To appear and be recognised
Migrants’ narrated transitions in Swedish and Norwegian vocational education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/sjvd.6450Keywords:
Migrants, transitions, recognition, agency, vocational educationAbstract
This article analyses the content of adult migrants’ narratives in Sweden and Norway about transitions within vocational education and training (VET), including barriers and openings in their trajectories, practices of resistance, quests for recognition, and manifestations of agency. Anchored in a political‑philosophical understanding of action, plurality and the public realm, and informed by a narrative positioning approach, we read VET as relational settings where subjects become visible through action and speech vis‑à‑vis peers, professionals, and institutions. The study is based on interviews conducted in both countries. Six narratives (three Swedish, three Norwegian) were selected for in‑depth analysis to highlight variation across gender‑coded VET arenas and institutional conditions. Analytically, we combined a shared codebook with close reading of intradiegetic, interactional, and discursive positionings. Cross‑country comparisons were conducted only on anonymised excerpts. Across cases, resistance is narrated through strategic reorientation, relational work, communicative agency, self‑initiated competence‑building and quiet perseverance. Three analytical themes structure the findings: 1) appearance through action and speech, 2) plurality as a resource for recognition, and 3) education as an arena for negotiating the ‘right to have rights’. The analysis shows how possibilities for recognition are conditioned by membership regimes, language requirements and organisational procedures, while placements, validation and guidance can open relational pathways to visibility. We conclude that VET can function as a space for political emergence, but also reproduce exclusion, depending on how institutions recognise plurality and make room for subjects to appear as holders of rights.
Downloads
References
Amble, N., Møller, E., & Vagle, I. (2023). Friere yrkesvalg i det yrkesfaglige feltet Expanding vocational choice in the vocational education sector. Forskning og forandring, 5(2), 84–104. https://doi.org/10.23865/fof.v5.3673
Andersson, P., & Fejes, A. (2010). Mobility of knowledge as a recognition challenge: experiences from Sweden. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 29(2), 201-218. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601371003616624
Andersson, P., & Osman, A. (2008). Recognition of prior learning as a practice for differential inclusion and exclusion of immigrants in Sweden. Adult Education Quarterly, 59(1), 42-60. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713608325173
Arendt, H. (1951). The origins of totalitarianism. Schocken Books.
Arendt, H. (1958). The human condition. University of Chicago press.
Arendt, H. (1963). On revolution. Faber & Faber.
Arendt, H. (1968). Men in dark times. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Arendt, H. (1972). Crises of the Republic: Lying in Politics; Civil Disobedience; On Violence; Thoughts on Politics and Revolution. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Arendt, H. (1978). The Life of the Mind: Thinking. Secker and Warburg.
Arendt, H. (2003). Responsibility and judgment (J. Kohn, Ed.). Schocken Books.
Asghari, H. (2025). Newly arrived women’s educational and professional choices. Vocations and Learning, 18(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-025-09356-7
Bamberg, M. G. W. (1997). Positioning between structure and performance. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1-4), 335-342.
Bamberg, M. G. W. (2004). Considering counter narratives. In M. Andrews & M. G. W. Bamberg (Eds.), Considering counter narratives: narrating, resisting, making sense (pp. 351-373). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Bamberg, M. G. W. (2006). Stories: big or small: why do we care? Narrative Inquiry, 16(1), 139-147.
Bevelander, P., & Irastorza, N. (2021). The labour market integration of humanitarian migrants in OECD countries: An overview. In K. Kourtit, B. Newbold, P. Nijkamp, & M. Partridge (Eds.), The economic geography of cross-border migration (pp. 157-184). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48291-6_8
Brell, C., Dustmann, C., & Preston, I. (2020). The labor market integration of refugee migrants in high-income countries. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(1), 94–121. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.34.1.94
Bruner, E. M. (1986). Experience and its expressions. In V. W. Turner & E. M. Brunder (Eds.), The anthropology of experience (pp. 3-30). Unversity of Illinois Press.
Careja, R., & Bevelander, P. (2018). Using population registers for migration and integration research: examples from Denmark and Sweden. Comparative Migration Studies, 6(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-018-0076-4
Csapó, B., & Funke, J. (2017). The nature of problem solving: Using research to inspire 21st century learning. OECD.
Chrisphonte, P. (2025). An immigrant family’s role in professional metamorphosis: A story of transition. Academic Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-025-02203-w
Crone, K. (2021). Personal identity, transformative experiences, and the future self. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 20(2), 299-310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-020-09699-7
Eliasson, E. (2024). Important encounters for education and employment. In M. Teräs, A. Osman, & E. Eliasson (Eds.), Migration, education and employment: Pathways to successful integration (pp. 67-84). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41919-5_12
Eliasson, E., Teräs, M., & Osman, A. (2022). ‘Back to work’—factors facilitating migrants’ re-entry into their previous vocations. Journal of Education and Work, 35(8), 828-842. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2022.2144168
Eriksen, T. H., & Sajjad, T. A. (2020). Kulturforskjeller i praksis: perspektiver på det flerkulturelle Norge Cultural differences in practice: Perspectives on multicultural Norway. Gyldendal akademisk.
