"NET CODE -Setting up a thematic network for continuous competence
development within the information society"

2.  SWEDEN

 INDEX

2.1             Current changes on the SWEDISH labour market
     a.      Personnel training
2.2             The Vocational Training System in Sweden
     a.      Initiatives Promoting Adult Education and Life Long Learning
          i.      Adult Education Initiative
          ii.      Advanced Vocational Education
          iii.      Present competence development trends
          iv.      IDC project
2.3             Systems of unions and employers associations
     a.      Laws and regulations on the labour market
    b.      Collective agreements and provisions for competence development
    c.      Trade Unions
         i.      The Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO)
         ii.      The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO)
         iii.      SACO, The Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations
    d.      Employers associations
         i.      The Confederation of Swedish Enterprises
         ii.      The Employers Organisation for Industrial and Service Companies
2.4             Structural adaptation needed
2.5             Social and professional competencies development
    a.      Examples from national level
         i.      National Competence Center for Lifelong Learning (ENCELL)
         ii.      SALTSA
    b.      Examples from regional level
        i.      Regional Skills Councils
        ii.      Growth agreements
    c.      Examples from local level
       i.      Learning centres (local study centres, centres for flexible learning)
       ii.      NITUS
2.6             Methodologies for life long learning
     a.      Networking as a form of life long learning
     b.      Distance learning by the Picture Tel system
     c.      ITIS
     d.      krAft

2.1
Current changes on the SWEDISH labour market

Sweden has a relatively low unemployment rate (less than 4%) compared to many EC Member States despite the fact that industry has faced major structural changes during the 90s and the beginning of the 21^st century. But there are differences between different regions in Sweden. In the big cities there are a shortage of jobseekers, whilst several rural and remote areas faces high unemployment rates. 
     Private consumption has been a strong driving force behind the Swedish economy. Employment has increased in the service sector and 70% of the total increase in jobs in the country has been provided by the private service sector since 1999. Another trend is the fact that permanent employment is no longer taken for granted as a form of employment. Temporary employment is becoming more and more common both in the private and public sector.
     Industry in Sweden is seeing an increased demand on production teams to take more responsibility. This requires a culture in which people do not simply accept change but are prepared to get involved in the process of change. Competence requirement for recruitment is changing all the time, due to the introduction of new technology and changes in work organisation. Solid training for the occupation, vocational experiences is often required together with a knowledge of new technology, personal and social competence. Certified skills in for example ICT (so called ICT Driving Licence) are demanded. 
     In terms of ICT skills the Swedish Home Computer Reform has played a role. The reform involved special tax regulations. The benefit of using the employer’s computer equipment for private use is not taxed. By this, the employers could introduce computers to the workplace by giving the employees the opportunity to learn how to use the computers at their own pace in the home. This has been important in enhancing the broad ICT competence in the population. 

     The government has recently suggested Individual Learning Accounts as a stimulus for lifelong learning. These accounts should be general and accessible to all employees and company owners. Accounts should be voluntary and based on individuals themselves choosing to start a learning account, which means that the funds belong to the individual who determines how they are to be used. For the individual, this involves taking personal responsibility for their own development. For the employer it involves increasing the breadth and depth of employee competence in order to increase competitiveness and productivity. The proposal is that all employees and company owners should have the opportunity to start making regular contributions into a learning account, which can be drawn on for competence development in the future. Saving for competence development will be permitted up to approx. 2000 Euro per year. This entitles to tax relief on income of employment. 

2.1.a
Personnel training

Figures shows that personnel training have increased considerably in the recent year among blue-collar workers as well as among white-collar workers. However, the distribution is still very uneven among different groups of employees. Those who already have the highest education receive most education. The general measure is time spent for personnel training in percent of total working hours. It turns out that this percentage is 2.4 percent for blue-collar workers, 4.9 per cent for white-collar workers and 6.9 percent for academics.
     There is also a marked difference between employees with different employers. State employees and employees within the county councils are those receiving most training, followed by employees within the municipalities. Employees within the private sector are at the bottom.
     The national unions at the bottom of "the personnel training ladder" only receive personnel education during 1/2% of their working hours, while the most favoured groups receive about 15 times as much. There are also great differences between wage earners with different forms of employment. Those employed when need arises, receive least personnel training.
There are considerable differences between big and small companies. Employees in companies with less than ten employees receive on the average only 30 percent of the personnel training granted to employees in very big companies.
     Great changes have taken place as regards personnel training. There are comparable figures from 1994 and onwards. Between 1994 and 2000, the proportion of personnel training of the total working hours decreased from 2.7 to 1.6 percent among blue-collar workers. There has however been a remarkable increase in the recent year (between 2000 and 2001) - from 1.6 to 2.4 percent. The most conspicuous of this increase is that the average number of training days for those who have already attended training have increased considerably.

2.2
The Vocational Training System in Sweden  

Adult education in Sweden has a long history and options for further and recurrent education is available in many different forms throughout the country. Education for adult’s equivalent to the education conferred by the compulsory and upper secondary school is part of the public system. Swedish education is thus a structural uniform system from elementary level to upper secondary schooling and adult education. The education is mainly financed by the public budget and tuition is free of charge in all public institutions. Various financial assistance schemes are provided for students in upper secondary school, adult education and higher education.

