Adult Education Policy in Sweden, 1967–1991

Abstract

To choose 1967 as the point of departure may seem strange, as Sweden has had a long and important tradition of adult education dating back to the breakthrough of the popular movements at the end of the 19th century. However, it was not until the 1960s that adult education became central to Swedish educational and labor market policies. This article analyzes the directions government policy took on adult education during these five periods with regard to context, reform ideology and strategies, and, where possible, outcomes. However, to provide a comprehensive account of Swedish adult education strategy, one has to include labor market training policy, which affects an important part of the adult education populace, although the former under the jurisdiction of the ministry of labor, not the ministry of education. The analyses starts with a general overview of labor market training that, in contrast to adult education, has remained rather unchanged during the period between 1967 and 1991.