The Directorate for Higher Education and Competence (HK-dir) would like to carry out a survey on vocational colleges' cooperation with working life, and the relevance of the education for working life. Relevance for working life means the extent to which the education gives students competence that can be used in working life without further educational courses.

See annex 1 the contracting authority’s description of the assignment for further details on the assignment.

The Directorate for Higher Education and Competence (HK-dir) would like to carry out a survey on vocational colleges' cooperation with working life, and the relevance of the education for working life. Relevance for working life means the extent to which the education gives students competence that can be used in working life without further educational courses.

Vocational colleges' connection to working life is central for this sector's distinctive character. The vocational colleges have traditionally been called working life school. The Vocational College Act states that the education must be practical, meet the need for qualified labour in society, and give competence that can be used in working life without further educational courses (§ 4). Surveys indicate however, that there are differences in the relevance for working life between subjects. The contracting authority would like a survey of how the vocational colleges work to meet this social assignment, as well as why some subjects stand out with a relatively high degree of candidates who progress to other higher education after completing vocational college studies instead of finding work.

See annex 1 the contracting authority’s description of the assignment for further details on the assignment.