Education and Training Monitor 2024

1. Learning for sustainability

Sustainability permeates all levels of education. Learning for sustainability is not explicitly present in schools’ governing documents (i.e. law, syllabi or curricula), but is close to their basic values and goals (Skolinspektionen, 2023a). Sustainability is one of the teaching goals in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and in schools (both compulsory and upper-secondary). In ECEC, sustainability is defined from both an environmental and a social point of view. In compulsory school, the environment is one of the four perspectives serving as foundations of teaching.

The teaching of sustainability is adapted to children’s development. In ECEC, children are expected to develop an interest in sustainability and a feeling of responsibility for environment. In compulsory school, they are expected to acquire knowledge of sustainability, and in upper-secondary school to analyse human interaction with the world from the perspective of sustainable development. Its integration into teaching is strongest in the natural and social sciences. Half of vocational education and training (VET) upper-secondary programmes also contain learning content on sustainability related to the trained profession. ECEC institutions and schools that excel in a whole-institution approach to sustainability can receive the quality label ‘School for sustainable development’ (250 currently have it).

Sustainability is explicitly present in higher education (HE), and required for some degrees. The Higher Education Act stipulates that HE should address sustainability. All higher education institutions (HEIs) in Sweden have formalised strategies for sustainability which are monitored by the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ). Learning about sustainability is a requirement for degrees in teacher education, engineering and architecture. However, an evaluation of the work of HEIs on sustainability in education showed that only a quarter of them have a well-developed approach; smaller HEIs seem to face more problems with it.

Pupils’ knowledge of sustainability is good, but strongly affected by gender and parents’ educational attainment. Their knowledge in eighth grade is one of the best among the EU countries that participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (543.7 points vs EU-17 506.7 points)¹. The gap between boys and girls is much higher than the EU average, with girls scoring 34 points higher². Also, children whose parents have a high level of educational attainment score 108.5 points higher than those from low education backgrounds (EU-17: 76.3). Only in 32.2% of schools did nearly all eighth grade students report that they had participated in activities related to environmental sustainability (EU-17 average: 48%)³ (Schulz et al., 2023).

Figure 1: Variations of knowledge of sustainability between countries and according to the parents’ educational background

Sustainability competencies are included in the general teacher competence framework, and teachers frequently participate in training on sustainability. The shares of teachers who participated in training on environment and sustainability (71.7%), and specifically during their initial teacher education (ITE) (46.2%), are among the highest in the EU⁴ (Schulz et al., 2023). Training programmes on sustainability aim to enable teachers to critically analyse sustainability and learn how to teach it (European Commission, 2024b). The National Agency for Education (NAE) provides online training in sustainability for ECEC⁵ and school teachers⁶, and information to ECEC teachers on how to work with it⁷. Other authorities, universities and organisations are also developing support materials for ECEC and school teachers.

Sweden is increasing funding for green skills and jobs and developing a new higher VET programme. In 2023, it allocated EUR 9.5 million to support the green transition (Cedefop, 2023b), focusing on targeted investments in skills development and training to ensure that Swedish workers are equipped for climate action (Cedefop, 2023b and NIP, 2022). To address the growing needs of the solar energy sector, a VET programme has been developed for solar energy managers. It is designed to upskill and reskill adults for the green transition, and provides a fast-track to tertiary qualifications while allowing learners to work. Modules take between 10 and 25 days. Interest in the programme is high: for 2022-2023, there were twice as many applications as available places. It meets specific industry needs and aligns with the national qualifications framework (Cedefop, 2023c). It covers electrical engineering for solar energy projectors, solar technology, regulations, construction technology, energy knowledge, battery storage, and smart systems. Learners continue to receive their wage if they are employed (or financial aid from the State if unemployed), managed by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education (MYH). Four years of professional experience are required to join (Lundström, 2023).

2. Early childhood education and care

Participation in ECEC is among the highest in the EU, although slightly lower for children with migrant background. In 2023, the participation rate in formal childcare of children under 3 was 56.8%, already above the 2030 national EU-level target of 53%. The rate for children from the age of 3 to the beginning of compulsory school was 96.1% in 2022, above the EU-level target of 96%. According to national statistics, children with a migrant background participate less than native-born children, and this difference is most pronounced for children born abroad⁸. One in four children in ECEC has a migrant background, 86% of whom are born in Sweden. Participation of children aged 1-5 is slightly higher in small towns than in large cities (4 pps difference) (NAE, 2023b).