     Vocational education and training in Sweden have many similarities with those in other EC Member States, particularly the Nordic countries. It does, however, also have many unique elements. It is not a system with specific objectives and clear body boundaries. It is rather a comprehensive model of education stressing active citizenship, work life orientation and further studies. Of special interest are the role of core curriculum and general skills as well as the degree to which the system is built on modules and the wide range of provision available in continuing vocational training. It is a system in which the
·         Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communication share responsibility for continuing vocational training; 
·         national agencies such as the National Agency for Education and the National Labour Market Board  play key roles in continuing vocational training; and
·         social partners have a considerable influence on the system.

It is a system, which ensures that curricula and qualifications are updated and meet the needs on the workplaces, particularly in relation to the use of new technologies. In addition value for money is very much emphasised and there has been a decentralisation of aspects of management of the system to municipalities and to individual institutions. The system remains however, overwhelmingly a publicly run and financed one, with very few private providers of training.

2.2.a
Initiatives Promoting Adult Education and Life Long Learning

2.2.a.i
Adult Education Initiative

At the end of the 1990s, unemployment in Sweden increased and production growth decreased.  As part of a wider strategy to reduce unemployment, the government initiated the Adult Education Initiative in 1997. The aim of the initiative was to bring about a comprehensive national expansion of knowledge and it brought with it a new emphasis on learning It was a five-year adult education program for which the local government had responsibility and over 500,000 people participated in the program. 80% of the students in the programme were women.
     Adults missing a complete upper secondary education got opportunity to study core subjects at upper secondary level with a special education grant corresponding to their unemployment allowances. Priority was given to unemployed adults, but employees with only a short education could also be admitted. It was possible to combine vocational and theoretical subjects.

The major objective of the expansion of adult education has been to update labour market and education policy, to achieve an equitable income distribution and promote economic growth.

2.2.a.ii
Advanced Vocational Education

Advanced Vocational Education was introduced in Sweden in 1996 as a new form of post-secondary education in which one third of the time is spent in the advanced application of theoretical knowledge at a workplace. What this entails is not the traditional traineeship period, but active workplace learning and problem-solving in an overall educational context. The courses are based on close cooperation between enterprises and various course providers (higher education, upper secondary schools, municipal adult education and companies). The are intended to correspond to real needs in the employment market. However, there are no restrictions in terms of sector on the enterprises is to be provided. The courses are open both to individuals coming directly from upper secondary school and to people who are already gainfully employed and wish to develop their skills within a defined area.
     The background was that today's employment market demands skilled labour. To be attractive on the labour market, a person needs to have not only traditional knowledge but also wide-ranging proficiency. This includes flexibility, social skills, a capacity to see both the overall picture and individual processes, and an ability to solve production problems in an enterprise’s operations. In some areas specialist know-how is currently in short supply. In a number of sectors, a new form of education closely linked to the employment market is therefore called for. Although the range of courses offered at post-secondary level is very broad in Sweden, in many areas there is a lack of post-secondary education with significant elements of workplace learning.
     The education is post-secondary, in the sense that completed upper secondary education or equivalent knowledge is required for eligibility. The subject matter is taken from the employment market, courses in higher education, upper secondary, supplementary and advanced courses. The aim is that the courses should combine a practical orientation with in-depth theoretical knowledge. The interplay between theory and the workplace is important both for course quality and to meet the needs of the employment market and the students. Courses may be divided into terms, or conducted continuously with no division into terms. The student is entitled to financial support subject to the current regulations for higher education. The courses confer at least 40 "points" (i.e., comprise 40 weeks' full-time study) and will culminate in an AVE certificate. It is important for the courses to comply with other crucial needs in the employment market of the future, and to develop the students' social and personal skills, i.e., their ability to speak, read, write and use information, ability to solve problems and think critically and creatively, and ability to negotiate and work in a team. 
     The courses emphasise workplace learning. For one third of the course, students will be occupied at workplaces, honing their analytical abilities, applying comprehensive and system approaches, and assuming responsibility. If this process is to work properly, advanced supervision must be available. A further requirement is that the workplace itself should be so organised as to make learning feasible. Although the aim of training is to impart familiarity with an occupation or vocational area, it must not be so narrow as to be in essence a form of in-house company training. 

2.2.a.iii
Present competence development trends

The government proposition from 2000 for adult learning and the development of adult education took a holistic view of adult learning based on life-long learning.  The proposition took an extensive view and did not only refer to education in formal environments, but also to wider areas of learning in informal environments such as those in everyday life and at work as well.  Future adult education should meet the need for learning based on individual wishes, needs and conditions as well as support the participation of adults in life-long learning.  It was emphasised that the work conducted within the Adult Education Initiative should be taken advantage of, developed further and integrated in the local cooperation between government, community and private education.
Present competence development in Sweden is extensive.  For example:
·         every year 60 billion Swedish crowns are invested within the business world on competence development for employees
·         each year in Sweden about 3 million adults take part in “study circles” (continuing education)
·         the government invests 350 million Swedish crowns in local development of the infrastructure of adult learning

Several new institutions have been created such as Nätuniversitetet (the Net University), Centrum för flexibelt lärande (the Center for Flexible Learning), and Centrum för kvalificerad yrkesutbildning  (the Center for Professional Education).

