Most jobs in Norway involve an educational requirement of some kind. There are jobs for which you don't need a school background, such as cleaning or newspaper delivery. If you want to work as a plumber or carpenter, you need vocational training on secondary school level. To train as a pilot, you must be a Norwegian citizen as well. To qualify as a nurse you must complete a 3-year course on college level.

I Upper secondary school I Vocational training | Upper secondary training for foreign language pupils I
Admission to upper secondary school | Secondary education for adults | Technical school I |
| More information I

We mentioned above that most jobs in Norway involve an educational requirement of some kind. But there is also another way to prove your skills. Many people know a profession from practice, perhaps with no formal vocational training in school. To find out how you can document and assess your formal and non-formal skills, read more here.

A new educational reform: Knowledge Promotion
Knowledge Promotion (Kunnskapsløftet in Norwegian) is the latest reform in primary and lower secondary education. It introduces certain changes in contents and organization from the first grade of primary and lower secondary school to the last grade at upper secondary school – 13 grades in all.

The goal of Knowledge Promotion is to ensure that all pupils receive a differentiated education and help them to develop fundamental skills that will enable them to be active citizens.

The reform takes effect in autumn 2006 for pupils in grades 1-9, and for pupils in the first year of upper secondary school (i.e. the 11th grade).

Read more about the reform here.

Upper secondary school
All pupils who have completed 10 years of basic schooling has a right to three years of upper secondary training. This right lasts for four years, which means you have to start upper secondary school no later than one year after completing primary/lower secondary.

After a foundation course (grunnkurs; GK) lasting one year, the next step is advanced course 1 (videregående kurs 1; VK 1) which builds on the foundation course. Advanced course 2 follows and is a specialisation of VK 1, or you continue with in-service training if you are on a vocational course. The in-service training normally lasts two years, which is the apprenticeship period in most recognised trades.

With the new reform from 2006, there are 12 different foundation courses in upper secondary school. Specialisation starts in the second year (Vg2).

If you click here you come to a site where you can click on the different 1st year courses (grunnkurs) to see the advanced courses and apprenticeship choices of the old system (which is still in effect for 2nd and 3rd/4th year pupils). The site is only in Norwegian.

When you have completed upper secondary, you will have either the general university entrance qualification (studiekompetanse) or a vocational qualification, such as a trade or journeyman's certificate or other occupational skills.

Vocational training
Most vocational courses leads to an occupational qualification This means that you have an education that qualifies you for a certain job or jobs. A two-year apprenticeship period usually follows after completion of the 1st and 2nd year course (Vg1 and Vg 2, previously GK and VK1). The county or city shall provide apprenticeship places, but you are not guaranteed such a place, so it is a good idea to try to find one yourself. If apprenticeship is not available, it is possible to do full vocational training at school, with a final practical examination.
About 190 trades fall within the scope of the Vocational Training Act.

Upper secondary education - general entrance requirement to higher education
To satisfy the basic admission requirements to higher education in upper secondary school, you should choose one of the following programmes:

- general studies, economics and administration
- sports and physical education
- music, dance and drama
- arts, crafts and design (advanced course 2 in drawing/design/colour)
- agriculture, fishing and forestry (advanced course 2 in land management)
- media and communication (advanced course 2 in media and communication)

Following a foundation course and advanced course 1 in a vocational area of study, you can choose as advanced course 2 the general subjects supplement to satisfy the general higher education admission requirements.

Click here to read about other ways to satisfy the general admission requirements.

Upper secondary training for foreign language pupils
If Norwegian is not your mother tongue or if you did not complete Norwegian basic shooling (10 years), you can apply for admission to a one-year preparatory course for foreign language pupils. Upon completion, you can apply for admission to a foundation course in ordinary upper secondary school.

Another alternative is to take the one-year foundation course over 2 years in a special class for foreign language pupils. Norwegian classes are in 'Norwegian as a second language' on this course.

As a foreign language pupil you can also apply for a 3-year course in general studies, economics and administration. The course is especially adapted to foreign language pupils, with Norwegian taught as a second language, and more English language classes. You can also choose your mother tongue as a third foreign language, but you are not guaranteed tuition. The school will assist you in applying to sit for examinations.

Admission to upper secondary school
To apply, you need an application form. This is available at the school you are attending, or you can contact the Admission office (Inntakskontoret) at the department for upper secondary and adult education in Oslo:

Oslo kommune,
Avdeling for videregående skoler og voksenopplæring
inntakskontoret
Postboks 6127 Etterstad
0602 Oslo
telephone 23 46 70 70

Application deadline: 1 March

Secondary education for adults
Adults born before 1 January 1978 and who have completed basic schooling or have equivalent training, also have a statutory right to secondary education, free of charge. As an adult you can apply for a place in regular secondary school classes, but there should also be specially tailored courses for this group, for instance evening classes, so that schooling may be combined with a regular job.

For more information on secondary education for adults, go to Oslo Voksenopplæring's website here: www.oslovo.no

Technical school
Technical schools (teknisk fagskole) offer two years of vocational training to students who have either completed vocational upper secondary school, or with minimum 5 years of work experience in their trade. Completion of any of the 2-year courses confers the professional title of technician and satisfies the general higher education admission requirements.
Courses are in subjects such as marine trade, mechanical trades, petroleum technology, building and construction, automation and electronics, and natural resources.
Read more about technical schools, admission requirements, application procedures etc here - click 'Fagskolen' in the upper menu. The information is in Norwegian only.

More information?
Below are suggestions for further reading and links to web resources where you can find out about all the details on application procedures and deadlines and information on all courses offered on secondary school level in Norway.

Aetat (the employment service) publishes the book "More education?", with a detailed overview of upper secondary and higher education courses. You can order it through an employment office or directly from Aetat. The Norwegian version of the book, "Mer utdanning?", is also on Aetat's home page.

Aetat also has a page called Veivalg (Career choices) where you can make a 'profile' on yourself: What kind of job do you want - what training does it require? What are you good at? What's the smartest choice?

The booklet "Videregående skoler i Oslo" (upper secondary schools in Oslo) is published annually by the Education authorities in Oslo. 10th graders will get it in school, others may order it from the Education authorities on telephone no 02180. The book is in Norwegian only.

Subjects, courses, branches in upper secondary school is detailed in the book "Din videregående opplæring?" (Your secondary education?), which 10th graders will receive in school. The contents are also on the web - click here. The information is in Norwegian.

The Norwegian Board of Education features a website called "Vilbli.no", about choices in secondary education. You can access it here, the information is in Norwegian only.

Last modified 03/08/2006