- 2015Implementation
- 2016Implementation
- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Completed
Description
The VET teacher promotion initiative was launched nationally in October 2015, aiming to attract new teachers to ensure sufficiency and quality of VET teaching staff. It builds on previous successful pilots. The programme is based on scholarships and flexible education pathways for skilled workers. A scholarship scheme for non-qualified VET teachers who want to complete VET teacher education has been set up and is managed by the Directorate for Education and Training. Since 2016, people who are not yet employed in schools may apply for a scholarship for becoming a VET teacher. The school owners (the county authority), based on their competence needs, apply on behalf of the students. The VET teacher promotion initiative is developed by the Ministry of Education and Research in close cooperation with social partners, teacher unions and the VET providers. The Directorate of Education and Training has been given the task of implementing the prioritised measures. The VET teacher promotion initiative tried to ensure that all vocational teacher education programmes provide updated and relevant expertise. Under this initiative more places were created in the education theory and practice programmes for learners with a technological background.
The VET teacher promotion initiative has been completed.
The work on the initiative had a greater focus on the quality and relevance of vocational teacher education through:
- systematically encouraging more skilled workers to choose a career as a vocational teacher;
- close cooperation between school owners and vocational teacher education.
The unique characteristics of vocational teachers' professional practice requires special professional development options for this group of teachers and the initiative sets out a range of measures for continuing and further education. They include:
- continuing and increasing the use of the VET staff training scheme;
- continuing the scheme whereby vocational teachers can update their skills in the labour market;
- increasing the number of vocational teachers who are given the opportunity to take further education in common core subjects.
A report from one focus area has been published. However, teachers' skills at all levels of vocational education continued to be a focus for the new government elected in 2021.
A survey aimed at teachers who had completed continuous education as part of the teachers' promotion initiative was carried out, and the results were published in October 2022. The purpose was to examine their experience of the quality and benefits of the education. The vocational teachers' answers were also compared with kindergarten and other teachers' responses to similar surveys.
The results show that vocational teachers exhibited high levels of autonomous motivation for continuing education. They were primarily motivated by an interest in the vocational subject and the desire for professional and methodological development, both as teachers and related to the professional learning community at their school. For most, their motivation was not driven by a lack of competence, but a genuine interest in professional development through continuing education. The majority also emphasised the importance of the school management wanting them to take continuing education. The majority of vocational teachers expressed that the support provided by their workplace contributed to facilitating their studies and enhancing their learning outcomes. Having fellow students among colleagues is important support. The studies meet expectations for quality and relevance and a majority participated in online studies. The studies have benefited the students, but do not clearly contribute to collaboration at school.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Research (KD)
- Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
Target groups
Education professionals
- Teachers
- Trainers
Thematic categories
Teachers, trainers and school leaders competences
Competent and motivated VET teachers in schools and trainers in companies are crucial to VET becoming innovative and relevant, agile, resilient, flexible, inclusive and lifelong.
This thematic category comprises policies and practices of initial training and continuing professional development approaches in a systemic and systematic manner. It also looks at measures aiming to update (entry) requirements and make teaching and training careers attractive and bring more young and talented individuals and business professionals into teaching and training. Supporting VET educators by equipping them with adequate competences, skills and tools for the green transition and digital teaching and learning are addressed in separate thematic sub-categories.
The measures in this category target teachers and school leaders, company trainers and mentors, adult educators and guidance practitioners.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of initial and continuing professional development (CPD) for VET educators who work in vocational schools and in companies providing VET. VET educators include teachers and school leaders, trainers and company managers involved in VET, as well as adult educators and guidance practitioners – those who work in school- and work-based settings. The thematic sub-category includes national strategies, training programmes or individual courses to address the learning needs of VET educators and to develop their vocational (technical) skills, and pedagogical (teaching) skills and competences. Such programmes concern state-of-the-art vocational pedagogy, innovative teaching methods, and competences needed to address evolving teaching environments, e.g. teaching in multicultural settings, working with learners at risk of early leaving, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to measures aimed at engaging more professionals into teaching and training careers, including career schemes or incentives. It includes measures enabling teaching and training of staff, managing VET provider and trainer teams in companies to act as multipliers and mediators, and supporting their peers and/or local communities.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of incentives that encourage learners to take part in VET and lifelong learning; VET providers to improve, broaden and update their offer; companies to provide places for apprenticeship and work-based learning, and to stimulate and support learning of their employees. It also includes measures addressing specific challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) willing to create work-based learning opportunities in different sectors. Incentives can be financial (e.g. grants, allowances, tax incentives, levy/grant mechanisms, vouchers, training credits, individual learning accounts) and non-financial (e.g. information/advice on funding opportunities, technical support, mentoring).
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Attracting new teachers: 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/28471