In connection with the European Year of Skills, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills organised its yearly conference on higher vocational colleges (EQF level 5), on 8 and 9 November 2023. With about 280 participants this year, and another 130 online, this is the biggest event and networking opportunity in the country for actors in this sector.
Over 2 days, the sector got together to impart knowledge, share experiences, and build networks. Artificial intelligence, student participation and the future of higher vocational education were some of the topics presented at the conference. The Minister for Higher Education and Research presented the Award for Quality in Education to this year’s winner, Kristiania Higher Vocational College. The winning project was about innovative teaching methods used to stimulate learner engagement in the learning process to facilitate acquisition of specific professional, as well as transversal, skills needed in the creating advertising industry sector.
The higher vocational colleges in Norway provide tertiary vocational education founded on upper secondary education or equivalent prior learning and work experience, and comprising the equivalent of at least one-half and no more than 2 entire academic years. It is at NQF level 5.
One of the major discussions in the sector is whether it should be opened up to NQF levels 6-8, which was also a topic discussed at the conference under the title ‘Will higher academic education eat higher vocational education for breakfast?’ As the higher academic education sector is currently the only sector allowed to award qualifications at NQF levels 6-8, and is larger (with ca. 300 000 students versus about 30 000 students in higher vocational education), this is a real fear for some actors in higher vocational education. There is now talk of opening up NQF levels 6-8 to higher vocational education as well, due to a recommendation in a new report from NOKUT evaluating the NQF.
Other topics were modular courses, teacher competence, and how AI will be changing education. The last topic was also recorded at the conference as a podcast.
The conference is one of many arrangements connected to the European Year of Skills, where the directorate is either the organiser or a partner. To name a few: a series of webinars on how to retain competence in the health sector in June 2023; the Industry Programme conference and the ‘Higher education conference on quality and accessibility for future needs’ in September. The national VET team implements regional measures aimed at local institutional and business cooperation.
The European Year of Skills very much coincides with Norwegian policy in this area. Policy priorities include the forthcoming White Papers on future skill needs and professional education, with the previous White Paper on lifelong learning as an important backdrop; digitalisation strategies in the whole education sector; and the qualifications passport for refugees and immigrants for simplifying integration.
The main aim is to contribute particularly to access to good and flexible training and education throughout the country, as well as increased mobilisation of the labour force reserve by giving more people with little formal competence an opportunity to take up continuing education.
Read more
- Higher vocational colleges – Conference 2023 (in Norwegian)
- NOKUT (2023). NQF Evaluation – what does it mean for the tertiary vocational education sector (in Norwegian)
- Podcast Changing working life: How can artificial intelligence contribute to learning for the future (in Norwegian)
- The European Year of Skills and current Norwegian policy in the area (in Norwegian)
- Tertiary vocational education sector in Norway (in English)
- White Paper on lifelong learning (in English)
|
Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Portugal; Cedefop (2023). Norway: will higher academic education eat higher vocational education for breakfast? National news on VET |