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Sweden

Apprenticeships and vocational education and training (VET) in Sweden: 1 apprenticeship scheme · 34 VET policies (13 on apprenticeship) · 82 indicators with data · 112 open datasets.

Apprenticeship schemes

Sweden has 1 mainstream apprenticeship scheme in Cedefop's European database on apprenticeship schemes.

Upper secondary apprenticeship

Gymnasial lärlingsutbildning

An apprenticeship variant of national VET programmes: from year one, at least half of the education is workplace-based, with learners usually keeping student status and state study grants.

Education level
Upper secondary (EQF 4)
Duration
Join in year 1, 2 or 3 of the 3-yr programme
Time at the workplace
Around half — ≥50% at the workplace from entry into the track
Apprentice compensation
Mostly unpaid
Pay (as stated)
State study allowance; salary only under an optional apprentice employment contract (collective agreements)
Apprentices
15 109 apprentices (2024/25)
Qualification
Vocational diploma, SeQF/EQF 4

Source: Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's coded answers (filters and the comparison matrix) are imported directly from the 2026 fiches. The short descriptions (overview, duration, learners, pay) were condensed by hand and checked against the fiche text on 2026-10-01. The official fiches remain authoritative.

Key figures

Latest value for Sweden on the main measures of vocational education and work-based learning, with the EU-27 figure for the same year where one is published. Select an indicator for its map, ranking, trend and downloads.

IndicatorSwedenEU-27Year
Recent VET graduates who had work-based learningEurostat · tps0021567.3%66.0%2025
Share of upper-secondary VET pupils in work-based programmesEurostat; calculation by Apprentix · educ_uoe_enrs048.4%24.7% d2024
Pupils in combined school- and work-based upper-secondary VETEurostat · educ_uoe_enrs0417,412 pupils2,262,565 pupils d2024
IVET students as % of all upper secondary studentsCedefop · KIVET 101036.3%49.4%2024
Employment rate of recent VET graduatesEurostat · edat_lfse_2484.2%80.1%2025
Employment premium for recent IVET graduates (over general stream) (%)Cedefop · KIVET 2090a2.8%13.3%2025
Employment rate of adults with vocational vs general upper-secondary qualifications (OECD)Vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education; From 25 to 64 yearsOECD86.5%—2025
Enterprises employing initial-VET participantsEurostat · trng_cvt_34s15.4% of enterprises b32.4% of enterprises2020
IVET learners who benefitted from a learning mobility abroad (%)Cedefop · KIVET 10260.5%2.2% dV2021
Erasmus+ VET mobility projectsEuropean Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results · ErasmusPlus_KA1145 projects6,890 projects2025
Early leavers from education and training (%)Cedefop · KIVET 30106.7%9.1%2025
NEET rate for 15-29 year-olds (%)Cedefop · KIVET 30305.9%11.0%2025

Sources: Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Eurostat; calculation by Apprentix (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0). Totals only (default breakdown). Letters after a value are the publisher's flags; hover for their meaning.

More indicators

70 further indicators have data for Sweden, each with a map, ranking, trend and downloads.

Show 70 indicators

Recent apprenticeship policies

Cedefop and ReferNet track 34 VET policies in Sweden since 2015, of which 13 concern apprenticeship or work-based learning. The most recently reported:

  1. Opening up municipal adult educationRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
  2. Supporting apprenticeshipPractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  3. Vocational orientation in HE preparatory programmesPractical measure/Initiative · Discontinued (2024)
  4. Facilitating permeability from secondary VET to tertiary educationRegulation/Legislation · Completed (2023)
  5. Integration of newly arrived immigrants in VET and labour marketPractical measure/Initiative · Completed (2022)
  6. Knowledge boost initiative: action plan for adult educationStrategy/Action plan · Discontinued (2022)
  7. Curricular changes to impede traditional gender patternsRegulation/Legislation · Approved/agreed (2021)
  8. Tracking system for IVET graduatesPractical measure/Initiative · Completed (2020)

Source: Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) (CC-BY-4.0).

Open datasets

112 open datasets on apprenticeship and VET from Sweden are listed on Europe's open-data portals, 14 of them specifically about apprenticeship.

Source: data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API) (EC-reuse). Each dataset keeps its own licence.

Sources and licences

Apprenticeship schemes
Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's legal notice: reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated. Fiches also credit national ReferNet experts. Read 2026-10-01.
Key figures
Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Eurostat; calculation by Apprentix (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0).
Policies
Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update). CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update): Research dataset [Data set].
Open datasets
data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API). Catalogue metadata: European Commission reuse notice (Decision 2011/833/EU). Each dataset keeps its own licence, shown per entry.
Last updated
2026-10-01

Apprentix republishes these figures and records; the publishers' own versions remain authoritative. See Data & sources for reuse conditions.

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