Rules for contract education

Responsible unit: Office of the President

Contact person: Ulf Nyman

(The document has been reviewed 2024)

Introduction

This document describes the rules for contract education at Stockholm University and constitutes the guidelines that each higher education institution must establish for its contract education in accordance with current regulations. The rules are formulated in accordance with the national provisions on contract education contained in the Ordinance on contract education at higher education institutions (2002:760) and in the Swedish Council for Higher Education's (UHR) regulations on contract education at universities and university colleges (UHRFS 2013:11), as well as the positions taken by the Swedish Higher Education Authority in its role as supervisory authority.

The national rules contained in the above-mentioned ordinance and regulations are referred to in the following as the Contract Education Ordinance and the UHR Regulations. The other rules in this document are local and are those decided by the President.

The purpose of the document is to ensure the correct management of contract education and to serve as support for the departments that provide such education.

For the purposes of this document, ‘department’ also refers to centres and institutes at the corresponding level within the university, and ‘head of department’ also refers to the corresponding head/manager. The rules apply to all contract education and throughout the organisation.

At Stockholm University each science area board is responsible for the education within its faculty/faculties, unless otherwise prescribed. See also the Decision and Delegation Procedures for Stockholm University

Purpose of contract education

According to the Higher Education Act (1992:1434), one of the missions of higher education institutions is to promote lifelong learning in their activities. The labour market also sends clear signals that higher education institutions are expected to be a part of this. Stockholm University considers it to be a natural part of its activities to provide not only basic education, but also education primarily intended as skills enhancement or continuing professional development.

The nature of the university's regular range and forms of courses and programmes is such that they are not always suitable for the skills enhancement or continuing professional development that is in demand at shorter notice. Contract education can offer greater flexibility in terms of content and form, and can be tailored to the needs of the contracting entity. As such, it can serve as a valuable complement to the university's regular education. Stockholm University's view is that contract education can therefore be said to lie in the borderland between the regular education of the higher education institutions and the mission to collaborate with the surrounding community.

Contract education at Stockholm University is aimed at state and municipal authorities, regions, companies and organisations. The university shall endeavour to establish long-term relationships with contracting entities and potential clients of contract education. In dialogue with the contracting entity, the university shall design courses based on the client's specific needs.

Contract education shall be characterised by the same high quality as that of regular education, and shall be seen as a complement to this.

Definitions and principles

According to Section 2 of the Contract Education Ordinance, the term contract education refers to programmes of study that are arranged for a fee to be paid by some entity (legal person) other than a natural person for those whom it selects to study.

The requirement that the contracting entity be a legal person means that the entity must be an organisation, e.g. a company, an association or an authority (state, municipal or regional). A natural person may under no circumstances pay for their own education. Sole traders (sole proprietorships) are also not allowed to purchase contract education.

Section 3 of the Contract Education Ordinance states that a higher education institution may offer contract education only if it is related to the kind of first or second-cycle programmes for which it is entitled to award a degree.

Section 3 of the Contract Education Ordinance also states what type of education contract education shall be:

• If the contracting entity is the Swedish state or a Swedish local authority agency, region or a corresponding public entity from another country in the EEA, the contract must concern training for personnel, or training required for labour market or development assistance policy reasons. The contract may concern training for individuals who are not employed by the contracting entity if, due to a decision by the Government, the training will be offered on behalf of the Swedish state for a specific category of individuals.
• When the contract is not placed by a public entity, the contract must
  concern personnel training that is intended to be important for the
  participants’ work for the contracting entity, or training required for the
  labour market.
• If the contracting entity is a public entity outside of the EEA, the contract does not have to concern training of personnel or training required for labour market or development assistance policy reasons.
  

In practice, this may relate to existing courses or programmes as well as education that are created on behalf of a client and do not directly correspond to any existing course or programme.

Responsibility and implementation

Responsibility

According to Section 4 of the Contract Education Ordinance, contract education may not be offered in such a way or to such an extent that it has a negative impact on the first and second-cycle education to be provided by the higher education institution.

According to Section 2 of the UHR Regulations, joint teaching of participants in contract education and students in the regular courses and programmes is permitted, provided that the regular education is not adversely affected.

Responsibility for contract education at Stockholm University rests with the department, and the department is thus responsible for the content, pedagogical structure and implementation, as well as for the financial follow-up of contract education. The department is also responsible for quality assurance of the contract education.

All credit-bearing contract education provided at the university must be conducted under the auspices of the department itself, and it is thus not permitted to enter into an agreement with and allow an external educational organisation to conduct contract education in close collaboration with the department. Contract education can be conducted in collaboration between departments.

The university shall primarily provide relevant expertise in the subject areas required to provide the contract education. In certain cases, the university may acquire supplementary expertise through agreements with other authorities or organisations. Such agreements and arrangements shall be signed between Stockholm University and the party providing the expertise, without involving the entity ordering the contract education.

