- 2015Implementation
- 2016Implementation
- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
A social contract for VET was adopted in 2012 for 2011-15, aiming to support cooperation between VET schools and enterprises, increase the number of apprenticeships and encourage completion. One of the strategy objectives was to reach a 20% increase in the number of apprenticeship contracts by 2015; it had been reached in three counties.
Description
The social contract for VET was renewed in 2016 aiming at providing apprenticeship places to all qualified young people who applied, therefore tackling high dropout rates, increasing the number of apprenticeships and the number of adults acquiring a trade or journeyman's certificate. The social contract was renewed by the following parties: the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Government Affairs and a range of social partners (NHO, LO, Virke, Spekter, Unio, Maskinentreprenørenes Forbund, Norges Rederiforbund, YS og KS).
Several measures have been initiated within the strategy, such as a pilot dual VET programme in upper secondary schools and other support measures to attract more companies to engage in apprenticeships.
The contract ended in 2020. The work will continue. Around one- third of learners is without an apprenticeship contract every year.
A new social contract for VET 2022-26 was agreed by the social partners. The main priority in the contract is apprenticeship placements for all qualified pupils. To achieve this, several measures will be initiated in the period:
- strengthen the regional and local work for more apprenticeship placement;
- better match the training in school with the demand from enterprises;
- increase recruitment in vocations with a lack of apprentices;
- counteract discrimination;
- better disseminate apprenticeship placements;
- sharing of experience.
The government is following up the priority of apprenticeship placements for all qualified learners with State budget funding. The funding will be used to increase the number of apprenticeship placements, improve the training and strengthen the follow-up of apprentices in companies.
Among other things, funding can be applied to establish early collaboration between schools and companies to obtain relevant internships for students, where the goal is an apprenticeship placement for learners.
In the government's political platform 2021, the government states that it is going to try to ensure an apprenticeship for all young people who are qualified through completing their second year of secondary school, among other things by strengthening the follow-up of young people in the transition from school to apprenticeship. A grant is going to be available to support for local initiatives for apprenticeship guarantees, for example apprenticeship guarantees within an industry or a specific vocational certificate. The funding is earmarked, and it is up to the counties, together with the student and teacher organisations, and the local partners in working life, to find out how these funds may be spent most effectively.
The scheme targets both learners who are looking for apprenticeships, and the companies that need qualified apprentices to later become skilled workers.
The scheme's budget increased from NOK 370 million (EUR 31 million) in 2022 to NOK 468 million (EUR 39 million) in 2023. The county municipalities expected to see the effects of initiated measures and projects by the autumn of 2023 and spring of 2024. Social partners, the municipalities, the county municipalities and other stakeholders pointed out that the measures need time to work before results can be measured. Nevertheless, six county municipalities reported increased matching between students and companies, resulting in more signed apprenticeship contracts.
The number of signed apprenticeship contracts increased from 78.2 % in 2021 to 80.6 % in 2022, with a slight decrease to 80,5 % in 2023.
The budget for 2024 was NOK 485 million (EUR 41.6 million) to ensure apprenticeship placements for all those who wish to obtain a craft or journeyperson certificate. It is the responsibility of each county municipality to determine the appropriate measures to be implemented.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Research (KD)
- Ministry of Government Affairs
- Social partners
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to the integration of VET into economic, industrial, innovation, social and employment strategies, including those linked to recovery, green and digital transitions, and where VET is seen as a driver for innovation and growth. It includes national, regional, sectoral strategic documents or initiatives that make VET an integral part of broader policies, or applying a mix of policies to address an issue VET is part of, e.g. in addressing youth unemployment measures through VET, social and active labour market policies that are implemented in combination. National skill strategies aiming at quality and inclusive lifelong learning also fall into this sub-category.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
This thematic sub-category covers all developments related to work-based learning (WBL) elements in VET programmes and apprenticeships which continue to be important in the policy agenda. It includes measures to stabilise the offer of apprenticeships, the implementation of the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships, and using the EU on-demand support services and policy learning initiatives among the Member States. It also covers further expansion of apprenticeships and WBL to continuing VET (CVET), for transition to work and inclusion of vulnerable groups, and for improving citizens’ qualification levels.
European priorities in VET
Osnabrück Declaration
- Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). The social contract for VET: Norway. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28461