ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we will describe both the development of higher education in the last decade in Sweden and some aspects of lifelong learning. In Sweden, political reform in relation to access to higher education has been on the agenda since the 1950s resulting in significantly increased student numbers. Specific to the Swedish case, however, is the high level of drop-out from higher education. We will argue that participation in higher education in Sweden is characterized as a ‘drop-in, drop-out’ system which makes the university not only an institution for obtaining a formal degree, but also for lifelong learning. In the Nordic countries, the combination of lifelong learning and the importance of non-formal education is a significant component in the post-compulsory sector overall. At the same time, the value of higher education, as a place for knowledge creation and critical thinking, seems to be challenged by becoming increasingly an arena for instrumental learning, which is also underpinned by the demands of the labour market. A diploma from higher education does not seem to have the same value as it used to. The motivation for students to finish their studies, as well as for under-represented groups to even start, is thereby decreasing. Our conclusion is that widening access to higher education is not enough. Academic knowledge needs to have a greater value in society, and especially in the labour market, to maintain its high visibility and status in the wider society. Working-class men, particularly those from rural areas and immigrants from Africa, should be able to take advantage of the open system in Sweden, if they really think that higher education would make a difference in their lives.
