Response to interpellation 2022/23:182 on the transition study support
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate is about the transition study support. L emphasizes that the model is fixed and that CSN needs time for correct assessments 1, but looks forward to working together with others to make the reform as good as possible 2 and to conduct a broad discussion with the parties regarding improvements 2. L also assesses that the authorities are working well and that the accuracy of the applications improves over time 3. S argues that the support is unique and important for lifelong learning 4, wants the reform to be expanded so that many can participate in it 4 and sees itself as the guarantor that everyone should be able to get an education 4. S also wants the implementation to be as good as possible 5 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Niklas Sigvardsson has asked me how I intend to follow up to ensure that the intentions in the agreement are upheld, so that the transition study support does not become solely a labor market policy measure. Niklas Sigvardsson has also asked me if I intend to expand the transition study support at a faster pace than what has been signaled to meet the interest of the many applicants.
The Government's obvious starting point is to respect the whole that underlies the reform. As the interpellator himself mentions, transition study support may be granted for an education that can be assumed to strengthen the student's future position on the labor market, taking into account the labor market's needs. The education can either aim to strengthen the person's position within the area of work that he or she already works or has worked in, or aim for the person to strengthen their competence in other areas of work in order to be able to seek new jobs. In cases where there are uncertainties regarding the interpretation of the law, decisions in the Appeals Board for Study Support will become guiding. The Government follows how the reform is implemented on an ongoing basis and has a close dialogue with the Central Study Support Board, CSN, and the parties regarding how the implementation proceeds.
Through the bill Flexibility, adaptability and security in the labor market, a historic reform was implemented that laid the foundation for a new main agreement between the parties in the labor market. After the bill was decided in the Riksdag in June 2022, representatives for Svenskt Näringsliv, the Negotiation and Cooperation Council PTK and LO signed the new main agreement.
When the bill was debated in the Riksdag, all parties included in the government voted in favor of the bill in its entirety. Only the Left Party (V) voted against. The bill states that funds for the transition study support shall be added incrementally from 2023 until the reform is fully implemented in 2026. In 2023, 1.3 billion kronor are added, and next year, 2024, this sum is increased to 2.8 billion kronor, which is in line with the preparatory works prepared by the Social Democratic government together with the Green Party (MP), the Liberals (L), and the Centre Party (C). The government is thus introducing the reform precisely in the manner announced in the bill and in full accordance with what the parties expect.
Madam Speaker! I note that there is an unexpectedly large interest in the new transition study support, but the plans for the implementation are fixed. A significant reason for this is that the processing authorities, primarily CSN, are to be given reasonable planning conditions. The Government is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with CSN on how the processing time can be improved.
Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Education for the answer to this interpellation regarding the transition study support.
Just as the Minister pointed out at the end, I believe we are all pleased with the unexpectedly large interest in the support. It is almost 27,000 who have applied for the transition student support in this short time.
This is an immensely important support so that all the country's wage earners can strengthen their future position on the labor market. Something that I hope we will nurture together and work as well as we can jointly so that exactly this shall happen.
Despite the fact that nearly 27,000 have applied, far from everyone affected in the target group has been reached by this. PTK, LO and Svenskt Näringsliv are providing indications that not all members have a full grasp of what this is. This will hopefully lead to even more applying in the future. It is through the cooperation model where this agreement has been negotiated with PTK, LO and Svenskt Näringsliv that we have this support in place. It is also, of course, a negotiation with the state.
The reason for this support is that the initiative shall come from the individual and that the individual shall have the right to advice and support from a transition organization. The support shall go towards education that strengthens the individual's future position on the labor market, taking into account the labor market's needs, just as the minister said. It is also about that the student support shall not be given to education of a hobby character or self-fulfillment character. Finally, CSN shall attach great importance to the transition organization's statement when making decisions. It is of utmost importance that the authorities have these four cornerstones in their work and that the legislation is implemented in accordance with the spirit of the agreement.
