In Norway, the system of initial education is distinguished by public regulation, provision and financing, whereas the system of vocational training, and adult learning until recently has been deregulated, and dominated by private providers and employer financing. During the last decade comprehensive reforms of vocational and adult education and training have aimed at expanding public involvement and increasing participation in learning. Some major challenges persist, however, in terms of developing an all-inclusive system of lifelong education, training and learning.

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Cand polit. i statsvitenskap, forsker ved Fafo torgeir.nyen@fafo.no Oddbjørn RaaumDr. polit. i sosialøkonomi, seniorforsker ved Frischsenteret oddbjorn.raaum@frisch.uio.no SAMMENDRAG Gjennom laerlingordningen og praksiskandidatordningen kan voksne ta fagbrev og fullføre en yrkesfaglig videregående opplaering. I denne artikkelen analyserer vi hva som kjennetegner dem som oppnår sitt første fagbrev i voksen alder. Mens voksne med fagbrev fra praksiskandidatordningen har en sosial bakgrunn svaert lik dem som ikke oppnår videregående kompetanse, har voksenlaerlingene en bakgrunn svaert lik den vi finner hos dem som fullfører yrkesfag som unge. Multinomiske regresjonsanalyser viser at saerlig praksiskandidatordningen bidrar til å utjevne sosiale forskjeller i hvem som fullfører videregående opplaering. NøkkelordVideregående opplaering, fagopplaering, sosial reproduksjon

Some countries have certifying institutions for competence acquired at the workplace. These institutions provide incentives for workplace training that may have favourable effects on productivity, earnings and labour market participation. We present evidence on the earnings effects of attaining vocational qualifications in adulthood through two alternative routes: (1) apprenticeship and (2) recognition and testing of vocational competence acquired through relevant work experience. Drawing on longitudinal administrative data from Norway and tracking the labour market careers of individuals without completed upper secondary education by age 25, we estimate the impacts of acquiring vocational qualifications on future labour earnings. To allow for differential labour market trajectories of those who do and do not acquire qualifications, we account for unobserved individual heterogeneity in both levels and earnings growth. Without a rich representation of unobserved heterogeneity, estimated earnings effects are exaggerated. We find that vocational qualifications from both the apprenticeship and the experience-based routes boost earnings of men and women. Certification of already acquired skills has some value in itself, but adult apprenticeships have more positive effects on future earnings, as they involve greater individual skills development.

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