- 2019Pilot
- 2020Pilot
- 2021Completed
Background
The Ministry of Education and Research has conducted a pilot project on new professional career paths for teachers in the form of teacher specialists.
The pilot is based on the strategy Promotion of the status and quality of teachers and started in the school year 2015/16. Initially, the pilot was meant to last for two years and include teacher specialists in Norwegian and mathematics.
The government has decided to extend the scheme both in terms of the number of teachers and subjects. The scheme includes teachers working in practical and aesthetic subjects and vocational programmes.
Objectives
The objective is to give teachers new professional career paths, new challenges and professional development while they continue to teach. To keep good teachers in the classroom will contribute to better learning for the pupils. The long-term goal is better schools and increased completion of upper secondary education. The government's goal is for there to be 3 000 teacher specialists in four years, and that all schools should have access to teacher specialists in initial training.
Description
The scheme is based on a 50% contribution of the costs by the school owner.
The target group for the pilot project is teachers in primary and secondary school, as well as teachers who teach adults at these levels. Both teachers in public schools and in private schools approved under the law of independent schools may participate in the pilot.
School owners are responsible for developing plans for the assignment of teacher specialists and for clarifying roles and responsibilities. School owners are also responsible for guidance and dissemination of information to colleagues.
The function of teacher specialists is twofold:
- to help skilled teachers experience good opportunities for academic development so that they will wish to continue to teach;
- to strengthen the collective professional community and the development of the school as a learning organisation.
Teaching should constitute the bulk of a teacher's specialist function. In addition, the teacher specialist can have several other tasks that are relevant to their field of specialisation. It will be up to the school to decide which tasks are the most relevant, on the basis of its needs and relevant local initiatives and measures.
Examples of relevant tasks can be to:
- assess the need for, and take the initiative to include, workplace- based competence raising and collegial guidance;
- cooperate with universities and university colleges in development projects.
The scheme was...
The scheme is based on a 50% contribution of the costs by the school owner.
The target group for the pilot project is teachers in primary and secondary school, as well as teachers who teach adults at these levels. Both teachers in public schools and in private schools approved under the law of independent schools may participate in the pilot.
School owners are responsible for developing plans for the assignment of teacher specialists and for clarifying roles and responsibilities. School owners are also responsible for guidance and dissemination of information to colleagues.
The function of teacher specialists is twofold:
- to help skilled teachers experience good opportunities for academic development so that they will wish to continue to teach;
- to strengthen the collective professional community and the development of the school as a learning organisation.
Teaching should constitute the bulk of a teacher's specialist function. In addition, the teacher specialist can have several other tasks that are relevant to their field of specialisation. It will be up to the school to decide which tasks are the most relevant, on the basis of its needs and relevant local initiatives and measures.
Examples of relevant tasks can be to:
- assess the need for, and take the initiative to include, workplace- based competence raising and collegial guidance;
- cooperate with universities and university colleges in development projects.
The scheme was evaluated in 2017 (Norwegian and mathematics) by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU).
The scheme will be evaluated from 1 January 2020 to 15 November 2021. The evaluation will include both the continuation of the pilot with teacher specialists and the quality of the education provided by the teacher specialists. The purpose of the evaluation is to map knowledge about the scheme and whether it works as intended. NIFU will collect information about the teachers' teaching situation, working day and teaching practice in addition to assessments of the scheme with the teacher specialist and the teacher specialist education provided. The evaluation will be based on both surveys and qualitative interviews.
The government will replace this scheme with a new scheme, developed in cooperation with the social partners.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Research (KD)
- Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
Target groups
Education professionals
- Teachers
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.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Teacher specialists: 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/28944