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Nordic Work, Education, and Career Guidance: International Perceptions

Explore international perceptions of work, education, and career guidance in the Nordic countries, including attitudes towards work-life balance, migrant support, education system, and inclusive career guidance.

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Nordic Work, Education, and Career Guidance: International Perceptions

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  1. Pining for the fjords: International perceptions of Nordic work, education and career guidance Tristram Hooley

  2. The Nordic countries • Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroes) • Finland (including Åland) • Iceland • Norway • Sweden

  3. What is ‘Nordic’

  4. Nordicity • A brand based around the idea of ‘Nordic exceptionalism’. • It has been used to market a wide range of things from food to politics. • Nordicity has been promoted by Nordic governments as a form of soft power. Nordicity is better and therefore something that others should copy. • As well as promoting Nordic interests internationally this concept of Nordicity also provides legitimisation for actions taken domestically.

  5. Nordicity overseas Department of Education (England) website searches: • Denmark (15) • Finland (56) (the ‘f word’ in discussions about education) • Iceland (8) • Norway (16) • Sweden (26) • Scandinavian (2) My own comparative research frequently uses Nordic examples and falls back on the idea of ‘Nordic superiority’.

  6. Is my love of the Nordic, shared by others? • Internet survey (November 2018-March 2019). • 300 responses • Cleaned down to 184 responses (including the removal of 33 responses from Nordic people).

  7. Sample • Responses from 27 countries. • 71% have a postgraduate degree • Half (52%) described themselves as careers professionals.

  8. Engagement The average participant had: • read about two Nordic countries (average 2.26); • visited one Nordic country (1.20); and • not visited any of the Nordic countries for work (0.35), studied there (0.05) or had a job (0.05) in any of these countries. Participants reported their language skills on a scale from not at all (0) to very well (3). Average score: • Swedish (0.11) • Norwegian (0.08) • Danish (0.05) • Finnish (0.04) • Icelandic (0.03)

  9. Attitudes to Nordic work, learning and career guidance

  10. Work

  11. Best country to work in?

  12. Quotes on work in the Nordic countries “It seems that there is a priority for personal development and happiness along with career progression e.g. work/life balance.” “Striving to keep employees happy and healthy regardless of position within the company. Making the place of work and comfortable and happy environment.” “I am also of the impression that employers take a more active role in employee development and engagement than in the UK. As I understand it in Sweden, employee representation in company management structures is well-embedded and follows the approach indicated by organisations like the ILO. Employers are also active in secondary school management structures (i understand).”

  13. Commentary on work in the Nordic countries • Decent work (4) • Workplace career development (3) • Low unemployment (2) • Family friendly (1) • Precarity (1) • Over qualification (1)

  14. Quotes on migrant experience • “I understand there are challenges in meeting the needs of immigrant populations.” • “Discrimination and racism” • “I have heard positive reports about research programmes focusing on how career practitioners can support refugees.”

  15. Commentary on the situation for migrants • Discussion of support for migrants (both positive and negative) (6) • Discrimination (2) • Language issues (2)

  16. Education

  17. Best country to study in?

  18. Quotes on education “My impression of Nordic countries is that overall, education is more concerned with well-being and "holistic" development than in the UK, and much less target-driven. Career guidance in these countries may reflect a more student/person centred approach, and a more consistent linkage between education with eventual work life.” “The Finnish education system has been praised for being exemplary I believe so I would think that this might include their careers guidance services to pupils. I think the system is less academic focused so perhaps the emphasis on developing students emotional well being would include guidance counselling.”

  19. Commentary on education • Learner centred (5) • Strong education system (3) • Lifelong learning (3) • Aligned with employment (3) • Early years (2)

  20. Career guidance

  21. Best country to access career guidance in

  22. Quotes on career guidance “I think that there is a much greater focus on the whole society and ensuring that everyone can access quality guidance at all stages of their career - from education through to the workforce and during any periods of unemployment. For me, this ties in with their far superior inclusive approach to society and ensuring everyone is able to live a life where they can meet their needs and be fulfilled. Guidance seems to be closely linked to government strategy and seems to be proactive also.” “I greatly appreciate the fact that career support is realistically accessible to everyone, especially for people with special needs and people from risk groups. Counseling and career support in the e-environment is welcome. It is worth sharing experiences with others!”

  23. Commentary on career guidance • Access (21) – generally positive, but negatives related largely to rurality • Embedded in education (12) • Innovative (10) – focused variously on e-guidance and on community focused guidance • Established (8) • Research informed (7) • Person centred (7) • Fragmented (1)

  24. Quotes on professionalism “I think it's astounding, how Norway is currently setting up a guidance system based on specialized training for career counsellors and high quality standards. My impression from the other countries, especially Sweden, Denmark and Finland is that career services are relatively well funded, and that professionals have good training and are interested in continuous further education and quality development.” “I am under the impression there is a careers guidance professional in every school and they are valued the same as a teacher and viewed as a professional of the same standard.”

  25. Commentary on professionalism • Trained and qualified (15) • Status (8) • Professional staff and services (6) • Pay and conditions (2)

  26. Quotes on underpinning values “Nordic career guidance appears to be a reflection of a 'Nordic way of life' rather than a distinct set of policies and procedures. My impression of Nordic career guidance therefore is that it is individual needs-based, but that individuals are seen as part of their communities and social networks. This appears to contrast with the more individualised, competitive paradigm that underlies career guidance in the UK and North America.” “My first impressions come from watching Borgen on TV which portrays an equal, fair society full of well educated professionals . I also have a Sweedish female friend who is strongly focused on her career and against any gender stereotypes.”

  27. Commentary on underpinning issues Values • Egalitarian (5) • Well being (4) • Fairness (3) • Social democratic (3) • Collective individualism (1) Government • Funding public services (including career guidance) (14) • Policy support for career guidance (12) • Social partnership underpinning public policy (3) • Welfare state (3)

  28. Reflections • Participants are overwhelmingly positive, but not particularly well informed. • The Nordic serves as a utopian other where most problems are solved. • They tend to argue that what can be learnt from the Nordic countries should be learnt by policy makers (rather than practitioners).

  29. References • Browning, C. S. (2007). Branding nordicity: Models, identity and the decline of exceptionalism. Cooperation and conflict, 42(1), 27-51. • Marklund, C. (2017). The Nordic model on the global market of ideas: the welfare state as scandinavia’s best brand. Geopolitics, 22(3), 623-639. • Ooi, C. S., & Pedersen, J. S. (2017). In search of Nordicity: How new Nordic cuisine shaped destination branding in Copenhagen. Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism, 2(4), 217-231.

  30. In summary • The Nordic exerts a powerful influence on the popular imagination outside of the Nordic countries. • In general the Nordic is viewed positively and where there are gaps in knowledge people fill them in positively. • The belief that work, learning and career guidance are better in the Nordic countries is linked to wider support for ‘Nordicity’. • With a few exceptions the Nordic is viewed as an example for policymakers rather than for practitioners.

  31. About me Tristram Hooley Professor II, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences/ Professor of Career Education, University of Derby/ Chief Research Officer, Institute of Student Employers Email: t.hooley@derby.ac.uk Twitter: @pigironjoe Blog: https://adventuresincareerdevelopment.wordpress.com/

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