Liv Anne Støren

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether international student mobility (ISM) has an impact on the transition from higher education to work. Two measures of labour market outcomes are investigated: unemployment and skills mismatch. To go beyond existing research, we analyse whether the effect of ISM on these outcomes vary by fields of study, intake grades, sociodemographic variables and more. Our analyses are based on data from the Norwegian graduate surveys time series from 2007 to 2017. After controlling for several confounding factors, we find very small differences in labour market outcomes between graduates with and without ISM experience. In comparison with field of study, immigrant background, previous labour market experience and business cycles, the effect of ISM on the examined labour market outcomes is small. Investigating whether graduates with different backgrounds benefit differently from ISM, we find evidence of moderate effect heterogeneities: Graduates with high intake grades and graduates in business and administration seem to benefit somewhat more. Regarding social origin and immigrant background, no heterogeneous effects are found. Contrary to findings from previous studies, we do not find that those least likely to study abroad benefit the most from it. Rather, there is a tendency that groups with the greatest likelihood of studying abroad are those who benefit most.

Participation in job-related training among immigrants is becoming more important in Europe in view of large immigration inflows. This paper considers differences in training participation rates by immigrant background including by whether they are from Western or non-Western origins. Also considered is whether differences by immigrant background depend on whether the training was supported by employers. The analyses are based on individual-level data from the PIAAC database. Four countries are included in the analysis: Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway, countries that feature a highly educated labour force and social policies designed to support and incentivise skill development over the life span including disadvantaged groups. The analyses reveal that the differences in participation rate according to immigrant backgrounds are relatively small, in all countries except Finland. Still, the immigrants receive less employer-sponsored training than non-immigrants. The results indicate a high demand for training among immigrants.

To what extent do favourable job characteristics contribute to the variation in numeracy skills between countries? Based on theory of maintenance and further development of pre-existing skills, this is explored by applying data on numeracy skills among employed persons in seven European countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). Regression analyses are used to examine the extent to which numeracy skills vary with job characteristics and education levels across the seven countries, when controlling for industrial sector, work hours, demographic variables (gender, age, Western and Non-Western immigrant background), cultural capital (books at home and parental education level). The findings indicate that job characteristics and the individuals’ educational level have large and equal statistical impact on the total skills variation in the seven countries. However, regarding the country- differences, variations in education level play a lesser role than job characteristics.

(2018). Work-related training and workplace learning: Nordic perspectives and European comparisons. International Journal of Lifelong Education. Ahead of Print.

Most studies on participation in training focus on participation versus non-participation. The individual’s participation varies, however, very much in terms of the duration of training, from until a few days to intensive participation. This study examines participation in non-formal training by the total amount of training during a year. In the analysis, we use PIAAC data for eight European countries, of which half represents a group of countries with high participation rates in non-formal training and the other half have lower participation rates. One purpose is to examine whether the duration of training varies between these groups of countries. We expected that countries which score high on training rates are characterised by high proportions participating in short courses. Another purpose is to examine the relationship between duration of training and educational levels and immigrant backgrounds. We expected that the relationship that is normally found between training rates and social background variables would be reversed when it comes to duration of training. In the analyses, controls are applied for several individual and workplace characteristics, including skills level, firm size, occupational level, and industrial sector. The estimation results indicate that overall, our expectations are not supported.

This paper examines the factors that may have impact on the extent to which the knowledge and skills of master’s degree graduates in Norway are utilised at work, three years after graduation. The focus is on the impact of the quality of the study programme as well as the graduates’ fields of study, when also taking into account other factors influencing the utilisation of skills. The analysis indicates that the quality of the study programme has an independent effect on skills utilisation at work. The analysis also shows large differences in skills utilisation according to fields of study, even among graduates who are not formally overeducated for their job. Not formally overeducated graduates in humanities and social science utilise their knowledge and skills less frequently than other similar graduates. The findings involve challenges for higher education institutions and graduates, as well as employers, to find ways that the expertise of master's degree graduates could be better exploited.

In this paper we address the transition from higher education to work among graduates with a master’s degree, with a particular focus on over-education. We relate to an ongoing debate on whether too many students undertake a master’s degree, and the consequences a surplus of graduates may have. Our data show that the transition from higher education to work has not become much more difficult during the period 1995–2013, despite a huge increase in the number of graduates. Unemployment rates fluctuate, but were lower at the end of the period than at the beginning. Regarding over-education, we find an increase at the beginning of the observation period, but a striking stability in years when the number of graduates rose sharply. When considering all educational groups together, we find no association between the number of graduates, business cycles and the prevalence of over-education. However, we find some exceptions when looking at different subject fields.

Fagskoleutdanninger er korte yrkesrettede utdanninger som bygger på fullført videregående opplæring. Utdanningstilbudet har vokst voldsomt de siste ti årene, med nye tilbud utover de tradisjonelle teknisk-maritime skolene, og med økt innslag av private utdanningstilbud. I denne artikkelen viser vi at ca. tre av fire fagskolekandidater er i relevant arbeid eller studerer videre ni måneder etter fullført utdanning, men også at arbeidsmarkeds- og yrkesrelevansen av disse utdanningene varierer svært mye. Blant fagskolekandidater som er i arbeidsstyrken, har de som har utdanning i mediefag, økonomisk-administrative fag og humanistiske og estetiske fag stor risiko for å være arbeidsledig, undersysselsatt eller overkvalifisert for jobben. Fagskolekandidater i mediefag og humanistiske og estetiske fag er imidlertid ofte utenfor arbeidsstyrken fordi de holder på med videre utdanning. Post-secondary non-tertiary vocational study programmes have grown dramatically over the past decade, with new offerings beyond the traditional technical-maritime schools and an increased proportion of private education. In this article, we show that three out of four graduates are in relevant work or are engaged in further study nine months after completing education, but the labour market and vocational relevance of these study programmes vary widely. Graduates in media studies, business studies and in the humanities and arts who belong to the labour force are at great risk of being unemployed, underemployed or overqualified for the job. Many graduates in media studies and the humanities and arts are, however, outside the labour force because they continue studying.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to present an empirically based discussion of how cooperation between higher education institutions and work organisations (WOs) can increase graduate learning experiences and employability. Design/methodology/approach: – Data are based on an electronic and mail-based graduate survey among Norwegian master’s degree graduates six months after graduation. 2,232 master degree graduates responded to the survey, giving a 54 per cent response rate. All subject fields were represented. Findings: – 77 per cent of the graduates have some forms of interactions with WOs during their studies. The level and mode of participation differ, however, very much, and the benefits of participating differ by mode of interaction. Project-based interaction is positively and significantly associated with completing studies on time. Further, graduates who have participated in either project-based interactions or practice periods have better labour market situation after graduation than their peers. The results hold also when controlling of subject field differences and students’ abilities. Research limitations/implications: – The study indicates that it is important to look at a wide range of interaction activities and look at the benefits from these activities both in terms of effects on the quality of the learning experience, as well as benefits realised in the transition to work. The data on learning benefits of interaction with WO during higher education are, however, limited, and further studies are needed on this issue in particular. Practical implications: – The study indicates that only certain forms of interactions between students and WOs have benefits for students; namely the ones that involve a certain degree of time and commitment. Programme officers in higher education should target more committed interaction forms, because the added value is significantly higher for the students. Originality/value: – The study contributes new knowledge about the external networks of higher education institutions, by looking at the role of students in such networks and by measuring the benefits by using a representative sample of students.