, which is 19.7%. The low proportion is not due to few applicants for vocational subjects, but few opportunities to complete their studies in the program they chose. The problem has been known for a long time and is due to a rigid link between training in school and compulsory vocational training in a company. It has never worked as intended when it was introduced. Many companies also lack good systems for training new employees based on their actual skills. Instead, companies choose to take shortcuts” and import labour. The right to adapted education also does not work well for those who choose vocational subjects. Instead of being forced into a tight race, students should to a greater extent be able to choose subjects along the way, such as a predominance of practical subjects from the first school year. Such an arrangement is easier to achieve in school. Furthermore, it is pointed out that higher education has become longer, more theoretical and less adapted to working life. The good experiences from the Y-road should be extended to more subjects, and higher vocational education should be available to everyone regardless of subject background. The completion reform will contribute to more flexible vocational education and should be followed up with more vocational guidance also in higher education. The challenge will be to ensure relevant practice.