Организација
The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills is the Norwegian National Agency for Erasmus+, National Coordinator for EPALE and National Coordinator for the Implementation of the European Agenda for Adult Learning.
The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills was established on 1 July 2021, under the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.
The directorate is the executive agency for the Ministry of Education and Research within the higher education and higher vocational education sectors and is responsible for the national skills policy. We advise the Ministry, we implement national policies, and we coordinate incentive schemes and management instruments.
The directorate shall contribute to enhance the quality of education and skills, strengthen international collaboration, and be a driving force for the digital restructuring of Norwegian universities and university colleges. We strive to enhance knowledge and skills in the population, make lifelong high-quality education and learning accessible to all, and ensure that the world of work has access to a competent work force.
The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills is a result of the merger of the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku), Skills Norway, and Universell, as well as parts of Norwegian Directorate for ICT and Joint Services in Higher Education & Research (Unit) and the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD). The directorate will also be taking over selected tasks for the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT).
Work programme
EPALE Norway aims to contribute to EPALE being a vibrant and interactive meeting place for everyone in Norway who works with adult learning. We want EPALE to be the central spot where they can meet other professionals to share ideas and experiences, read about innovations, research and policy in their own and adjacent disciplines, participate in international professional debate and more.
Values and mandate
We are governed by the overarching goal of providing access to relevant high quality lifelong learning for all. Access to relevant education and training is important for the individual and society. European co-operation makes important contributions to the development of the Adult Learning sector, and EPALE Norway aims to make co-operation more accessible to all professional environments involved in adult learning in Norway.
The Directorate for Higher Education and Skill's mandate to be the Norwegian coordinator and support service for EPALE is provided through the Norwegian Ministry of Education.
Services
Our services cover several aspects:
We contribute to the content development to the platform, both by encouraging and assisting the sector to upload content and by developing content ourselves.
We act as moderators for the platform by assessing, selecting, and uploading content as well as by moderating the discussions in the forums.
We ensure multilingualism of the platform by translating content.
Our users are most welcome to contact the EPALE team, whether it is for technical/practical support, to share ideas for activities and content, or to give us feedback of various kinds.
You can reach EPALE Norway by sending an email to epale@hkdir.no
The Team
Eva Høifødt, Coordinator and Project Manager for EPALE Norway Senior Advisor, Department for Analysis and Digitisation, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
| Eva is the coordinator for EPALE Norway and is responsible for the management of the role as national coordinator. She has a background as a course developer and from teaching, and is now working with flexible training and education, digital skills, and management of grants. |
Ingrid Radtke, primary contact for ambassadors and partners Senior Advisor, Department for Analysis and Digitisation, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
| Ingrid is the main contact for EPALE Norway's ambassadors. She is a political scientist from Germany working with basic skills, and project management and development of mapping tools for basic skills. |
Gloria Thoraresen, administrative support Senior Advisor, Department for Curriculum and Tests
| Gloria is responsible for the administration of events and travels for EPALE Norway. She is experienced within international work and has a background from the private sector. |
Katrine Utgård, communications Senior Advisor, Department for Analysis and Digitisation, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
| Katrine is the EPALE Norway team communications manager. She works with structures for flexible education and training and has extensive experience with online language training. |
Tanja Aas, translations Senior Advisor, Department for Analysis and Digitisation, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
| Tanja is responsible for translations in the EPALE team. Her expertise is basic skills with a special focus on accounting and personal finance. She also works with flexible learning. |
Linda Berg, EPALE team internal writer Senior Advisor, Department for Analysis and Digitisation, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
| Linda is the EPALE team internal writer. She has a background as an adult teacher in Norwegian language and social studies for adult immigrants. In addition to working with EPALE, she now works with statistics and analysis. |
Adult Learning
Lifelong learning is an important principle of Norwegian education policy. Basic skills training and validation of prior learning play a significant part in our adult education policies.
Goals
The goal is to provide everybody with the possibility of widening their competencies and developing their skills throughout life. This may contribute to increased life quality for the individual and value creation and flexibility in working life. The competence and skills of the population are a major factor in securing economic growth, employability, competitiveness and cooperation.
Changes and challenges
Rapid technological development and increased international cooperation together with the social and cultural developments that results from globalisation are producing continuous changes in social life and working life.
