Young peoples’ access to working life in three Nordic countries: what is the role of vocational education and training?

While working life in the Nordic countries generally has a high quality, the question examined in this chapter is how accessible working life is for young people. The chapter examines how upper secondary vocational education (VET) is connected to working life and how it supports young peoples’ transitions to the labour market in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The examination includes a conceptual discussion of the links between education and working life in comparative research on VET and transition systems. It explores how the VET systems match the educational demand of young people with the skills requirements in working life. In addition, it examines young peoples’ transitions to working life in two selected industries, health care and construction. Also, three new, innovative institutions to mediate between VET and working life are investigat-ed.