The reason I am submitting this interpellation is that some worrying signals have come from the various parties. They perceive that CSN is interpreting the legislation more strictly than was intended. This specifically concerns people who are already in so-called shortage occupations and apply for student support to strengthen their own position in the future labor market but in some cases receive a rejection. Even people in shortage occupations must be able to strengthen their position. Otherwise, the transition student support is not intended for all wage earners, together with their transition organization, to be able to decide for themselves how they should strengthen their position in the future labor market.
That is why I hope and believe that the government is working hard and actively to ensure that the implementation is as good as possible. But this still gives rise to questions that I partially asked in my interpellation: How is the Minister for Education working to ensure that the intentions in the main agreement that the authorities are to implement are actually followed? How are you working with the authorities? How is the government itself working with implementing this agreement together with the parties?
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank Niklas Sigvardsson for the questions and for the interpellation, which I believe is important. I think it is a strength that we can together try to steer this reform all the way through, so that it becomes a reality for the Swedish people. I also think it is a strength that such large parts of Swedish society stand behind the reform. Both the parties in the labor market and large parts of politics support it.
I believe that this reform will play a large and important role moving forward and that it will be important for the dynamics in Swedish working life and the business sector and on the Swedish labor market. I believe that it will be important for our country's ability to transition, but naturally most importantly for the people who get the opportunity to further their education to strengthen their competence.
I think this model is very important. That is also why the government, in such a clear way, both in the budget and in the writings that exist, says that the model remains fixed and that there are no changes announced in relation to the original model, which the Riksdag decided on in 2022.
The reform is now just at its beginning. A number of different applications have been submitted. We will have to see to what extent those who have applied are entitled to support. We will also have to see to what extent those who are applying have gone through their transition organizations or respectively sought the support on their own. It is far too early to draw any conclusions from the applications that have come in. But we are, of course, following this very closely and analyzing how the work proceeds on an ongoing basis.
I also believe there is an understanding among the Swedish people that it can take time for everyone to get answers when so many applications come in and one does not know what type of applications they are. CSN is a popular agency that many Swedes have great confidence in. It is clear that it is important that the agency is given the time needed to go through the applications and make correct assessments, so that we can live up to the requirements for legal certainty. Everyone should receive an individual assessment where one's own reasons are examined, so that one can truly know that a solid assessment of the whole has been made.
It is important that the individual is given the opportunity to strengthen their competence, either in an area other than the one they are currently working in or within the same industry but in a different profession. This is an important starting point for the reform. We are following it closely, and I welcome that we can do this in broad political agreement.
Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
Madam Speaker! That is somewhat why we Social Democrats have also pushed the issue so hard from the beginning - we want to be on board with the whole train, so that the implementation becomes as good as it can possibly be. In the transition and flexibility reform that was adopted here last year, this was one of the most important aspects for all of Sweden's wage earners: the right to transition. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that it actually also becomes a transition opportunity for the individuals. That is why we are pressing and really want the issue to become as good as it can possibly become.
This is still in its infancy. CSN has released information about the first small steps. According to the statistics we have available, it is a total of approximately 605 people who have been granted support. I believe that CSN will release new statistics on Friday, so there will be some new figures. An overwhelming majority are applying to vocational colleges, colleges and universities. It is pleasing that vocational colleges in particular are so far ahead, as their educations lead to one quickly entering employment and being able to utilize the competence one has just acquired.
It is also pleasing that among the few applications granted so far, one finds professional groups such as nurses, police officers, healthcare administrators, and medical secretaries. There are many who want to be involved in strengthening the common welfare. It is positive that the first indication shows that there is a strong will among people in our society to contribute to the welfare's competence supply. We must hope that even more applicants will come to the private transition, so that the business sector also gets a share of the transition.
I am also cautious about drawing far-reaching conclusions on how the implementation has proceeded so far, but we want this to go as well as possible and that the support should be utilized. It is therefore also important to look at aspects such as that people from all different study environments should be able to access the support, including people who come from homes unfamiliar with studying, so that they can strengthen their position on the labor market. Someone who has a long academic education may be able to take a shorter supplementary education to strengthen their position. We as Social Democrats will pay extra attention to this.