Shortages of qualified ECEC teachers vary by organiser and degree of urbanisation. In 2022, only 40% of ECEC staff were qualified ECEC teachers. The percentage is greater in small towns (47%) and smallest in big cities (only 31%). Municipal ECEC facilities⁹ have a higher proportion of trained staff (43%) than independent ones (31%) (NAE, 2023a). The quality of ECEC is monitored based on statistical information¹⁰ and inspections. While municipal ECEC facilities are monitored by the School Inspectorate, the municipalities themselves monitor their independent ECEC facilities. The School Inspectorate controls the overall quality of inspections by municipalities and can conduct thematic inspections, which then also include independent ECEC facilities.

3. School education

Early leaving from education and training (ELET) is decreasing, but there are differences according to urbanisation, gender and country of birth. In 2023, ELET rate was 7.4%, 1.4 pps lower than in 2022. This is better than the EU average of 9.5%, and Sweden has already achieved the EU-level target of less than 9%. ELET is significantly lower in cities (5.9%) than in rural areas (10.4%)¹¹. Boys are 2.4 pps more likely to leave school early than girls, while foreign-born young people are nearly twice as likely as native-born ones to leave school early (11.1% vs 6.4%)¹².

Swedish students perform better in basic skills than the EU average, but results have significantly declined since 2018. According to the 2022 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) (OECD, 2023a), underachievement in Swedish schools has increased in all three subject areas tested: in mathematics by 8.4 pps to 27.2% (EU: 29.5%), in reading by 5.9 pps to 24.3% (EU: 26.2%), and in science by 4.7 pps to 23.7% (EU: 24.2%) (European Commission, 2024a). These increases are among the largest in the EU, reversing a positive trend between 2012-2018. At the same time, the share of top performers, while still higher than the EU average, has decreased in both mathematics (by -2.6 pps to 10%) and reading (by -3.1 pps to 10.2%). Since schools remained largely open during COVID-19, these negative trends can only to a limited extent be explained by the impact of school closures¹³. The digital skills of 16-19-year-olds were slightly below the EU average in 2023: 63.36% had basic or above-basic digital skills (EU: 66.49%), a decrease of more than 15 pps since 2021¹⁴.

Students with low socio-economic background are at much greater risk of underachievement. Disadvantaged students are four times more likely to underachieve in mathematics (44.4%) than advantaged students (10.9%). Since 2018, the share of underachieving students increased more among disadvantaged students than among advantaged students, widening the socio-economic gap (33.5 pps vs 24.2 pps in 2018). Similar gaps exist in reading (29.7 pps) and science (30.3 pps). The grant for schools with socio-economic challenges has been increased by EUR 14 million per year (Regeringen, 2023b). In 2024, the former Equity grant¹⁵ was renamed the Knowledge grant and from 1 September 2024 actions funded by it will no longer be required to improve equity, but only knowledge¹⁶.

Figure 2: Underachievement rate in mathematics among students in Sweden

One in five students have a migrant background, and they are at much greater risk of underachievement. The share of students with migrant background is one of the highest in the EU (21.3%), and three quarter of them speak at home a language that is not the language of tuition (75.7%, rising to 88.2% for foreign-born students). Also, students with migrant background have more often a low socio-economic status (48.2% vs 25% for students in general). Despite this, the difference in performance between native-born and migrant background students is significant even after accounting for socio-economic status: 34 points for mathematics (one of the highest in the EU) and 49 points for reading. In underachievement in mathematics, the gap between native-born students and foreign-born students is 32.2 pps, one of the highest in the EU, and remains high for migrant background students born in Sweden (20.2 pps). This points to challenges addressing the needs of students with migrant background (NAE, 2023e).

Students with a migrant background are often concentrated in the same schools. The isolation index is a PISA indicator measuring the extent to which certain types of students are concentrated in the same schools. Compared to the EU average, this index is low for disadvantaged students (0.13). However, for students with migrant background it is one of the highest in the EU¹⁷ (0.22).

Disadvantaged schools have better student teacher ratios, but more often lack qualified teachers. Over a third of school principals reported in PISA that their school’s capacity to provide instruction was hindered by a lack of teaching staff (35.5%), lack of assisting staff (38.4%), inadequately or poorly qualified teachers (36.8%) or assisting staff (35.2%). Most of these issues seem to have gotten worse since 2018. The reported shortage of teachers and other school staff is greater in disadvantaged schools, which also have a lower share of qualified teachers (81% vs 91% for advantaged schools) (NAE, 2023e).

