Sweden edition

Job losses driving Swedish men back to school

Published: 23 Jul 09 08:38 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/20856/20090723/

The current recession has put increased pressure on Sweden's institutions of higher education as more and more men head back to school due to the shaky job market.

Sweden to cut dropout rate by shortening school (10 Feb 12)
Swedish schools aim to ditch books by 2013 (1 Feb 12)
Principal stopped kids from getting marks that were 'too low' (27 Jan 12)

According to the National Agency for Services to Universities and University Colleges (Verket för högskoleservice), the number of men admitted to Swedish colleges and universities for the autumn 2009 term has increased by 16 percent compared to the same period last year, the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reports.

The number of admitted women has also increased, but not to the same extent, although almost 60 percent of those admitted are female.

The most popular disciplines among men are the scientific and technical fields, while women have applied to healthcare, education and culture.

“There's no doubt that the increased number of applicants is due to the labour market situation. And the sectors that have been affected the most thus far are male-dominated industries,” Pia Sandvik Wiklund, chair of a government-appointed committee looking in gender equality in higher education, told DN.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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11:56 July 23, 2009 by skatty

It is how Sweden gets mass unemployed, high educated, unqualified labors. People study at Universities because they can't find job, which brings the University quality down, because after all people should do something! A large number of these people have to borrow money from CSN, which means that they are trying to solve their finance problem by borrowed money to study base on joblessness and not interest! Then in future you get lot of people with debt to CSN and a useless degree for politicians to say how high qualified Sweden is!!

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13:24 July 23, 2009 by Iraniboy

^ Not really. If they are not qualified for studying, they can't make it later one during the exams.

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14:02 July 23, 2009 by skatty

Yes, they get CSN money the first year but will not be qualified for the second year (not enough credit, lot of them) and have to pay back the first year of debt, however will be considered temporarily employed for a year (student). The majority study technology, witch means a of 3 to 4 years program might be finished in 6 to 8 years or more without CSN money, of course if they got interest to continue. The main thing is to buy time and keep them busy for a year (from government point of view), somehow and the cheapest way is push them to debt!

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14:52 July 23, 2009 by Puffin

Many people use a period of unemplyment during a recession to re-train for a new career - remember that these statistics relates to vocational college courses as well as traditional University courses.

When I was at komvix a few years ago I met a number of people who had left school between 16-18 to go to work who were now taking high school gymnasiet courses and retraining for new careers some went on to university - all now work as:

- teachers

- nurses

- in elderly care

- as personal assistants to the disabled

One who was a teenage mother is now a clinical psychologist and another who worked on the line at Volvo is now a doctor

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16:30 July 23, 2009 by skatty

Hi Puffin; I'm trying to say unemployment can't and shouldn't be solved by Universities. People should be qualified to enter to University and not going to University because they can't find job. The Universities will harm badly. There is a capacity for classes and lecturer should work with students. When a class for 20 students is filled with 100 unemployed, the professors just come and give a lecture, never get time to work with 100 students, and Universities in Sweden are mostly financed by state, they should pass high percent of students to be financed. It's why Sweden get a lot of high-educated people who just ask questions and can't answer anything!

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17:36 July 23, 2009 by Ex_New_Yorker

Skatty

You sound like a bitter woman.

Good, men should try their best to attain bread winner jobs. The hard sciences offer great employment opportunities for men. Never listen to people who say you can't do it.

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19:21 July 23, 2009 by skatty

Ex_New_Yorker

I have three University degrees, studied in five countries, and always listen to people.

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00:22 July 24, 2009 by Bender B Rodriquez

That's not how it works. All universities have a fixed number of places to fill each year; they will not admit more people just because more people apply.

You seem to be under the strange delusion that universities are obliged to accept all applicants...

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07:28 July 24, 2009 by skatty

After SAAB great layoff, government asked to increase the number of sits in west cost according to the news months ago, worked with telecom bobble too, and early 90s, if you remember; and this method is not something new!

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#10

18:46 August 16, 2009 by Kenny015

what a lucky dude u guys are.... come to think of it, you cant hide without working in the UK bcos you got CSN or what do u call it. Nothing for free.

Good thing about it is you are highly skilled and get good well paid job in UK

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#11

00:44 September 4, 2009 by Canada_Girl

Post #1 - This trend is quite common. In Canada, at the moment, many recently unemployed people have headed back to school to retrain and acquire new skills. Friends in the US have said that a lot of unemployed people are flooding into schools because there are no/few new jobs.

As an aside, notice how there was a great dialogue happening until Ex-New-Yorker jumps in. Wonder why?

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