A milestone in Swedish postgraduate education is the 1969 reform, which aimed to enhancing the efficiency of doctoral education. One of the main problems to counteract with the Swedish doctoral programme was the long study times. On average, those who submitted a doctoral thesis had ten years of research studies behind them. This was due to how doctoral education was organised (i.e. limited teaching and supervision combined with high demands on the thesis work) and the financial situation of the doctoral students. As a result, few were able to devote themselves full-time to their thesis work, as many had to work alongside their studies. The 1969 reform established a new doctoral degree of four-year full-time studies, which replaced the previous one. Doctoral education would be more intensive and formalised, with a greater proportion of teaching and courses and significantly increased supervision. Inspired by the American doctoral programme, which had increasingly become an international benchmark, the study time should be reduced by lowering the quantitative requirements of the scope of the doctoral thesis. Against this backdrop, this article outlines and analyzes the historical trajectory of doctoral studies in Swedish higher education, and more specifically after the implementation of the 1969 reform, as well as featuring the current regulatory framework/status of doctoral studies in Sweden. Emphasis will be given on the funding aspect of doctoral education, the structure and content of the programme(s), the quality assurance of the education and the challenges it faces under current research policies.

During the last refugee wave in the mid-2010s, Sweden received a high proportion of refugees compared to other countries. In connection with this, the debate about the country’s ability to manage the integration of immigrants intensified. The dominant discourse, which also had political repercussions, was that integration has failed. This chapter reflects on immigrants and ‘Swedishness’ in relation to integration, ethnicity and equality. Swedish Popular Adult education, ‘folkbildning’, will be used as an example of a democratic educational environment for collective learning, and as an instrument for successful democratization of the society promoting social cohesion and reducing inequality. The chapter examines the role of education for integration and inclusion, and the questions of who is a Swede, how one becomes a Swede.

This article explores the phenomenon of entrepreneurship through a pedagogical and didactical lens, as well as its social dimension, focusing on the cases of Sweden and Greece. The selection of these countries is based on their representation of two different regions of the European Union, and the successful integration of Junior Achievement (JA) programs within their respective educational systems. The study argues that intentional pedagogical actions, aligned with curricular goals and instructional models, can foster an entrepreneurial mindset as a state of mind and readiness for action. The historical foundations of entrepreneurship education are outlined and various policy discourses analyzed at international and national levels, investigating how these are reflected in secondary-level curricula within the Greek and Swedish contexts. Central to the study is an exploration of the competencies that entrepreneurship education aims to develop, the underlying assumptions, and the intended purposes. Analyzing school curricula in Greece and Sweden, the paper examines how pedagogical approaches facilitate the development of entrepreneurial skills. While both countries integrate entrepreneurship into their national curricula, Sweden exhibits a longstanding tradition, while Greece has made recent progress. Teacher training emerges as a significant concern in Greece, with efforts made by the government and organizations like JA Greece to equip educators with the necessary knowledge and pedagogical approaches for effective entrepreneurial education. The paper concludes by acknowledging that this study represents an initial comparative approach and aims to shed light on essential aspects of entrepreneurship education, emphasizing its potential as a valuable tool for young people's skills development and preparation for the professional world. 

En este libro se explora un amplio espectro de temas relacionados con la preparación de individuos para enfrentar los desafíos de la era actual. Se abordan cuestiones claves a través de una variedad de capítulos que ponen énfasis en la formación profesional, las competencias digitales, la autorregulación del aprendizaje, el aprendizaje permanente, entre otros. Constituye un recurso invaluable para educadores, estudiantes, emprendedores y profesionales de todas las disciplinas, que buscan desarrollar habilidades esenciales para triunfar en un mundo en constante evolución.

A medida que avancen en la lectura, descubrirán nuevas perspectivas y estrategias que les ayudarán a tener una mejor preparación para los desafíos del futuro y a convertirse en profesionales competentes y capaces de liderar en sus respectivos campos.

Collective progression requires well-functioning social communities withmembers promoting respectful interaction with each other. Communitiessuch as social networks are characterized by sparse or dense communica-tion, weak or strong intimacy, high or low hierarchy among its members.Symmetric communication rests on a foundation of universal values, suchas tolerance, reciprocity, and trust. These values assign importance (orvalue) to relationships. They constitute essential civic virtues for a viablesocial life, and are often used both as means and as ends in education. Afterall, education is emphatically considered to be a solution to all sorts ofproblems. However, the issue at stake is that people have conflicting percep-tions of what a problem is, for whom it is a problem, and what the possiblesolutions should be. How could an educational programme be designed sothat it recognizes the participants’ ability to think for themselves and valuestheir life experiences, as well as empowering them to act in an informedand democratic way in order to improve their life chances and the society they live in? The purpose of this paper is to put forward pedagogical reaso-ning about adult learning, informed by the Swedish tradition of Public AdultEducation (“folkbildning”). One of the characteristics of Swedish PopularEducation is the “study circle”, a learning method for self-directed andparticipation-based learning. Study circles, as well as other educative activi-ties, are organised by autonomous state-funded Study Associations and areopen to all adults. Another attribute of Swedish popular education is thestrong bonds between the Study Associations and civil society organisationsconcerning organisational and membership education. The pedagogicalunderpinnings of study circle participation as a means for emancipatorycollective learning and creation of social capital will be elucidated andreflected upon. Additionally, an attempt will be made to investigate thechallenging question of whether the experience of Swedishfolkbildningcanbe a model for non-formal adult learning and community transformation inother countries