The government aims to increase both the quality of teacher education and attractiveness of the profession. From 1 July 2024, students of education studies must demonstrate the ability to use and value textbooks, other teaching aids and learning tools to obtain a degree. Both teachers and teacher students have previously pointed out that there has been a lack of training in this area (Regeringen, 2023e). An inquiry is ongoing on the way to increase the quality of teacher and ECEC teacher education and improve the status and attractiveness of the profession. This is to be achieved by increasing the admission requirements, strengthening the education of subject teachers; and focusing more on subject knowledge, cognitive science and pedagogy in educational content (Regeringen, 2023a).

Digitalisation is taking a step back and the focus is shifting to access to analogue learning resources in schools and municipal adult education. Based on the Learning Material inquiry, the government has amended the Education Act. From 1 July 2024, students in compulsory school, upper-secondary school and municipal adult education have the right to free access to textbooks, other learning materials and learning tools needed for knowledge development in accordance with the educational goals (Riksdagen, 2023b). At the same time, Sweden’s School Inspectorate will audit pupils’ access to those resources in preschool class and compulsory school (Regeringen, 2023f). This is also due to the large differences in municipalities’ spending on purchase of learning materials per student. In 2023, an annual grant of EUR 50 million was introduced for buying teaching materials (Regeringen, 2024c), increasing municipalities’ purchase of learning materials per student by 57%. This is deemed insufficient to bridge existing differences (Läromedelsförfattarna, 2024). Another government grant of EUR 15 million is available for purchasing fiction and non-fiction literature for schools and ECEC facilities (Regeringen, 2024b). Further change to the Education Act is proposed to enhance access of students to school libraries (from 2025), and EUR 19 million is to be earmarked for this for 2025, followed by EUR 38 million annually (Regeringen, 2023c). The government will not adopt the NAE’s proposed digitalisation strategy, and the NAE should instead provide recommendations on the choice and use of learning tools in teaching. Focus is now on analogue learning, as it is regarded as providing better results in the acquisition of basic skills in younger age (Utbildningsdepartementet, 2023). Digital national tests that are being developed by the NAE will not apply to pupils in the first three grades of compulsory school, who should use analogue resources for learning (Regeringen, 2024a).

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being introduced as a new subject in upper-secondary schools and municipal adult education. From autumn 2024, AI will be a new subject in science and technology programmes, and a possible add-on for students in other programmes. Students will be expected to develop knowledge of the central concepts and techniques within AI and receive an introduction and overview of AI and its applications (NAE, 2023d).

Gifted students will be able to study at a faster pace, and the right of students from national minorities to mother-tongue teaching is being expanded. From 2 July 2024, gifted students can study faster both in compulsory and upper-secondary schools. In compulsory schools, they can take subjects at upper-secondary level through remote learning, and in upper-secondary school they can complete their studies faster (Regeringen, 2024d). From 30 June 2025, students from national minorities in upper-secondary education will have the right to mother-tongue teaching without the current requirement for prior knowledge of the language (Riksdagen, 2023a).

A legislative loophole enables private school owners with deficient schools to expand. The number of private schools’ owners has decreased, because some of them bought already established schools from others. Some of these would not have been given permission to establish a new school due to serious deficiencies in their existing schools. In autumn 2023, the School Inspectorate petitioned the government that such takeovers should be covered by a new application for approval (Skolinspektionen, 2024).

4. Vocational education and training

Sweden is strengthening the links between VET and the labour market. In 2023, 65.7% of recent VET graduates had work-based learning experience, above the EU-level target of 60% by 2025. Acknowledging the role that VET can play in combating skill shortages, in December 2023 the parliament approved a substantial budget increase for 2024 for regional initial VET for adults and for higher VET (Cedefop, 2024a). This budget increase aims to meet the continuously expanding need for skilled workers throughout Sweden, highlighted by the Labour Market Tendency Survey 2023 (Statistics Sweden, 2023). It includes around EUR 119.3 million for regional adult vocational education (including student finance), which will support approximately 16 500 new full-year places for regional adult VET (an increase of 25% compared to 2023), and around EUR 33.7 million for higher vocational education (including student finance), up 6% from 2023, to support approximately 3 000 new study places.