Further education and training play an important role in developing the adaptability of individuals and therefore their ability to use the opportunities that opens as a result of changes in social life and working life.
Laws and regulations
The right to free education for adults up to and including upper secondary is guaranteed by law. The responsibility is divided between municipalities and counties.
Adults who need primary and lower secondary education have a statutory right to such education. Adults also have a statutory right to upper secondary education. This applies to adults who have not already completed an upper secondary education.
Education Acts
Adult education is regulated by the Adult Education Act (1976) and the Education Act (1998).
Under the Adult Education Act, the provision of courses is the responsibility of the respective public education authorities at the various levels of education. The Education Act regulates primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education for all, included adults.
Higher education (universities and university colleges) is regulated in a separate law, which applies to this level of education in general (regardless of the students' age). In 2001, rules about validation in HE was added to the law.
A new law on non-formal adult learning was introduced in 2010, to regulate organised learning activities outside the formal sector. Funding for study associations is regulated in this law and is administered by Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. In addition, there is a separate Act on Folk High Schools (1984).
Stakeholders
Along with learning in formal and non-formal structures, working life is of major importance as an arena for lifelong learning in Norway. Below, you will find an overview of the division of responsiblity in adult learning.
Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) has a particular responsibility for improving the participation rate in adult learning, specifically with programmes focused on basic skills training within working life and outside. Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) has particular competence within the fields of adults' legal rights and validation of prior learning. Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) also works in close co-operation with social partners and NGOs to advance adult learning in working life.
The formal sector
The provision of adult education at primary and lower secondary school level is the responsibility of the municipalities, and at upper secondary level it is the responsibility of the counties.
The Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for primary and secondary school, upper secondary and tertiary vocational education, higher education sectors, kindergartens, cultural schools, vocational education and training, and adult learning. The Ministry is also responsible for research and integration..
There are a total of 33 accredited approved higher education institutions in Norway (October 2019). Overall responsibility for accreditation rests with the Ministry of Education and Research, and it is regulated in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and in NOKUT's regulations, among others.
The universities and most university colleges are run by the Norwegian state and studying at these institutions is free of charge. Students at private institutions pay tuition fees, but many of the institutions also receive financial support from the state. The Ministry of Education and Research has overall responsibility for higher education in Norway. See a list of accredited higher education institutions.
The responsibility for immigrant education lies within Ministry of Education and Research. Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) is responsible for the improvement of immigrant education and works in cooperation with other relevant stakeholders.
The non-formal sector
Adult education associations
The main objective of the adult education associations is to provide educational opportunities that are independent of curricula and exams. However, they can also provide formal training at all levels.
Folk high schools
The folk high are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees. The objective is to promote learning for life and general knowledge. Within this framework, each school is responsible for establishing its own set of values.
The Folk High School Council represents the interests of the folk high schools.
Ambassadors
Jan Evensen, Fønix AS
| Jan Evensen is head of the training department at Fønix. The department works to ensure that employed adults do not fall out of working life due to lack of competence/skills, with a focus on training in basic skills and vocational training. Fønix is very active in international projects within Erasmus + and EEA Norway Grants. P.t. they are involved in more than 20 international projects. Jan Evensen is chairman of the board of the European Basic Skills Network (EBSN). Fønix is Norway's largest employment training provider with approx. 200 employees. |
Margreta Tveisme, NDLA
| Margreta Tveisme is the educational leader at the Norwegian National Digital Learning Arena (NDLA). NDLA is a collaboration affort between counties and municipalitites that offers freely available open digital learning resources for upper secondary education. NDLA's purpose is to develop freely available learning resources that are free for all users, and to further develop content and technology through active interaction and sharing with users. |
Iwona Starum, Folkeuniversitetet
