Towards industrial careers in Sweden

Abstract

Towards industrial careers in Sweden – A narrative study of students choosing the industrial technology program This article is about six students’ descriptions of their choice of the Industrial technology program. I have applied a narrative perspective and analysed the students’ narratives thematically. The research question is about the prominent themes of students’ descriptions of their choice of the program, and the answer is that four themes emerge from the descriptions. Two of the themes point to the advantages and disadvantages of industry jobs and industrial education. The third theme is about the choice of the program as a way for newly arrived refugees to get industrial work and eventually a permanent residence permit. The fourth theme is about students’ choice of industrial education as influenced by other people such as parents, teachers or study counsellors. The conclusion is that students who choose industrial education do not necessarily have the ambition to work as industrial workers. This may affect the industrial skills supply in the future in Sweden as an industrial country. Newly arrived refugees in industrial education can be included in this supply of skills, but these young people can also pursue other careers after completing their education. Although the choice of upper secondary education is free in Sweden, this freedom does not apply to these young people who make the choice based on the pressure on them to get a job after completing their education to be able to stay in Sweden.