- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2023
Strengthening the Governance of the Swedish Skills System
Supported by the European Commission, this project provided technical support to Sweden to strengthen the governance of its skills system. The project identified opportunities for improvement, complemented by targeted recommendations and implementation guidance for promoting co-ordination, co-operation, and collaboration on skills across the whole of government; engaging stakeholders throughout the policy cycle; and improving the skills data infrastructure.
Context
Strengthening the governance of the Swedish skills system is essential for reducing skills mismatches and shortages, especially where they are most pronounced such as in education, health care, social work, information and communication technology, industry and construction.
Such pressures are set to intensify as Sweden navigates the significant challenges posed by the digital and green transitions. This project supported Sweden to bolster its governance mechanisms to align rapidly evolving skills demands with an adequate and responsive supply of skills. It also contributed to advancing the European Skills Agenda, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the European Strategy for data.
Support Delivered
Between 2023 and 2024, the European Commission, in collaboration with the OECD, supported seven Swedish agencies in identifying opportunities to improve the governance of the skills system and proposed tailored solutions. This collaboration resulted in several key outputs: a situation analysis report, a report on relevant international practices featuring examples of effective skills system governance, an analysis of opportunities for improving the skills data infrastructure, recommendations for strengthening the governance of skills system and a proposed roadmap for implementation.
As part of the project, stakeholder consultations, peer-learning and capacity-building activities, and a study visit for Swedish officials to Ireland, were organised.
Results achieved
The support enhanced Sweden’s capacity to undertake necessary reforms to strengthen the governance of its skills system, which, in the long term, should contribute to reducing the problem of skills mismatches in Sweden. Reforms to the structure of the Inter-agency Co-operation Structure for Skills and Lifelong Learning are expected in the short-term, aimed at enhancing the actionability and agility of the structure, and ensuring achievement of tangible outcomes.
Additionally, the project raised awareness of the importance of strong skills system governance and mobilised a broad range of stakeholders to support the implementation of these reforms.
More about the project
You can read the documents related to the project here: