Abstract
The aim of this study is to analyse how formal adult education in Sweden is enacted locally. For this analysis, the data consist of a nationwide survey sent to Swedish municipalities, background data on municipalities from public statistics and interviews with representatives of 20 municipalities. Swedish formal adult education, which includes general, vocational and Swedish for immigrants courses, is a responsibility of the municipality, but courses are not necessarily organised internally by the municipality. The results show how adult education is enacted in different ways. There are systems for outsourcing courses to various other providers, typically private training companies. There are thus both private and public providers, but courses are paid for by the municipality, which is also responsible of quality assurance. The quality assurance is typically enacted with a focus on students, via surveys and statistics on outcomes, but quality measures also target providers. Swedish adult education is characterised by extensive marketisation with many private providers and a broad supply of courses, but the municipalities are experiencing quality problems among providers, and some municipalities are considering extending their internal provision. There is also a labour-market focus where training programmes to improve adults’ employability are prioritised.
Highlights
Marketisation and privatisation of public education are taking place in different ways across the world (Verger et al, 2017). Ball and Youdell (2008) have identified two main types of approach in such processes – exogenous and endogenous privatisation, which are Journal of Adult and Continuing Education 0(0) described as external and internal marketisation (Lundahl et al, 2013)
Our focus here is on the marketisation of municipal adult education (MAE), which includes formal education in general courses corresponding to the curricula for compulsory and upper secondary school, vocational courses at upper secondary level and courses in Swedish for immigrants (SFI)
A nationwide survey was distributed to representatives of adult education in all Swedish municipalities (290), with 164 responses representing 201 municipalities (69%). (Some municipalities have a common organisation for MAE, and here one response represents more than one municipality.) Secondly, the survey data is supplemented by background data from public statistics on the character of the municipalities, providing the basis for some comparisons between different types of municipalities
Summary
Marketisation and privatisation of public education are taking place in different ways across the world (Verger et al, 2017). Ball and Youdell (2008) have identified two main types of approach in such processes – exogenous and endogenous privatisation, which are Journal of Adult and Continuing Education 0(0) described as external and internal marketisation (Lundahl et al, 2013). Marketisation and privatisation of public education are taking place in different ways across the world (Verger et al, 2017). External marketisation includes means such as private providers and procurement, while internal marketisation takes place when public organisations are managed in a more business-like way. The organisation and marketisation of Swedish adult education have decisive differences, as compared to the development with independent schools in compulsory and upper secondary school. In both cases, the 290 municipalities are responsible for providing this publicly funded education for their inhabitants. In 2019, 4.3% of the adult population aged 20– 64 years took part in MAE, that is, 387,000 students, which means that there are currently more students here than in upper secondary school (SNAE, 2020a; 2020b)
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