Education and training for adults
Lifelong learning and opportunities for education for adults are important principles in Norwegian education policy. Adults should have the possibility to strengthen their competence throughout their diverse career pathways.
All adults who need it, have a statutory right to primary and lower secondary education (from 2002). Adults born before 1978 were given the right to upper secondary education and training if they have not completed this kind of education earlier.
Adult education associations and distance education institutions offer internet based courses, and municipalities and counties offer classes for an adult audience. In addition, universities and university colleges are important providers of continuing and supplementary courses above secondary level.
Training for the labour market for registered jobseekers is an important measure for qualifying participants for vacant positions, consisting normally of shorter, vocational courses.
Responsibility and actors
Adult education giving formal qualifications are the responsibility of state, county and municipality, following the general pattern of division of responsibility.
Other actors include The Norwegian Association for Adult Learning (NAAL) is the national NGO umbrella for adult learning in Norway. An adult education association is normally a voluntary, ideal organisation with adult education as its main concern, which receives public funding.
The Norwegian Association for Distance Education and Flexible Education is a membership organisation for the independent distance education institutions.
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation organises the training of registered jobseekers.
The Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning (VOX) has as its main responsibility to contribute to supporting active citizenship, increase employability and increasing participation in education. As an agency under the Ministry of Education and Research VOX administers grants for educational organisations and distance education institutions, and awards funds for educational development in these organisations. They are also responsible for the subject curriculum in Norwegian and social sciences for adult immigrants, and collaborate with other agencies on initial education for immigrants.