2.2.a.iv
IDC project

The demands of basic education and continuos competence development within the industry have drastically increased during the 1990’s. Individuals must to a greater extent make sure that their competence is attractive on the market in a constantly changing world. This calls for lifelong learning. IDC Gnosjö, one of the partners in NetCode, has therefore initiated a project aiming at developing 
·         a nationally and internationally practicable system for target oriented strategically planned competence development for adult individuals in or outside employment; 
·         give adult individuals the possibilities to be employable by continuos competence development; 
·         develop the providers of education so that they can meet the needs that are clarified by the analysis of competence needs in and outside companies

The values of the project is the change of perspective from provider to order, focus on competence and the way to competence and strategic competence planning (SCP) for the individual/the company/the society. SCP leads to target oriented competence development assuming a flexible provider, reformation of the rules of the providers of education and establishment of functional environments to enable actions

2.3
Systems of unions and employers associations

2.3.a
Laws and regulations on the labour market

The rights of workers are to be found in what is collectively called labour law. This is based on statutes, ordinances and regulations of various kinds. Labour legislation has given workers the following: the right to participation in decision-making at the workplace, the right to holidays, shorter working hours, a better working environment, increased employment security and so on.
     The social insurance legislation also contains important components for the protection of workers. This applies to such things as national health insurance, occupational injury insurance and national pension insurance. 
     There is also the specific form of regulation called the collective agreement, which is concluded between the trade union and the employer. Many important rules of labour law are mandatory to the benefit of the worker – that is to say, collective agreements that deviate from the law must be more advantageous than the law for the individual worker. 

One example of a mandatory rule is the requirement that there be objective grounds for termination of a permanent employment contract. Other rules in labour law are discretionary, which means that it is possible to agree on a deviation from the law to the disadvantage of the individual worker through a collective agreement. Examples of such rules are the rules of the Act on Security of Employment (LAS) concerning the various forms of employment restricted in time. The collective agreements also cover, apart from provisions concerning pay, conditions of work etc, a number of insurance solutions that supplement the statutory insurance protection against sickness, occupational injury, unemployment, old age and death.
     Swedish labour law as a whole is a comprehensive code of statutes including workers´right - labour law, the collective agreement, the act on co-determination at work, the act on the position of a trade union at the workplace, the act on board representation, the act on security of employment, LAS, the working hours act, the annual leave act, the parental leave act, the educational leave act, the work environment act, the act on equality between women and men at work, anti-discrimination laws and the promotion of employment act 

2.3.b
Collective agreements and provisions for competence development

Examples

2.3.c
Trade Unions

2.3.c.i 
The Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO)

LO is the central organisation for 17 affiliates, which organise workers within the private and public sectors in Sweden. The 17 affiliates together have approx. 2,1 million members, and approx. 954.000 of them is women. Approx. 1.260.000 members works in the private sector, and approx. 806.000 are employed by the public sector i.e. state, county councils and municipalities.  The 17 affiliates have independent status, and the individual affiliates have full responsibility within their industrial sectors at national, regional and local levels. They are also responsible for the administration of the unemployment insurance funds.
     LO is primarily an organisation for co-ordination, research and creation of public opinion at national and regional levels. Wage bargaining, labour market insurance schemes, international activities, trade union education, children’s and young people’s education, equality of the sexes and social security are some of the areas for which LO is responsible for co-ordination. Through the LO Districts and LO Sections, LO can effectively co-ordinate trade union efforts and effectively mould public opinion at local level.
            LO is involved in matters concerning the Swedish labour market and political development as a whole. An important task for LO is to protect the trade union movement’s interests in relation to the Swedish Parliament, authorities and other organisations. LO is therefore a body to which proposed legislative measures affecting society as a whole are referred for consideration. LO is also represented on the governing bodies of various governmental authorities.  
     The number of LO affiliates has steadily fallen as a result of amalgamations of smaller affiliates. This has taken place because considerable resources are necessary to be able to offer the members the support and service they are entitled to demand from their trade union organisation. These amalgamations take place on the initiative of the individual affiliates and are supported by LO.
     The rate of unionisation in Sweden is among the highest in the world. Within LO´s area of organisation, 84 per cent of the employees are members of one of the LO affiliates. The rate of unionisation is somewhat higher for women than for men. The Swedish labour market employs about 4 million people. Of these, just over half are organised within LO affiliates.

2.3.c.ii
The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO)  

The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO) unites 1.3 million Swedish white-collar workers from all areas of society. Over 60 % of the members are women and approx. 50 % work in the private sector and 50 % in the public sector. TCO members work for example as engineers, teachers, police officers, secretaries, bank clerks and nurses, and can be found in both the public and the private sector. 
     TCO consists of 19 affiliated trade unions. The professional roles of the members vary widely but there is much to unite them, and it is these shared questions that TCO works with both within Sweden and at the international level. Examples of such questions are jobs for all, job satisfaction and opportunities for professional development and training, a good working environment, for example with computers which satisfy strict ergonomic demands and security of income for those who fall ill or have children. The statutes of the organisation describe our task as follows: 

     "TCO is an association of Sweden's white-collar trade union organisations, and has the task of exercising the central leadership of the white-collar workers' movement, thereby safeguarding and promoting the joint economic and social interests of white-collar workers." 