It is also about the resources having to be sufficient and about how many places there should be to apply for. We have on several occasions debated the issue that there must be enough places, so that groups of young people do not push out the adults who want to study and so that adults through the transition study support do not push out the groups of young people who are on their way. But I will disregard a bit of the increase in ambition that we Social Democrats want to see there and instead look at how it looks with the ambition for implementation from CSN's side.
I have received a report from CSN as recently as today. CSN has submitted a budget request for the current budget year, i.e., 2023. In order for them to meet the level of ambition that we both say we stand for, they need an additional allocation of funds of 46 million kronor in the supplementary budget. This becomes extra important given the ambition that the minister spoke about here earlier and reported in his response to the interpellation. Does the government and the minister intend to follow up on this request from CSN to receive more money in the current budget year? These funds are only needed to meet the current ambition. Otherwise, the risk, according to CSN's own assessment, is that it will either affect those who apply for the normal student grant or extend the processing time for those who apply for the transition study support. This is a level of ambition that the minister says he stands behind. Therefore, I ask the minister: How does the minister intend to work further with this budget request?
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Niklas Sigvardsson, for your question!
It is very important that CSN is given the right conditions to work with the reform. It is in its infancy. It will take some time before we have the complete picture of how the work is progressing and what is happening.
It is clear that it is important that the authorities have the right conditions. I assess that the authorities are working very well right now. There is an understanding among the Swedish people that it takes a little time when so many applications come in.
One can also imagine, without me knowing, that the first time – before the regulatory framework has settled and the interpretation of the regulatory framework is in place – a considerable number of applications will come in that are not complete and that need to be supplemented in various ways.
An indication of this is, for example, that some who have applied have not gone through their transition organizations. I fully understand that one does not have a grasp of that one is supposed to do so. For every year that passes, I believe that the accuracy for those who apply will improve. That is my assessment.
I am following it very closely. I am, of course, prepared to take the measures required to ensure that it becomes good. It is very important that we ensure that we get a transition study support, that it works well and that people have the opportunity to strengthen their competence. It is very important.
Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Education, for this debate on the extremely important issue of the transition study support!
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the support being so extensive. It is unique in its kind if one compares it with how it is in the rest of the world and how we view transition for adults. It is about their opportunity to transition and to continue their further education.
For another, who wants to make a stand for lifelong learning, this is an excellent reform. It is a matter of ensuring that people, throughout their lives, are given the opportunity to educate themselves and acquire new knowledge. In that way, they can strengthen their position on the labor market.
We Social Democrats will actively work on that. We will cooperate with the government when we feel we have grounds for it. But we will also put pressure on the government so that the implementation goes as well as it possibly can.
Our greatest possible goal is that the reform becomes as good as intended. It is a matter of us continuing to expand it so that it becomes fully expanded in a number of years so that very many people will be able to take part in the support for a long time to come.
Our ambition is high regarding how many people should be able to participate in the support. But there must also be relevant educational places and enough educational places throughout the entire higher education system, at universities of applied sciences, vocational secondary schools and so on throughout the entire educational chain.
We will probably debate that further several more times. It concerns how we ensure that there are places and resources in both CSN as well as with decision-making authorities, but also in the entire school system.
It is of the utmost importance. We Social Democrats are the ultimate guarantor for and stand up for that all people should be able to educate themselves and be able to transition. We have shown this historically in budgets, and we will continue to show it here in the chamber.
I hope that the government continues to monitor this issue and continues to have high ambitions when it comes to the transition study support.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Niklas Sigvardsson, for an excellent debate! I look forward to being able to work together on this reform and make it as good as is possible. It is a matter of ensuring that we make the best of the opportunity we now have to achieve a good transition study support.
I also look forward to us, together with the parties, being able to have a broad discussion on how we can improve it and ensure that the model becomes as good as it is possible. I look forward to a continued discussion. A big thank you for a good debate!
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.