| Iwona Starum is a pedagogical supervisor at Folkeuniversitetet. She has a background as a language teacher, pedagogical supervisor, course developer and coordinator of teaching, and has worked in adult learning for over 13 years. She is passionate about online teaching / learning, international work and Erasmus + projects. Iwona currently lives in Oslo and works at Folkeuniversitetet. Her great passion is language and she speaks Norwegian, Polish, English, French, Spanish, a little Russian and Italian. |
Tordis Kverndokk, Nasjonalbiblioteket
| Tordis Holm Kverndokk is a senior adviser in the Secretariat for Library Development (SBU), The Norwegian National Library. The National Library sis working to develop and strengthen the libraries as active and relevant social institutions, through service development and in dialogue with Norwegian libraries. |
Sverre Helge Bolstad, Bergen Offentlige Bibliotek
| Sverre Helge is a trained information scientist and department head for Technology and Learning at Bergen Public Library. The library is making effort to be a socially relevant arena for public education and a meeting place for lifelong learning. The Bergen public library is active in several EU-funded projects, and leads the project. Connect: // able - innovating social and digital inclusion, under the Eramus + program Strategic Partnerships. |
Stian Juell, Vofo
| Stian Juell is Assistant Secretary General of the Adult Education Association (Vofo). Vofo is the interest organization of the 14 publicly approved study associations in Norway. The study associations are the educational institute for the voluntary and non-profit sector, and contribute to organized training in and through almost 500 voluntary member organizations. |
Magali Blachère Børsum, Datatrotters AS
| Magali Blachère Børsum has a degree in literary studies and a master's degree in economics from France, and has worked as a digitization consultant and organizational developer for many years before she established her own company, Datatrotters. At Datatrotters, Magali works to raise competence in reading, writing and communication with data through courses, coaching and lectures. The field is called data literacy. In addition, she works with learning analytics and analyzes learning behavior and effects to improve the design of courses for customers. |
Sigridur Vilhjalmsdottir, NAFO
| Sigridur Vilhjalmsdottir works as a senior adviser at NAFO - National Center for Multicultural Education, which is part of the Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies (LUI) at OsloMet - metropolitan university. NAFO conducts nationwide work to promote adapted and good education of minority language children, young people and adults in inclusive multicultural learning communities (Read about NAFO in English: https://nafo.oslomet.no/om-nafo/about-nafo/). Previously, Sigridur has worked as a teacher in Norwegian and social studies for adult immigrants, and as manager at Lier adult education. |
Anne Marit Bødal, Åsane vgs.
| Anne Marit is a teacher of Norwegian and English at Åsane upper secondary school in Bergen. Åsane upper secondary school is responsible for prison education in Western Norway, and has its own wards in Bergen prison (high security), Bjørgvin prison (low security), Ungdomseininga Vest and a follow-up ward called Fossane. In addition to ordinary pupils, the school prepares for private exams in collaboration with the private office at the county municipality, and for Norwegian tests in collaboration with the Directorate for Higher Education and Competence and Nygård School in Bergen. Anne Marit has been school counselor in Bergen prison for five years. In addition, she has taught at all the mentioned departments, and has had classes in Norwegian, English and Norwegian for vocational subjects, and Norwegian courses for minority language students. She has also been involved in several international projects through the Erasmus + program. |
Einar Spurkeland, forfatter, underviser og konsulent innen transportutvikling.
| Einar Spurkeland is affiliated with the Training Office for transport subjects as needed (no later than spring 2021) with vocational training for professional drivers and logistics operators. He has previously been associated with the Journalism education at OsloMet as a part-time teacher / external examiner in journalism / media studies. He is established as an independent consultant and also has assignments for transport companies, including a mentor for transport management and vocational training in transport ordering. He is the author of several books in logistics and transport and has been communications manager, editor and journalist in the media, organizations and companies. |
Eli K. Langset, MiA
| Eli K. Langset is a work and organizational sociologist, associate professor and general manager of the Diversity in Working Life Foundation (MiA). MiA is a non-profit foundation that works to promote inclusion in society and working life for everyone, regardless of background. We work with several international projects within Erasmus +, KA202 etc., related to learning in working life, entrepreneurship in European countries, and social entrepreneurship. We also have experience with interns from European universities in our staff. All our employees have an international background and / or education / work experience. We value diversity and active use of our employees' resources in our work, which contributes to a high focus on innovation in the face of current challenges in today's society. |
Golara Heydari, Lingu
| Golara Heydari is HR manager and teacher at Lingu AS. Lingu is a Norwegian edtech company and language course provider. Golara Heydari has a master's degree in Norwegian language didactics, with special emphasis on Norwegian as a second language. Among other things, she is concerned with how digitalisation affects teachers' teaching practice. |
