Table 1
Formalisation of career education across the Nordic countries, summary of comparison.
| DENMARK | FAROE ISLANDS | FINLAND | GREENLAND | NORWAY | ICELAND | SWEDEN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National legislation | |||||||
| Legal entitlement to career guidance | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Professional qualifications of career guidance | required | short course required | regulated | none | municipalities decide | regulated licensed | required |
| Teachers’ qualifications for career education | optional courses offered | none | integrated into teacher’s subject area | none | optional courses offered | none | none |
| National curriculum | |||||||
| Career education in general curriculum | mandatory topic | mandatory topic | mandatory subject | topic within another subject | mandatory subject? | mentioned as topic | integrated into other subjects |
| Specific curriculum for career education | yes | no | yes | no | yes | no | no |
| Timetabled lessons allocated | no | no | yes: 76 hours | no | yes: 110 hours | no | no |
| Work experience placement | student right | mandatory | mandatory | optional | optional | not stated | student right |
| Taster courses | mandatory | optional | yes | no | optional | no | no |
| Organisation and roles | |||||||
| Separate or integrated | optional | optional | both | optional | separate | optional | integrated |
| School administrators | responsible and leading | responsible | responsible | responsible | responsible | responsible | responsible |
| Teachers | CE courses and subjects | subjects | subjects | personal development subject | CE courses | some subjects | subjects |
| Guidance counsellors | CE courses and guidance, cooperation | CE courses and guidance | CE courses and guidance, cooperation, and coordination | guidance | CE courses and guidance | guidance and optional CE courses and modules | guidance |
| Quality and evaluation | |||||||
| National quality framework | no | no | yes | no | yes | no | no |
| Evaluation initiated nationally | ad hoc | no | self-evaluations and surveys | no | systematic student evaluations and ad hoc | no | no |