Employability of Swedish student teacher alumni

• In recent years, “employability” has become an increasingly central concept in higher education, in no small part since it constitutes an important aspect of the Bologna Process. The project “Teachers’ employability” is a project carried out on behalf of the Faculty of Teacher Education at Umeå University – one of the major providers of teacher education in Sweden – and is a part of a broader university effort to evaluate and increase employability. The aim of the project is to examine the situation of the university’s student teachers after graduation, as well as to find out how the former students and their employers view their education. The study is based on the longitudinal individual database ASTRID, questionnaires and interviews. This paper reports findings from the project, focusing on 1) employment situation, income development and mobility patterns of recent alumni (class of 2000) and 2) primary employers’ (school leaders) view of the quality and usefulness of the present teacher education curriculum. While employability is generally high, there are significant differences in career paths and income development, depending on for instance type of degree and place of residence. The interviews with school leaders reveal that although the present curriculum is perceived to have certain general limitations, it is viewed as more suited for pre-school rather than comprehensive school and gymnasium teacher education.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogiskt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogical Work (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

employability

curricula

databases

interviews

school leaders

Sweden

Educational work

Pedagogiskt arbete

pedagogiskt arbete

educational work

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kap (ämneskategori)