2.3.c.iii
SACO, The Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations,

SACO is a confederation of 26, independent trade unions representing nearly half a million graduate professionals and others with comparable qualification. A growing number of these members include people who are partly or wholly self-employed; many of them are doctors, consultants, architects, lawyers and dentists. SACOs mission is to support collective bargaining, pursue issues of relevance to the professions and education and to influence socio-political opinion and decisions. 
     Academic qualification should be rewarded. Public- and private-sector employers should according to SACO adopt personnel policies that recognise and reward academic qualification and competence and promote participation. Salary setting should be at the local and individual levels and differentiated. SACO demands equal conditions for women and men. Labour legislation should be modernised to allow greater flexibility with regard to working hours and greater individual influence. Salary and taxation conditions should encourage academic endeavour.

2.3.d
Employers associations

2.3.d.i  
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprises

The Confederation of Swedish Enterprises has 47 member associations and approx. 48 000 member companies. The primary tasks are to ensure that the value of enterprises enjoys widespread support and to improve the business climate in Sweden. Four tasks stand out as of particular importance for enterprises i.e. strengthen the value of enterprise, ensure competition on equal terms, liberalise the economy and taxes and create growing and flexible labour market. For Swedish enterprises it is an important task to influence both the educational system and labour market policies, so that companies can develop and flourish. The goal is a well functioning labour market in which rules are as simple as they are clear, and can be adapted to the needs of companies and individuals. The focus being on individualisation, decentralisation and internationalisation
     Education and supply of skilled labour are key areas for Sweden and for the Swedish enterprises. The Confederation address issues concerning education policy and the supply of skilled labour, based on the needs of companies. Increased and improved collaboration between school, education, tertiary education and research, on the one hand and companies on the other is an important goal. The Confederation also want to make contribution to better clarify results, quality relevance in education and research and ensure – and promote – development involving increasing numbers of education co-ordinators.
     The Confederation is promoting a positive increase in the number of people who start and develop companies; this is done through supporting and showing examples, influence the shaping of and information about rules and regulations and stimulate and improve knowledge about running businesses and entrepreneurship. Furthermore the Confederation is of the opinion that an increase of diversity in working life is of major importance to growth in Swedish economy. Diversity contributes to creativity and fresh ideas, which are vital ingredients in both the business life and social development. 

2.3.d.ii
The Employers Organisation for Industrial and Service Companies  

The Employers Organisation for Industrial and Service Companies (ALMEGA) is one of the major associations in the Confederation of Swedish Enterprises, which covers 9,800 industrial and service companies with a total of 420,000 employees. The various industries in the employers' associations are the cornerstones of the organisation. Each industry has its own identity in ALMEGA. Within the industry, companies collaborate on issues relating to collective agreements and other matters of concern to employers. The majority of industries have their own boards, comprising representatives of the companies. Each industry has its own negotiators, who are amply familiar with conditions in the industry. ALMEGA represents co-operation between the employers' associations by such means as a service company containing their joint resources: staff, office space, IT support, etc.
     ALMEGA's industrial negotiators and experts compare notes continuously and collaborate on all matters where the industries have interests in common.  ALMEGA is a network in which company representatives meet. In many sectors, special network get-togethers are arranged for discussion and sharing of experience across sectorial boundaries, often by region. Company representatives also meet on courses, in regional co-operation groups and at conferences dealing with matters of relevance to the industry concerned.
     ALMEGA compiles information on market pay rates for all its companies, and also on sector-oriented market pay rates for those industries that wish to receive it. Salaries and remuneration for select occupational groups, classified according to industry and/or regionally, are compared in the manner that is appropriate for the industry concerned.
     There are strong wishes among the companies to decentralise pay formation. ALMEGA's foremost objective in collective bargaining is to bring about pay determination at company level. Each company and industry itself decides the pace and nature of its pay-formation process. In many ALMEGA industries, the company and the local union already enjoy full freedom to conclude pay agreements. Employee agreements with similar terms for the whole workforce and working conditions adapted to specific companies are other important objectives for ALMEGA. 
     Expert advice on employers' issues, including employment abroad, the environment, equality between men and women information on market pay rates, insurance and pension schemes, labour law, labour-market policy, pay administration, pay determination, skills development and working hours. Negotiators from ALMEGA help the member companies in consultation and negotiations in disputes on statutory and collectively agreed regulations. The companies are also represented by ALMEGA's lawyers if a dispute goes to court.
     ALMEGA's range of courses includes supervisor training, labour law, managers' seminars, negotiating skills, pay administration and determination, environmental issues and practical teaching methods for instructors. ALMEGA also arranges conferences on topical employers' issues to update the member companies on developments in various fields. Many conferences are arranged regionally in order to make them easily accessible to the member companies.