European Anti-Poverty Network. (2019). Poverty report Sweden 2019. EAPN. https://www.eapn.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EAPN-PW2019-Sweden-EN-EAPN-4306.pdf
FN-sambandet UN Association of Norway. (2025). Bærekraftsmål 4: God utdanning Sustainable development goal 4: Quality education. https://fn.no/om-fn/fns-baerekraftsmaal/god-utdanning
Freeman, M. (2010). Hindsight: the promise and peril of looking backward. Oxford University Press.
Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet Directorate of Integration and Diversity. (2025). Arbeid Employment. https://www.imdi.no/tall-og-fakta/tall-om-integreringen-i-norge/indikatorrapport-2025/arbeid/
Integreringsloven Integration Act. (2020). Lov om integrering gjennom opplæring, utdanning og arbeid (LOV-2020-11-06-127) Law on integration through training, education and work. Lovdata. https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2020-11-06-127?q=integreringsloven
Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection. (2021). Känsliga personuppgifter Sensitive personal data. https://www.imy.se/privatperson/dataskydd/introduktion-till-gdpr/vad-ar-personuppgifter/kansliga-personuppgifter/
Khaef, S. (2022). Registration of immigrants’ educational attainment in Sweden: An analysis of sources and time to registration. Genus, 78(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41118-022-00159-5
Levitt, P., & Schiller, N. G. (2004). Conceptualizing simultaneity: A transnational social field perspective on society1. International Migration Review, 38(3), 1002-1039. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2004.tb00227.x
Loidolt, S. (2017). Phenomenology of plurality: Hannah Arendt on political intersubjectivity. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315208565
Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child development, 71(3), 543-562. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00164
Meld. St. 21 (2020–2021). Fullføringsreformen – med åpne dører til verden og fremtiden Completion reform – With open doors to the world and the future. Kunnskapsdepartementet. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/meld.-st.-21-20202021/id2840771/
Mishler, E. G. (1995). Models of narrative analysis: A typology. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 5(2), 87-123.
Mishler, E. G. (1999). Storylines: craftartists' narratives of identity. Harvard University Press.
Nortvedt, L., Gillespie, A., Dahl, K., & Drange, I. (2024). ‘Open Sesame’: Skilled immigrants’ experiences with bridging programmes in the validation process in Norway. In M. Teräs, A. Osman, & E. Eliasson (Eds.), Migration, Education and Employment: Pathways to successful integration (pp. 155–178). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41919-5_10
NOU (2001:25). Støtte til livsopphold ved utdanningspermisjon Support for livelihood during educational leave. Arbeids- og inkluderingsdepartementet. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/nou-2001-25/id378148/
OECD. (2022). Skills and labour market integration of immigrants and their children in Norway. Working together for integration. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/6109d927-en
Opplæringslova [Education Act]. (2023). Lov om grunnskoleopplæringa og den vidaregåande opplæringa (LOV-2023-06-09-30) [Act relating to primary and secondary education and training]. Lovdata. https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2023-06-09-30?q=oppl%C3%A6ringslova
Osman, A. (2024). Migrant successfully accessing their vocation in Sweden: The significance labour market initiatives to facilitate the integration of migrants and refugees. In M. Teräs, A. Osman, & E. Eliasson (Eds.), Migration, education and employment: Pathways to successful integration (pp. 11-28). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41919-5_2
Persson Thunqvist, D., Hagen Tønder, A., & Reegård, K. (2019). A tale of two reforms: Institutional change in vocational education and training in Norway and Sweden in the 1990s. European Educational Research Journal, 18(3), 298-313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904118823104
Reisel, L., Skorge, Ø. S., & Uvaag, S. (2019). Kjønnsdelte utdannings-og yrkesvalg: En kunnskapsoppsummering (rapport 2019: 6) Gender-segregated educational and occupational choices: A knowledge review (report 2019:6). Institutt for samfunnsforskning. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/efa97f020331439a8adbb84dd90ab426/no/sved/1.pdf
Rugkåsa, M. (2010). Transformasjon og integrasjon: Kvalifisering av minoritetsetniske kvinner til arbeid og deltakelse i den norske velferdsstaten (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oslo). https://digib.no/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/246.pdf
Saarela, J., & Weber, R. (2017). Assessment of educational misclassification in register-based data on Finnish immigrants in Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 45(17_suppl), 20-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1457496917702322
SCB. (2022). Employment is increasing among foreign born. https://www.scb.se/en/finding-statistics/statistics-by-subject-area/labour-market/labour-force-supply/labour-force-surveys-lfs/pong/statistical-news/labour-force-surveys-lfs-may-2022/
