- 2019Design
- 2020Legislative process
- 2021Completed
Background
In May 2017, the government appointed the Subsistence Committee (Livsoppholdsutvalget), as a follow-up to White Paper 16 (2015-16) (Fra utenforskap til ny sjanse. Samordnet innsats for voksnes læring.) The committee has been tasked with assessing support for subsistence for adults who need basic education.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a historically high increase in the number of people applying for unemployment benefit; the majority because they have been laid off. Many who are now involuntarily without a job would like to make sure that they have relevant and up-to-date knowledge when they eventually return to the labour market. In the meantime, they are dependent on unemployment benefit. The general rule in the current regulation for unemployment benefit states that a person in education or training shall not receive unemployment benefit.
Objectives
One objective is for more people to be given the opportunity to obtain the necessary education and skills so they are equipped for a modern and more knowledge-intensive work life. This is important to ensure a sustainable welfare society. Competence also provides greater job security, which is important for individuals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus is placed on making it easier to combine education and training with receiving unemployment benefit.
Description
The committee was asked to identify and provide recommendations on the financing of subsistence for adults who need better opportunities to complete primary and secondary education.
The first report of the committee was circulated for public consultation on 27 March 2019: NOU 2018:13 – Adults in primary and secondary education, financing of subsistence (the Subsistence Committee). The committee emphasised that training programmes should be more flexible and adapted for adults, and pointed out that this is a prerequisite for reaching the target. Along with a public consultation run by the Ministry of Education and Research, agencies were commissioned to further investigate different suggestions from the report.
As a first step to make it easier to combine benefits with education and training, a temporary regulation change was announced and adopted in April 2020. The temporary solution made it possible to receive unemployment benefit without the extra application and approval for attending education and training and also for people who already combined work and education to continue their education even if they lost their job or were laid off. The requirements to be an active jobseeker and available for work if offered a job remained unchanged. Students who receive loans or grants for education and training are not included in the scheme.
In the 2021 State budget, the government proposed to extend the temporary scheme from the end of 2020 until 1 July 2021.
One of the proposals from NOU2018:13, which was on public consultation in 2020/21, included the possibility of combining unemployment benefit with education. The consultation deadline was 10 February 2021.
The extension of the scheme and the possibility of combining unemployment benefit with education, also in non-pandemic times, were adopted in October.
A report based on the scheme was published. It showed an increase in the number of students following changes in unemployment benefits rules. The number of learners in upper secondary vocational education rose from 200 to 600.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Research (KD)
Target groups
Learners
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Adult learners
- Unemployed and jobseekers
Thematic categories
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).
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Unemployment benefits for competence development: Norway. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/29024