Polish plumbers and wood products carpenters recognised in Norway

Since the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) has opened for recognition of vocational education and training from abroad in November 2016, it has received over 1000 applications. On top of the list of those who receive recognition are plumbers and wood products carpenters from Poland.

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– It is great that so many have applied for recognition of their vocational education and training. Skilled workers with a recognised qualification from abroad have a stronger position in the labour market, while employers can count on the vocational content of these qualifications, says NOKUT's Director General Terje Mørland.

NOKUT opened its recognition procedure for foreign vocational education and training for applications with German or Polish qualifications in November 2016 and for applications with Baltic qualifications in November 2017. Over the coming years the recognition procedure will gradually include more countries and qualifications.

Foreign qualifications recognised as of today

  • 90 plumbers
  • 87 wood products carpenters
  • 24 carpenters
  • 25 bricklayers
  • 17 meat cutters
  • 15 cabinet makers
  • 9 hairdressers
  • 7 butchers
  • 7 industrial concrete workers
  • 2 industrial machinery mechanics
  • 1 sausage maker
  • 1 retail butcher

– So far, we recognised 285 qualifications as comparable to Norwegian craft certificates. On average it takes two months to process an application, says Silje Molander, Head of Section for Recognition of Professional Qualifications in NOKUT.

A fruitful cooperation with social partners

– Social partners play a key role in our recognition procedure. It was primarily because of the role they play in Norwegian society that we developed a recognition procedure for foreign vocational qualifications. They also play a part by recommending experts that are able to assess the vocational content of qualifications from abroad, adds Molander.

Key facts

Applications are processed in two stages:

  1. NOKUT assesses the qualification’s formal status in the country it originates from, finds out who the responsible authority for vocational training is and who has issued the documentation. NOKUT then assesses the scope and level of the vocational education and training and whether these are equivalent to Norwegian vocational education and training. NOKUT can reject applications at this stage.
  2. Experts assess the qualifications vocational content and compare it to the skills, knowledge and competences that are acquired through Norwegian vocational education and training.

Applications lead to either a positive or a negative decision. A positive decision means that the foreign qualification is recognised as comparable to a given Norwegian craft certificate.

Those who receive a negative decision are always given information about the vocational content that is missing in order for the foreign qualification to be recognised as comparable.

More information about the recognition procedure is available on NOKUT’s website.

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