2.4
Structural adaptation needed  

The trade union movement is strong in Sweden and the degree of unionisation is the highest in the world. But there are also signs, that the traditionally high degree of unionisation is under threat and the unions can not take their strong position for granted. Changes on the way people think, at the workplaces and on the labour market demands changes of the unions. 
     An increasingly individualised labour market poses high demands on the responsibility of the individual. As working life changes it is becoming more and more difficult to use the terms blue-collar worker, white-collar worker etc to describe the members of the trade unions. It is more accurate to speak about professional and well-educated employees. Both companies and individuals are demanding new kinds of work structures and conditions. New forms of employment and contracts are emerging. There is a shift in needs and demands between individuals and between companies. Uniform collective solutions are replaced by a working life in which people want to be able to formulate their terms and conditions differently on the basis of their own needs. 
     This puts entirely new demands on social partner’s work. It is changing the nature of the task for the trade unions in that it is increasing the focus on the individual. Individual characteristics play a role in determining salary, and general and centralised salary processes have become more difficult. The trade unions also tend to be more decentralised and local wage negotiations are becoming more common. It is also becoming more and more common that the trade unions and the management of the companies collaborate in order to contribute to the development of personnel, efficiency, production and services. The relationship between employers and employees is increasingly based on trust and co-operation.
     Even though there is a broad consensus among the trade unions about important area of work, due to the changes in working life, there is also a growing feeling, according to a report from TCO (see 3.3.2) that the trade unions are not working with the right issues or in the right way. This sense of trade union inadequacy is to be found among the membership of all three central trade union organisations. One of the major challenges for trade unions is to counteract the widely held view that the importance of the unions in the development of the society has declined. The solutions to the current problems in working life must be sought by strengthening the position of the employees and though competence development, not in outmoded ideas about undermining terms and conditions and conditions of employment and reducing security, according to the union.
     Social partners have to be perceived as being “younger” and more modern, especially to attract more young members, whether they are employees or entrepreneurs. They have to be able to speak in a more modern, direct and concrete way. Modern technology can be used to reinforce dialogue with and between members. More time, resources and commitment has to be devoted to external communication ant to contacts with the members and society in general. Working methods has to be further developed for example combining trade unions working methods with a consumer perspective. Certification of computer screens by TCO and the work on furniture for home workstations are already best practices. In its work with the certification of the computer screens TCO developed a global standard. 
     In many areas the employment relationship has been exchanged for a contract relationship in which the employee act as a self-employed person and contractor. The task of the trade union in this context, is not to support the members in their role as employees but to contribute to their professional development and development of their companies. The individual in such situation may be in just as vulnerable position as an individual in an employment situation, but the issues are different. But the union can not represent the self-employed in their role as employers. 
     The role of the trade union is broadening from the traditional situation, in which they have mainly focused on the relationship with the employers, to a greater focus on strengthening the position of the members on the labour market in general. Unions face several challenges such as increasing the power of the individual members over their everyday lives and the value of trade union membership. 
     Services such as training and career support must be provided to a greater extent by the social partners. One of the changes that has occurred within the training systems is also that employees get their education (more and more) at the work places – education and competence development attached to the work places – in combination with e-learning. It is possible to be at home or at your work place and have a dialogue with your trainer, and just meet a few times for lectures in a group. These lectures often take place in different centres for flexible learning (se 6.3.1). Each employee as well as representatives for the trade union can get an individual education adapted to their needs and mission.
     Social partners needs for example training in how
·         meet the demands linked to new forms of work organisation;
·         to support life long learning processes; 
·         new technology can be used for internal and external communication; 
·         to meet changes due to the globalisation of the economy
·         to meet changes due to the membership in EU

2.5
Social and professional COMPETENCIES development

2.5.a
Examples from national level  

2.5.a.i  
National Competence Center for Lifelong Learning (ENCELL)

In 2001 the government granted the School of Education and Communication at Jönköping University with the task of developing, over a three-year period, a competence center for adult learning named Encell (National Centre for Lifelong Learning).  According to the government proposition, Encell is to have “nation-wide responsibility for and be a hub for cooperation, innovation, development and dissemination of knowledge about adult learning.” Encell mainly targets those who actively work with adult learning and competence development, but those who are interested in adult learning make up a target group as well.
     The purpose of Encell is thus to be a joining and driving force and a source of knowledge for the development of adult learning.  Encell has four task areas:
·         to function as a broker – to join together various players (amongst them the social partners) involved with adult learning on the national and eventually the international level.  Encell should also stimulate cooperation and be a link between regions and the professional and educational sectors 
·         have nation-wide responsibility for monitoring the surrounding world and actively work for the gathering and dissemination of findings and experiences based on both Swedish and international research on adult learning 
·         function as a driving and innovative force that can stimulate the development of adult education working methods and strive to put into practice and test interesting and creative projects from strategically chosen areas for adult learning
·         conduct operational research within the area of adult learning in order to contribute to the long-term development of knowledge

