Sweden: supporting the development of Swedish VET through Nordic Cooperation

The priority areas identified by NLL are highly relevant to Sweden’s national policy agenda, particularly with regard to widening access to education and training and promoting the use of validation as a means of recognising individuals’ knowledge, skills and competences. To meet these challenges, the Swedish Government launched a range of vocational education and training (VET) reforms in January 2026. These measures aim at increasing labour market participation, strengthening skills supply, and supporting sustainable economic growth. 

The newly introduced package includes substantial expansion of Higher Vocational Education (Higher VET) to meet the demand for a qualified workforce, alongside significant financial investments in regional VET for adults.  

In parallel, important steps have been taken to secure the long-term evaluation of newer pathways; a prime example is the national VET pilot scheme, National Vocational Education (Nationell yrkesutbildning – NY). Administered by the Swedish Agency for Higher Vocational Education, this pilot offers practical vocational training at the upper secondary level (EQF level 4) for adults in shortage occupations. While initially set to end in 2026, the pilot has recently been extended through 2028 to bridge structural gaps in the VET landscape. 

These structural changes, backed by increased state grants and student financial aid, are designed to boost completion rates in high-cost training sectors while strictly maintaining educational quality.

Nordic Cooperation as a driver of policy development

As the Nordic Council of Ministers’ core programme for adult learning, NLL serves as a vital platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange among experts in education, working life, and public authorities across the Nordic region. A central priority within this cooperation is the intersection of guidance, validation, and learning in working life. By highlighting the practical benefits of validation, the network aims to enhance individual career pathways, facilitate labour market transitions, and improve regional skills supply.

To advance policy development in the Nordic countries, NLL regularly produces strategic reports (policy briefs). The 2023 policy brief on data and statistics aligns closely with the reforms and development work implemented in Sweden since 2022. Both the report and the Swedish reforms underscore the importance of collecting and monitoring validation data, which is essential for evaluating initiatives and making well-informed policy priorities. Peer learning through Nordic cooperation is therefore highly valuable, providing new insights for the development of both practical validation and Swedish VET policy.

A Nordic model for continuous and work-based learning

As part of the NLL agenda, Sweden is taking part in a Nordic project that pilots a model for continuous and work-based non-formal learning among employees within the health and social care sector, an area facing significant labour and skills shortages. The project, running from 2025 to 2027, aims to investigate whether and in what way the learning circle model contributes to creating a robust learning environment in the workplace that complements formal VET. The initiative focuses on continuous competence development for assistant nurses and care workers. It aims to support career growth and help retain staff within the sector.

The experiences gained through these joint Nordic initiatives and pilot projects help position Swedish VET reforms within a broader European context. By exploring new models for competence development and improving the monitoring of validation, Nordic cooperation can provide practical examples that could also be applied outside the Nordic region. Ultimately, these efforts contribute to developing transferable solutions to the skills supply challenges shared by many European nations.