Sweden is increasing the attractiveness of VET. In 2022, more than a third (37.3%) of students in medium-level education attended vocational programmes¹⁸. In 2023, 86.2% of VET graduates (20-34 years) found employment, above the EU average of 81%¹⁹. Since 2023, all VET programmes include optional courses in Swedish and English needed to ensure the VET graduates eligibility for HE (Cedefop, 2022). The Swedish Parliament expanded VET programme credits and teaching time by amending the Education Act in April 2022 (Cedefop, 2024b). On 1 January 2023 Sweden implemented a national validation system (Cedefop, 2023a), which aims to create a coherent and permanent structure for validating vocational skills. In November 2022, Sweden piloted its first regional upper-secondary VET network in Norrbotten to improve the quality and attractiveness of VET. This initiative will expand to 10 regions by the end of 2024 (Cedefop, 2023b). It brings together stakeholders to share experiences and best practices and discuss regional successes and challenges in VET. Its goal is to develop a common understanding of VET-related issues (Cedefop, 2024b).

5. Higher education

Tertiary educational attainment (TEA) is high, but lower in the northern regions and in rural areas. In 2023, 54.1% of young people between 25 and 34 had a tertiary qualification, 1.7 pps more than in 2022, above both the EU average (42%) and the EU-level target of 45%. The gender gap in favour of women is 15.1 pps, higher than the EU average of 11.2 pps. The TEA of foreign-born people is slightly lower at 50.1%, with significant differences between foreign-born people from another EU country (68.3%) and those from non-EU countries (46.2%)²⁰. It is lower in the northern regions²¹ and in rural areas (37.7%), and much higher in cities (66.1%)²². The employment rate of recent HE graduates (aged 20-34) in 2023 was 91.8%, above the EU average of 87.7%, but 1.3 pps lower than in 2022²³.

Learning mobility is slightly below the EU average, and most foreign graduates come from other EU countries or Asia. In 2022, 10.3% of HE graduates from Sweden had a learning mobility experience abroad (EU average: 10.9%), significantly below the EU-level target of 23%²⁴. Most of the Swedish tertiary graduates studied abroad for a short period (6.8%); 40.1% of them received support from EU programmes. Inward mobility is in Sweden a bit higher than in the EU in general (10.8% vs EU 8.7%), and most come from other EU countries (31.3%) or from Asia (32%).

The quality and excellence of HE will be strengthened through the national quality assurance system. In Sweden, each HEI is responsible for its own internal quality assurance, and the Swedish Higher Education Authority (Universitetskanslersämbetet – UKÄ) evaluates quality through institutional reviews of HEIs’ quality assurance programmes, thematic evaluations and appraisals of applications for degree-awarding powers. UKÄ has been tasked with proposing, by September 2024 and in dialogue with HEIs, an approach to strengthen the quality and excellence of HE without increasing the administrative burden on HEIs (Regeringen, 2023d).

6. Adult learning

Adult participation in education and training is significantly higher than the EU average, with higher rates among higher-educated people, women, younger adults and urban residents. In 2022, the participation rate of adults in education and training in Sweden was 66.5% (according to the Eurostat Adult Education Survey), significantly higher than the EU average of 39.5% and 6.5 pps above the 2030 national target of 60.0% of adults participating in learning every year²⁵. Participation varies widely among different groups. Higher educated individuals participate much more than less educated people (78.6% vs 47.1%). Women participate more than men (70.2% vs 62.9%), and younger adults (aged 25-34) participate more than older adults aged 55-64 (70.8% vs 55.7%). Additionally, participation is higher in urban areas than in rural areas (70.2% vs 62.2%).

Sweden has made progress in adult education through joint efforts by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education, but challenges remain. One significant issue is the integration of foreign-born adults into adult learning. The School Inspectorate has reviewed Swedish for immigrants in 30 municipal adult education schools and found flaws in 24 of them. It concluded that the quality is too variable, giving unequal chances for students to develop a functional second language (Skolinspektionen, 2023b and Skolinspektionen,2023c). Initiatives are underway to improve Swedish language skills for specific professions, such as the healthcare and preschool sectors (NAE, 2023a).

Municipal adult education will increase link to labour market needs and municipal collaboration. Several changes will be implemented in 2025. Amendments to the Education Act will require school authorities to consider labour market needs when designing adult education programmes (NAE, 2023c). Municipalities will also have to collaborate with at least two others when planning their adult education offer. As of 2023, nearly all municipalities (289 out of 290) had established such partnerships. Additionally, the NAE is revising the syllabi of municipal adult education to increase coherence, flexibility and individualisation. Since 2021, anyone considering municipal adult education can have their competences mapped and validated. However, in 2022, fewer than 2% of students used this validation process (NAE, 2024). Most of the validation of prior learning takes place related to courses in health programmes. Foreign-born individuals are more likely to seek validation than those born in Sweden. According to municipalities, barriers include a lack of resources and student interest, and an unclear validation process.