Encell is built up around a virtual center where broad and life-long learning plays a central part and where equal attention is paid to informal and work related learning as is normally paid to formal education. The center will initially cover knowledge and competence concerning the adult learning that begins after high school.
     The aim is to have established a natural source of knowledge for adult learning after three years, which rests on cooperation primarily between Encell and the various national players.  Cooperation with regional and local players within the area of adult learning is also of importance.  Cooperation occurs through a dialogue with the players in which important issues are investigated for further collaboration.  An additional purpose of this dialogue is to create interest among the actors to actively work for the development and operation of the center. The long-term goal of an on-going dialogue is to create incentives for developing joint research and development projects.  Working towards this goal entails joint efforts with other universities and colleagues within the research area of adult learning. 
     Encell focuses on different thematic areas that are decided in conjunction with interested parties.  These areas may vary over time, but initially they will center on the following themes:
·         the concept of life-long learning
·         validation of competence
·         factors which motivate life-long learning
·         future competence demands
·         learning environments and institutions for people with disabilities and the opportunity and right to life-long learning
·         e-learning as a part of life-long learning
·         the role of the university in life-long learning

One way that Encell can bring together formal, non-formal and even informal knowledge is to initiate the creation of different meeting places where people from adult and community education and the various representatives from the business world can discuss the different thematic areas.  This should occur on both the local and the regional level.  Encell also plans seminars in which research for adult learning is isolated and discussed on a more academic level.

2.5.a.ii  
SALTSA

SALTSA stands for the joint programme for working life research in Europe. SALTSA is a joint undertaking by the three Swedish confederations of employees – LO, TCO, SACO and a research institute, National Institute for Working Life (NIWL). The purpose of the programme is the co-operation on problem-oriented working life research in Europe. 
     As Sweden became a member of the EU and economic internationalisation gains momentum during the 1990’s, there was a clear need for working life research from a European perspective. New competition and market conditions, new forms of employment, co-ordinated labour market policy as well as new technology and new methods of production are factors affecting working life both in Sweden and the rest of Europe.
     The programme covers three areas of research: the labour market and employment, work organisation, and the work environment and health. Research initiated by the work organisation committee is focused on the new working life. Work organisation issues have a close connection with the development of economy, technology and production. Main topics within the work organisation field 
·         Contingent employment – the reasons and the consequences 
·         New innovative coalitions in Europe 
·         From intensive to sustainable working systems 
·         Diversity in work organisations 
·         The new trade unions 

2.5.b  
Examples from regional level

Within the framework of the Advance Vocational Education (see 2.1.2) there are a close co-operation between different actors, amongst them social partners and educational institutions at regional level, when designing new education adapted to the needs on the labour market.

2.5.b.i  
Regional Skills Councils  

There is a long tradition on the Swedish labour market of collaboration at different levels.  Within for example the Adult Education Initiative (see 2.1.1), collaboration between social partners and educational actors was common on regional level. Social partners and educational institutions (including universities) also participates in the so-called Regional Skills Councils that have been set up to improve the interaction between the educational system and the labour market. 

     The aims of these Councils is to 
·         create a balance between the demand for competence on the labour market in each region and the supply;
·         increase awareness amongst managers and employees relating to competence development;
·         stimulate Local Skills Councils in municipalities; and 
·         communicate needs analysis and the opinions of the social partners to  the responsible for planning training and education

2.5.b.ii  
Growth agreements

The Government introduced regional growth agreements in 1998, inspired by the EU Structural Funds Programmes. It was realised that conditions for growth and employment varied considerably in different parts of the country. The guiding principle for the work is the prerequisites fore growth in trade and industry. 
Regional partnerships including social partners and educational institutions plays an important part these agreements. There is a clear requirement for input from several government sectors, including trade and industry, labour market and education policies.  More efficient co-ordination and collaboration among sectors and actors whose task it is to promote growth and employment is the aim of the growth agreements. Thus this has been an instrument for increasing co-operation between social partners at regional level and educational institutions, and many projects concerns co-operation between companies and universities.
     A growth agreement must be primarily based on a fundamental analysis of the business development prerequisites in the region. Based on the analysis, a development programme is formulated aimed at utilising the identified opportunities and satisfying the need for measures to promote business sector growth. The participation of the private business community is considered to be a prerequisite for the success of the programmes. Regional public actors amongst them educational institutions are encouraged to enter into discussions with representatives of local and regional business communities, and social partners, to ensure that their view and needs are integrated into the action programmes

2.5.c  
Examples from local level 

In order to increase the local influence, an organised collaboration has been established at local level in the form of Employment Service Committees. In these committees’ social partners, business sector and representative for municipalities participate as well as educational institutions participates.

2.5.c.i
Learning centres (local study centres, centres for flexible learning)

During the 90s, as society developed at increasing speed with greater demands on education and the development of expertise, the demands on educational organisers have also increased. For local authorities it has become more important to co-ordinate its resources in an effective manner. This has resulted decisions to establish learning centres in many municipalities. In order to establish conditions for the citizens of the municipality to receive a higher level of education and development of competence. Social partners are participating in steering committees for these learning centres.

Examples from Sandviken learning centre
·         “The learning centre provides for the education and development of competence required by the adult citizens of the municipality, staff, industry and organisations. Our work is adapted to needs and individuals to give education of high quality for life-long learning. The learning centre is leading in the fields of information technology, education and distance technique.” 
·         “The learning centre shall provide for the education and development of competence required by the adult citizens of the municipality, staff, industry and organisations. We will try to adapt education of high quality for life-long learning to fit needs and individuals. The learning centre will provide courses of training and sell knowledge and services within the following fields; distance university education via television-conference equipment, advanced vocational education, occupation-aimed additional education, secondary level courses and basic complementary courses via Komvux, SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) and various tailor-made internal courses for the municipality staff and the industry of the region"

The aims of the learning centre in Sandviken are:
·         to make sure that the existing resources, spread out today in the sections of the municipality, are combined and used in the best possible ways;
·         to create a flexible and efficient organisation, that will give adults the possibility of better accessibility to education;
·         by bringing together people with different qualifications, to create dynamism in the organisation in order to develop the activities educationally and organisationally, and 
·         that there will be only one organisation in the municipality to turn to concerning matters of education for adults.