SCB. (2024). Unemployment continued to increase in October 2024. https://www.scb.se/en/finding-statistics/statistics-by-subject-area/labour-market/labour-force-supply/population-by-labour-market-status/pong/statistical-news/population-by-labour-market-status-october-2024/
Sikt. (2022). Årsrapport 2022 Annual report 2022. Kunnskapssektorens tjenesteleverandør. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/8f689d805906494c95b9aaeb45578e1f/arsrapport-2022-sikt.pdf
Skollag Education Act. (2010:800). Barns och elevers utveckling mot målen Pupils’ progress towards the learning goals. https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/skollag-2010800_sfs-2010-800#K3
Stalder, B. E., Kammermann, M., Michel, I., & Schönbächler, M.-T. (2024). Successful integration of refugees in vocational education and training: Experiences from a new pre-vocational programme. In M. Teräs, A. Osman, & E. Eliasson (Eds.), Migration, education and employment: Pathways to successful integration (pp. 133–154). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41919-5_9
Statista. (2024). At-risk-of-poverty rate in Sweden from 2013 to 2023, by country of birth. Eurostat data. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274108/at-risk-poverty-rate-sweden-country-birth/
Statistisk sentralbyrå Statistics Norway. (2025a). Innvandrere og norskfødte med innvandrerforeldre Immigrants and Norwegian-born individuals with immigrant parents. https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/innvandrere/statistikk/innvandrere-og-norskfodte-med-innvandrerforeldre
Statistisk sentralbyrå Statistics Norway. (2025b). Sysselsetting blant innvandrere, registerbasert. Employment among immigrants, register-based. https://www.ssb.no/arbeid-og-lonn/sysselsetting/statistikk/sysselsetting-blant-innvandrere-registerbasert
Statistisk sentralbyrå Statistics Norway. (2025c). Fakta om befolkningen - hvor mange bor det i Norge? Facts about the population – How many people live in Norway?. https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/faktaside/befolkningen
Stiklestad, S. S., & Monrad-Krohn, M. B. (2025). Elever med minoritetsbakgrunn i voksenopplæringen i helsearbeiderfaget: Yrkesdidaktikk i møte med elevenes læreforutsetninger relatert til faget yrkesfaglig fordypning [Students with minority backgrounds in adult education in health work: Vocational didactics in meeting the pupils' learning prerequisites related to the subject vocational specialisation]. SJVD-Scandinavian Journal of Vocations in Development, 10(1), 62–81. https://doi.org/10.7577/sjvd.6257
Swedish Research Council. (2024). Good Research Practice. Vetenskapsrådet. https://www.vr.se/english/analysis/reports/our-reports/2025-07-03-good-research-practice-2024.html
Teräs, M. (2024). Integration as a conceptual resource when studying skilled migrants in the workplace. In M. Teräs, A. Osman, & E. Eliasson (Eds.), Migration, education and employment: Pathways to successful integration (pp. 99-112). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41919-5_7
Teräs, M., Osman, A., & Eliasson, E. (Eds.). (2024). Migration, education and employment: Pathways to successful integration. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41919-5.
Tjora, A. (2021). Kvalitative forskningsmetoder i praksis Qualitative research methods in practice. Gyldendal.
Triandafyllidou, A., & Kumar, A. (2024). Between critical inquiry and creative writing. In A. Kumar & A. Triandafyllidou (Eds.), Migration and identity through creative writing: Stories: Strangers to ourselves (pp. 3-36). Springer Nature.
UNESCO. (2015). Global citizenship education: Topics and learning objectives. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000232993
United Nations. (2023). Global citizenship education. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/page/global-citizenship-education
Utdanningsdirektoratet Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. (2020). Kompetansebegrepet i læreplanverket The concept of competence in the national curriculum. https://www.udir.no/laring-og-trivsel/lareplanverket/stotte/kompetansebegrepet/
Waugh, C. E., & Sali, A. W. (2023). Resilience as the ability to maintain well-being: An allostatic active inference model. Journal of Intelligence, 11(8), 158. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11080158
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Hamid Asghari, Sigrun Saur Stiklestad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in SJVD accept the following terms:
- The author(s) retain copyright and gives the journal the right to the first publication of the work licensed simultaneously under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work when authorship and first release in the SJVD are recognised.
- The author(s) may enter separate, extra-contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (for example, send it to an institutional archive or publish it in a book) referring to the first release in SJVD.
- The author(s) are allowed and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional archives and on their website) before and during the filing process, as it may lead to useful exchanges of views, as well as faster and increased citation the published work.