Pathways to higher education for vocationally qualified students. The case of Norway

authored by: Johannes K. Schmees, Eli Smeplass, Asgeir Skålholt, Elisabeth Hovdhaugen, Christian Imdorf
Abstract: This article investigates six pathways through which students possessing initial vocational qualifications can enter higher education in Norway. In Norway, vocational education and training (VET) tracks in upper secondary education are popular nationwide with the youth population, catering to almost half of every youth cohort. However, despite explicit goals to promote social mobility through education, there is evident reproduction of social inequalities in attraction to and completion of higher education programmes. This issue is of paramount importance for the welfare state context, given that students in VET tracks typically come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds compared to their peers in general education pathways. Therefore, prohibited permeability between VET and higher education undermines universal access to higher education. This study is designed in a threefold manner: First, the connection between VET and socioeconomic background is investigated, leading to the conclusion that underprivileged youth are overly represented in VET pathways. Secondly, we explore alternative routes to higher education available to vocationally qualified students in Norway; and thirdly, we present available data on to what extend these pathways facilitate access to higher education. We conclude that limited permeability is a social problem and discuss possible means to address the issue.
Organisation(s): Sociology Department
External Organisation(s): Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
NIFU Nordic Institut for Studies in Innovation, Oslo
Type: Article
Journal: Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy
Volume: 10
No. of pages: 14
ISSN: 2002-0317
Publication date: 27.07.2024
Publication status: E-pub ahead of print
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Social Sciences
Research Area (based on ÖFOS 2012): Vocational education, Vocational studies, Educational sociology
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 4 - Quality Education, SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2024.2384165 (Access: Open)