The learning centre in Sandviken is intended for adult persons within the following target groups: adult persons in need of basic- and/or secondary level qualifications, Adult persons who need to supplement secondary level courses, unemployed persons in need of further education, adult persons who require an advanced occupational education, companies who want their employees to receive further education and/or develop their competence, the local authority and other public organisations that want their employees to receive supplement qualifications and/or develop their competence.

2.5.c.ii
NITUS

NITUS (Network for ICT-based education through local study centres) was established in June 1996 by 37 municipalities to foster cooperation and exchange of experience in higher education through distance education between the members of the organisation. NITUS is a joint non-profit organisation for providing college education and other levels of adult education through local study centres. According to the statutes, NITUS is open to study centres under directorship of local authorities. In order to be accepted as a member, a study centre has to fulfil certain criteria of quality including personnel, technical and other equipment as well as a certain standard and level of service. For an individual there should be no major differences in studying at different study centres in the network.
     By supporting and developing a network of local learning centres, NITUS aims at providing educational opportunities for council residents otherwise unable to obtain higher education due to cultural, social or geographical circumstances. This is achieved by providing courses for individuals as well as for business and industry according to perceived needs; accessibility (study centres provides college education beyond the university towns and in order to increase the educational opportunities, several municipalities have built up two or more study centres); flexibility (the needs of people for education are met using the methods of distance education and flexible learning) and individual support (local campus environment, tutorial and counselling support, information service)
     NITUS provides a strategic platform for cooperation in higher-level distance education and today co-operates with 14 university colleges and universities. This year the network provides more than 80 distance courses and 10 distance study programmes, and about 3000 students take part in these. The courses provided by the network of study centres have been developed by different universities and university colleges. Lectures are mainly televised (videoconferences) and long distance technology is used such as the Internet and computer-based conferences. The courses and study programmes provided are compiled in the networks own catalogue. When an individual is allowed to a class he or she receives college undergraduate status.
     The network is not only used for college education, but also for other forms of adult education. Distance education is used to enable cooperation between municipalities around municipal adult education and around advanced vocational education. Within the network there is wide experience and know-how of ICT-based education.
     The main communication and interaction tool within the network is computer-based conferences. They include information about what is going on at different study centres and in the network as whole, good examples, planning of new educational initiatives, discussions, a calendar etc. An evolving web-site will increasingly be a means for interaction between members, potential members and other with an interest in distance education. The ambition is to create an interactive environment, which invites the members to engage in discussions on important issues for the development of flexible learning possibilities and distance education in the network.
     By offering higher distance education in the home municipality it is hoped that it should be possible to recruit primarily professionally active adults or geographically immobile. The target group is also young people from homes with no experience or tradition of higher education. A great share of the students at NITUS´ study centres come from families in which neither parents nor sibling have studied at university, which means that they are the first generation of university students. The majority of the students at study centres has such a family and work situation that they are not geographically mobile. A great part of the students have a full-time or part-time job on the side. This is underlined by the fact that inquiries at different study centres show that almost two thirds of the students say that they would not have commenced distance education if it had been arranged in the form of meetings at university or university college. The cooperation between university colleges and local study centres therefore expand the participation in higher education into new groups that we know at the moment to be missing.

2.7
Methodologies for life long learning

2.7.a
Networking as a form of life long learning

The Gnosjö region is widely known for its informal networks. IDC in Gnosjö have worked with organised networks for over 5 years. These organised networks are initiated by one or more SME’s that share common interests. The organised network has planned meetings about every 6 weeks. At these meetings the participants discuss different subjects that they are interested in. One network might choose to discuss product development while another one chooses to discuss competence planning in the companies. Through continuous meetings contacts between the participants are built which are later also used more informally.  IDC in Gnosjö Ltd works with strengthening the competitiveness of the SME's in the Gnosjö region. We work with development of competence, products and techniques, management and marketing. With networking as our core competence we manage developing projects together with companies, universities, researchers and other qualified partners. 
     We have evaluated what you learn in an organised network and found out that it is not so easy to pinpoint what it is. The knowledge that the participants get in the theme that the network is working with is possible to obtain in other ways (courses) than through a network. However, the network becomes a natural arena for discussions of new knowledge and strengthens the knowledge in an effective way. The knowledge you cannot get through other ways than networking is what we call networking competence. One participant expressed this in a wise way: “The ability to use other people’s knowledge in your own activities and know where you can find it”. Hence, the networking competence is invaluable since it multiplies your own knowledge by the number of people in your network. 
     A person with an extensive networking competence has the ability to use the collected knowledge of the world and in that way develops his or her work and work place. This also means that this person will demand that the employer allow the individual to develop the organisation. Otherwise he or she will successfully locate another employer since networking competence is hard currency on the job market. It is important for the employer to be aware of this before they sanction networking as competence development for their staff. Does this mean that organised networks can be started with the sole aim to develop networking competence for the participants? No probably not. The specialist knowledge developed in the network is necessary for the development of networking competence.
     IDC in Gnosjö has worked with about 30 different groups of organised networks over the years, and we believe the form to be an effective way to develop knowledge.

