Español

Career Colleges and Vocational Schools in Norway

About Career Colleges and Vocational Schools in Norway

Upper secondary education and training in Norway covers 12 education program areas including 3 for general studies and 9 for initial vocational education and training.
 
Vocational schools in Norway are regulated by the Act on Vocational Colleges of 2003. The country’s unified upper secondary structure coordinates general studies and vocational studies. Students opting for vocational education and training, aspire mainly for a craft or journeyman’s certificate; this usually transpires after two years in school added to two years in-service training at a working place.
 
Types of Programs
 
The types of Vocational Education Programs offered by vocational schools in Norway include programs for:
 
  • Building and Construction
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Electricity and Electronics
  • Health and Social Care
  • Media and Communication
  • Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry
  • Restaurant and Food Processing
  • Service and Transport
  • Technical and Industrial Production
 
Apprenticeship Training in Vocational Schools in Norway
 
Apprenticeship training is conducted in each county under the aegis of a Vocational Training Board (yrkesopplæringsnemnd) that gives advice on various aspects of VET. Public budgets are used to fund Public Initial Vocational Education and Training that mainly involves two years school-based education and two years apprenticeship training. A regular wage is paid to apprentices, in accordance with a wage agreement. The apprentice can expect a 30-80 percent increase in salary over the period of apprenticeship. An apprentice generally doesn’t get laid off unless the training establishment finds itself unable to provide work that is consistent with on-the-job training requirements during a transitional period, or by mutual consent of the apprentice and the training school. A state subsidy is given to a training establishment that enters into contracts with apprentices.
 
Career Colleges in Norway
 
Career Colleges in Norway form part of the country’s Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education.
Students who enroll at career colleges in Norway (Fagskole) for training are required to hold a trade or journeyman’s certificate or any other equivalent experience. In order to receive training as a Master Craftsman (Håndverksmester), a student would have to hold a craft or journeyman’s certificate while having many years of relevant work experience. Usually this course attracts trainees who aspire to set up their own business enterprise or want to occupy a managerial position in a craft enterprise. Technical vocational career colleges in Norway provide such training requirements for a wide variety of crafts. While career colleges in Norway provide educational guidance and counseling, they do not follow any set system of counseling.
 
Admission Requirements
 
Students wanting to join vocational courses in Poland are required to have completed upper secondary education, or have relevant training at a similar level.
 
Training & Duration
 
The duration of a school year is ten months. The size of groups can vary depending on the schools they attend or the nature of study program they take up. Campus training occupies most part of the training. Adult learning organizations are also engaged in imparting some training.
 
Curricula & Examinations
 
The curricula is set by the schools themselves and is subject to national level approval by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT – Nasjonalt organ for kvalitet i utdanningen).
 
The nature of the study program determines the type of assessment that could comprise of practical tests, written or oral exams.
 
Students who complete technical vocational college, qualify for admission to university colleges’ engineering programs. Those who successfully complete business and administrative disciplines at technical vocational colleges can join courses that lead to master craftsman’s certificates.