Una progresión colectiva requiere comunidades sociales funcionales conintegrantes que promuevan las interacciones respetuosas entre ellos. Lascomunidades, como las redes sociales, se caracterizan por tener una comu-nicación escasa o densa, una intimidad débil o fuerte, y altas o bajas jerar-quías entre sus miembros. La comunicación simétrica se basa en valoresuniversales, tales como tolerancia, reciprocidad y confianza. Estos valoresasignan importancia (o valor) a las relaciones. Constituyen virtudes cívicasesenciales para una vida social viable y son usados constantemente comoun medio y como un fin en la educación. Después de todo, la educaciónse considera enfáticamente como la solución a todo tipo de problemas.Sin embargo, lo que está en juego es que las personas tienen percepcionesopuestas de lo que es un problema, para quién es un problema y cuáles debe-rían ser las soluciones potenciales. ¿Cómo podría un programa educacionalestar diseñado de tal manera que reconozca la habilidad de sus participan-tes de pensar por sí mismos y valorar sus experiencias de vida, empode-rándolos, al mismo tiempo, para actuar de manera informada y democrá-tica para mejorar sus oportunidades de vida y la sociedad en la que viven? El objetivo de este artículo es presentar un razonamiento pedagógico sobre elaprendizaje de adultos, basado en la tradición sueca de la educación públicade adultos (“folkbildning”). Una de las características de la educación públicasueca es el “study circle”, un método de aprendizaje auto dirigido y basadoen la participación. Los círculos de estudio, así como otras actividadeseducativas, son organizadas por asociaciones de estudio autónomas, finan-ciadas por el Estado y son abiertas para todos los adultos. Otro atributo de laeducación popular sueca, es el fuerte lazo que existe entre las asociacionesde estudio y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, en lo que respecta a laeducación organizativa y de los miembros. Se dilucidarán y reflexionaránlos fundamentos pedagógicos de la participación en los círculos de estudiocomo medio de aprendizaje colectivo emancipador y de creación de capitalsocial. Además, se intentará investigar la desafiante cuestión de si la expe-riencia del“folkbildning”sueco puede ser un modelo para el aprendizaje noformal de adultos y la transformación de la comunidad en otros países.

This book is the seventh volume in the book series Emerging Issues in Research on Vocational Education & Training. The series is published by the research group VETYL (Vocational Education & Training/Yrkeskunnande och Lärande), at the Department of Education, Stockholm University, Sweden. VETYL was created in 2011 with twofold aims: contributing to the advance of knowledge in the intricate area of vocational education and training (VET) and strengthening the research basis of the teacher education program for VET that is offered at the Department of Education, Stockholm University. The Swedish term “yrkeskunnande och lärande” in the name of the research group translates as “vocational knowing” and indicates one of the major research concerns of the group.The research book series started primarily as dissemination venue of selected papers, after a peer review process first presented at the international conferences organized yearly since 2012 by our research group VETYL.

The conference has had two aims: becoming a forum for sharing state of the art research in the field of VET and serving as a forum for networking and cooperation. The Stockholm International Conference of Research in VET is one of the major academic events organised in Europe as part of the European Network for Vocational Education and Training (VETNET).Even though the primary source for our research book series has for long been the conference's papers, at present the research book series is open to contributions of other scholars in the field regardless of participation in the conference. This is particularly the case in this volume where researchers from different contexts submitted proposals of texts, dealing with different dimensions of the important theme of the role of vocational education and training in inclusion in work life, with specific focus on migrants.The title of this volume Migration and Inclusion in Work Life – The Role of VET is an umbrella for the presentation of research outcomes focusing on a variety of aspects influencing the inclusion in working life and the role that VET plays or could play. The main aim of this volume is to present current research in an area that at the present is getting major attention by policy makers as well as practitioners in Europe and other contexts. Migration and immigrant integration/inclusion has long been a contested issue in national and international politics as well as in research. With migration on the rise globally, integration faces many challenges. Usually, integration is associated with establishment into the labour market. Getting a job or some kind of employment is taken as a strong indicator of successful integration in the new country.VET, along with other measures, is expected to play a key role in the process of integration of immigrants in the economic and7social life of the host country. Successful inclusion becomes beneficial for all involved by reducing disparities, filling local labour market shortages, and improving livelihoods and social cohesion. VET systems and providers in most immigrant-receiving countries are trying to find effective ways to facilitate migrants’ labour market inclusion by means of specially designed training programs.

The contributions in this volume show a diversity in theoretical frameworks of reference and methodological grounds, ranging from empirically based texts to policy analysis. Even though some of the texts are case studies or national policy analyses they will surely be of interest to an international audience interested in this theme.This volume continues the tradition of our research book series to depict the diversity and complexity of research in the field of vocational education and training. We hope it will meet the expectations of a variety of readers including under-graduate students, in particular students in initial and in-service teacher training programs for VET, post-graduate students, and policy makers.Finally, we would like to thank the reviewers for valuable criticisms that helped to improve the contributions that are finally presented in this book.

This study examined the curriculums and implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in upper secondary schools in Japan and Sweden and examined and compared the policies and cases of ESD practice. The comparison showed that ESD is present in the national curriculums of both countries, but is emphasized differently. In Sweden, it is more a matter of mentioning ESD as part of the principles that guide education, while in Japan, the integration of ESD into the subject syllabus is emphasized. The schools visited strove to implement ESD in their work. ESD is not an exclusive approach in addition to other school activities, but rather a central part of the schools´ work. Many issues are included under the umbrella of ESD, not only environmental issues. International contacts are one of the most important elements of the work, but this does not exclude local engagement. In fact, the schools have established impressive networks. Project work is an important approach in supporting students’ learning about sustainable development. A prerequisite for the successful work of the schools, which all have a certain reputation in the field of ESD, is the dedication of the teachers and the equally dedicated principals who support the work.