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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Norway

Norway

8. Creativity and Culture

8.5 Developing cultural and creative competences

Last update: 28 November 2023
On this page
  1. Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training
  2. Specialised training for professionals in the education, culture and youth fields
  3. Providing quality access to creative environments

Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training

Creative competencies are fundamental elements described in the Norwegian core curriculum and are as such integrated in all subjects.

Art, Crafts and Music are compulsory subjects in primary education. At secondary school level cultural and creative subjects are offered as electives. Dance is included as a compulsory part of physical education and drama is integrated in the Norwegian language subject. Moreover, aesthetics is often included in interdisciplinary work.

In upper secondary education, the following specialised programmes are offered in General Studies:

  • Music, Dance and Drama

  • Art, Design and Architecture

  • Media and Communication

The following are offered as Vocational Education Programmes:

  • Design and craftsmanship

  • Media production

For more on attaining cultural and creative competences in formal education, see Youth Wiki on Education and Training Chapter 6.7 Skills for innovation.

Specialised training for professionals in the education, culture and youth fields

A vocational teacher aquires cutting-edge expertise in a subject or subject area such as music, design, sports or another school subject. The vocational teacher education is a 3-year bachelor's education. In addition to general study competence, there are requirements for certain subjects to pass an entrance examination in the teaching subject.

The vocational teacher education includes the specialization opportunities:

  • design, arts and crafts
  • physical education and sports
  • music, dance and drama
  • practical and aesthetic subjects

The education qualifies for work in the subject in the primary and lower secondary school (for some subjects also in the primary school level), in upper secondary education, in various types of adult education and in the municipal schools of music and the arts.

Providing quality access to creative environments

The Norwegian Youth Festivals of Art [Ung Kultur Møtes – UKM] arranges 400 local and 19 regional festivals every year all over Norway where young artists between the ages of 13 and 20 can perform and express their artistic vision. During the festivals, participants also attend workshops, where they can explore their interests and be inspired by the works of other artists. UKM is open to all artistic genres and methods of cultural expression like music, dance, theatre, circus, video, visual and digital art, photography, stage-technicians and journalists. The management system of the UKM is made up of a network that consists of municipalities, county councils, and UKM Norway which is an independent body funded by the Ministry of Culture.