2.7.b
Distance learning by the Picture Tel system

Picture Tel is a system for distance learning used, among other institutions, by the University of Jönköping. Using this system permits students to take courses within their home areas, rather than travelling to the university. 
     Picture Tel is a system for broadcasting video and sound by the use of ISDN technology. It’s not a very new technology, since there are techniques using IP-based communication in broadband. The big benefit of the system though is that it’s enough cheep to own and easy to manage for the small towns that are connected to the university. 
     Of course, using a distance broadcasting system for education on the level of the university sets demands on certain organisation. Therefore a model for using the Picture Tel system is in use. Every learning spot outside the university has one person responsible for the distance learning. This person communicates with the teacher in the university concerning questions about organisational matters. This person, or someone else at the learning spot, also has a responsibility to teach the participants the technology used. 
     There are some demands set on the equipment out in the learning spots, in order to be a partner of the university. Such are access to telephone, fax machine, off course the video camera sending picture back to the university, and a sound system. The partner is also committed to arrange access to computers, and the learning spot has to have opened so that the students can access computers and such even in the nights. 
     This system of distance learning has a lot of advantages. The structural advantages are that it’s a cheap way of offering distance learning. The system of transmitting pictures is quite safe, and does not suffer from a lot of disturbances. The advantages from the students’ point of view are many too. We have found out that this system of education connects people to the university that normally wouldn’t take a course in the university. The main reasons are two: first, the most obvious reason is that the distance to the university makes it impossible for some people to take a course, since many of them are working full time in their local area. The other reason is that this system permits people that are a bit anxious about the world of the university to connect to it in a safe way. This has proven to be a way in to more in dept studies at the university later on for many students. 
     Distance learning systems are of high interest on a governmental level in Sweden. The government has paid the universities of Sweden around 21 million Euro in order to create courses accessible by the Internet. This amount is concerning the first year of activity, and more money will come to the universities for this purpose.

2.7.c
ITIS

ITiS is the largest and most comprehensive national investment programme that ever have been made in the school in Sweden. ITiS is just as much of an investment in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as in development of the school. Over a three years period, 70000 teachers working in teams will have the opportunity to raise their competence in using ICT as a tool to support pupils learning. Each team will carry out an interdisciplinary, problem-based pupil-oriented project together with the pupils they work with. The framework for the programme is determined by the Delegation for ICT in Schools (Ministry of Education and Science), but implementation of the programme has been decentralised and there are real opportunities to shape in-service training at the local level in accordance with the wishes and competence of the participating teacher teams.
     Participants do not go away on a course, the training takes place parallel with regular work in the normal working environment. Parts of the in-service training take place during working hours, however some studying will require non-working hours. In-service training is both theoretical and practical and covers the equivalent of around 3 week’s full-time work, but takes place over a 4-month period.
Concerning knowledge of ICT there is no upper limit nor is there any special level set up as a target. This means that participants in the team will have very different levels of knowledge about ICT as a ”learning tool” both before and after completing the training. 
     Individual participants themselves take responsibility for implementation together with their colleagues in the team. There are no specific course leaders, but the team receives help from a facilitator. Teachers completing the training receive a certificate.

2.7.d
krAft

The acronym krAft (which is Swedish for “power”) should be decoded as “K” for competence/knowledge, “R” for reflection, “Af” for business development and “T” for growth. The acronym mirrors the belief that business development in SMEs is not primarily about simple knowledge transfer. The kraft program is organised by a consortium of Swedish universities, including Lund University, Gothenburg University, Umeå University and Jönköping University. Development costs are financed by the KK-foundation, a state initiated foundation, which, among other tasks aim to bridge the gap between the academic world and the industry.
     The krAft program initially identifies groups of companies that already work together or seem to have a high potential for working together. These groups have often achieved a certain level of trust and the company managers will probably know each other socially.  After that, krAft search for individuals that are able to operate as “krAft tutors”, acting as process consultants, advisers and speaking partners to SME companies. The goal is to engage experienced individuals; perhaps they are former entrepreneurs or top-managers themselves. The krAft tutors must be willing to contribute, and hopefully also feel the urge to learn more. Frequently, these individuals are already in contact with companies or groups of companies that are potential participants in the program.
     KrAft cluster the networking companies into ”krAft groups” and assigns a krAft tutor to each group. Together with a university representative (acting as the project leader), the program starts by defining the development theme of the group. At this stage, the participating managers, the krAft tutor and the project leader actually construct a unique structure of their own development program. 
            On the “supply side”, representatives from the involved universities will wait and see! They obviously have a fairly good idea about what might be of interest to the SME companies, but they will only develop specific educational activities on demand. The aim is that all educational activities will follow a pedagogical style based on dialogue and problem-based learning. The ultimate goal is not to make participants learn a lot of theory but to encourage them to develop and grow their businesses