ABSTRACT
Summary: The planning for recurrent education in Sweden has employed many ingredients in parallel. However, they can be fitted into a long-term strategy in the light of the conviction that recurrent education is not a reform to be implemented at one fell swoop.
The ingredients that comprise instruments of planning are the content and organization of the studies, admission policies, location and dissemination of education, financing and educational leave, information and outreach activities, and labour market policy.
The Swedish strategy may be said to have two lines of action. Measures which are chiefly of an organizational nature and less expensive have been undertaken on a big scale. This category of action principally includes such changes as in the organization of studies to make possible an increased alternation between education and work.
Measures which are more expensive are built up step by step as more economic leeway can be afforded. This category of action principally includes the financing of studies. Parallel with this build-up, measures are taken which can be regarded as favouring positive discrimination, eg outreach activities and opportunities to take educational leave.
Of vital importance for the Swedish strategy is the close interplay between educational policy and the labour market policy. Recurrent education is seen as an instrument to change working life as well.
