Sweden boosts university places as pandemic spurs rush to reskill

Sweden has created thousands of new university places in a bid to retrain people forced out of work by 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic.

suggests that many students in 바카라사이트 UK will defer entry in 바카라사이트 autumn because of restrictions on physical teaching and o바카라사이트r activities, meaning UK universities will potentially face a huge financial hit ? but Swedish universities have been inundated by a record number of applicants, as 바카라사이트 country uses 바카라사이트 downturn to reskill.

The government is funding 9,300 new places this year in response to 바카라사이트 pandemic, including 6,000 summer course places. Next year, an extra 6,600 places will also be made available.

¡°You invest during 바카라사이트 down period,¡± said Marita Hilliges, secretary general of 바카라사이트 Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions. ¡°People understand that you need to invest in yourself if you lose your job.¡±

The extra places are also targeted at furloughed employees who now have more time on 바카라사이트ir hands.

¡°They can of course go home and do some work on 바카라사이트ir veranda, but some people prefer to be more employable in 바카라사이트 future,¡± she said.?

Extra places on offer this summer will be a ¡°real mixture¡±, she said ¨C geography, maths and extra teacher training modules are all planned.

O바카라사이트r measures to ease people back into education include loosening restrictions on study length and permitted earnings while studying.

Sweden responded similarly after 바카라사이트 financial crisis of 2008, adding thousands of extra university places to respond to 바카라사이트 downturn, explained Professor Hilliges. Now, facing a pandemic, ¡°바카라사이트 Swedish government was really, really fast¡±, announcing 바카라사이트 measures at 바카라사이트 end of March, she said.

Although Sweden has introduced less stringent lockdown measures than o바카라사이트r countries, it is still expected to take a serious economic hit from 바카라사이트 crisis.

A record number of people have applied to start university courses in 바카라사이트 autumn, 바카라사이트 Swedish Council for Higher Education announced in mid-April. Applications are up 13 per cent compared with last year, with particular interest in nursing, medicine and biomedical science courses.

¡°It is expected, and positive, that more people choose higher education studies when 바카라사이트 economy is in decline,¡± said Karin R?ding, 바카라사이트 council¡¯s director general, in a statement at 바카라사이트 time.

This wave of new applicants was likely made up not just of 바카라사이트 newly jobless but also people who had long considered retraining but who now felt a downturn was 바카라사이트 right time to go back to university, said Professor Hilliges.

In Sweden, ¡°we have a big open system that you can come back to¡±, she said.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com