Sweden: improved vocational training opportunities for adults with learning disabilities

Municipal adult education for individuals with learning disabilities is part of the Swedish State school system. It aims to provide adult learners with knowledge and skills in the form of training courses, based on their individual needs. Learners are eligible from the age of 20.

Need for individual tailored training

Municipal adult education for individuals with learning disabilities needs to be aligned more closely with the needs of the labour market and be more responsive to the rapid changes and needs of working life. It also needs to offer opportunities for reskilling and upskilling tailored to the needs of the individual. This is particularly important for adults with learning disabilities, since they often meet severe obstacles when trying to establish themselves in the labour market.

Setting up vocational packages

In 2020, the government commissioned the National Agency for Education to design upper secondary vocational training packages for adults with learning disabilities, as a way of alleviating these difficulties. The packages are agreed with business and industry actors as entry points into the labour market. They consist of building blocks, which may later be accumulated towards a full non-formal qualification. To achieve greater flexibility, the Swedish National Agency for Education has also produced a list of general courses, which can be added to the packages depending on the specific needs of students or employers. Nine packages covering several vocational areas were developed and presented to the government in November 2021. The vocational packages are not mandatory; it is up to training providers to decide if they want to offer them to their learners. Examples of areas covered include gardening, work in a dog care centre, work in parks and work in stables.

Read more

• Uppdrag om förslag till sammanhållna yrkesutbildningar, s.k. yrkespaket, för komvux som särskild utbildning på gymnasial nivå [Assignment on proposals for cohesive vocational training, so-called vocational packages, for adult education as special education at upper secondary level]
• Sammanhållna yrkesutbildningar – komvux som särskild utbildning på gymnasial nivå [Report on Coherent vocational training – adult education and training as special training onupper secondary level]