Syllabi and curricula

Section 4 of the UHR Regulations states that there must always be a syllabus and, where applicable, a curriculum, and that an examiner must be appointed in the case of credit-bearing courses.

At Stockholm University, the establishment of a syllabus and curriculum and the appointment of an examiner shall comply with the regulations and local rules that apply to regular higher education. The syllabus and curriculum should also be appended to contract education agreements.

The syllabus shall clearly state that the course or programme is contract education, and the name of the course/programme shall also contain information indicating that it is contract education. The courses must be labelled with a specific form of funding in the education database so as not to be generate compensation in the form of full-time equivalents and annual performance equivalents.

Secondary employment

At Stockholm University, employees who participate in the university's contract education must do so within the framework of their employment. A teacher should not work exclusively with contract education.

Educational activities that teachers carry out for another education provider are to be regarded as secondary employment, in which case the rules for secondary employment apply.

Full coverage of costs

According to Section 5 of the Contract Education Ordinance, the Ordinance on Fees (1992:191) must be applied to contract education, and higher education institutions must set the fees at a level that ensures full coverage of costs.

According to the model for full cost accounting, all costs for the education must be included, such as salaries and fees for the course coordinator and administrative staff, catering, travel costs, technical support, marketing, course materials, consumables, premises costs and surcharges for indirect costs.

Full coverage of costs means that direct government funding may not be used to finance contract education, and that any surplus from contract education may not be used for activities that are direct government-funded.

At Stockholm University, the departments are responsible for ensuring that income from contract education covers costs. Full coverage of costs for contract education can be calculated using the university's centrally developed project budget template.

Agreements

According to Section 1 of the UHR Regulations, written agreements must be signed for all contract education.

At Stockholm University, decisions on contract education are made by the head of department. An exception to this is agreements exceeding SEK 500,000. These must be signed by the head of department and then approved by the President.

The agreements should be as comprehensive and unambiguous as possible. The agreement must specify, among other things, the contracting entity and the client, and which department is responsible for the education programme. In addition, the agreement must contain the clauses necessary for the education to be carried out in accordance with the applicable regulations and guidelines.

Before entering into an agreement with a contracting entity, the department shall ensure that the fee for the education will not be paid by a natural person.

The contracting entity and the party paying for the education do not necessarily have to be the same. It is possible to contract and plan an education with, for example, a trade organisation that pays for the education, while it is the individual member companies that select participants. Separate agreements should be signed with these contracting entities in relevant parts (e.g. what prior knowledge the participants should have) and the agreement must specify that the fee for the assignment is paid by another legal person under a separate agreement.

Agreements can also be signed with multiple contracting entities for the same education.

In the agreement with the contracting entity, Stockholm University shall reserve the right to appoint an examiner for credit-bearing courses.

Notification

According to Section 4 of the Contract Education Ordinance, the Swedish Higher Education Authority must be notified in writing when a higher education institution arranges contract education comprising studies that correspond to more than 60 credits.

According to Section 3 of the UHR Regulations, this must be done when the written agreement is signed by the parties, and a copy of the agreement must be attached to the notification.

At Stockholm University, the department is responsible for ensuring that this is done.

Diplomas and course certificates

According to Section 6 of the Contract Education Ordinance, participants in contract education may be given grades and diplomas or course certificates pursuant to the regulations for first and second-cycle higher education if the same quality requirements apply to the contract education as to the corresponding course or programme of study in higher education. This applies even if the participants lack the entry requirements for higher education. If a course certificate is issued, it must state that the course was completed as contract education.

According to Section 4 of the UHR Regulations, the same quality requirements mean that the university has syllabi and curricula and appoints examiners in the same way as in higher education at these levels.

Participants

According to Chapter 1, Section 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), the term
“student” refers to a person who has been admitted to and is undertaking higher education. Participants in contract education are therefore not formally students at the university, and the provisions of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) and the Higher Education Ordinance are therefore not directly applicable to this education unless specifically stipulated. Among other things, this means that the participant is not covered by the rules regarding disciplinary measures, the mandatory personal injury insurance or the right to an email account at the university.

At Stockholm University, information about participants who have been accepted into credit-bearing contract education at any department shall be documented in the Ladok
study documentation system in accordance with instructions issued by Student Services in special order.

For non-credit-bearing contract education, the department shall draw up and archive a list of participants.

Credit transfer of contract education

According to Section 7 of the Contract Education Ordinance, anyone who has completed and passed a contract education programme that meets the quality requirements for a diploma and course certificate are entitled to recognition of their credits in first and second-cycle higher education.

However, in accordance with Chapter 6, Sections 6–8 of the Higher Education Ordinance, in order to for credits to be transferred at Stockholm University, the participant must be a student, i.e. admitted to and pursuing higher education at the university.

Admission to a regular higher education programme

When applying for admission to regular studies at Stockholm University, students who have completed a credit-bearing contract education programme must also meet both the general and the specific entry requirements in accordance with the ordinary rules that apply to admission to first and second-cycle higher education.

However, completed contract education can be used as equivalent to other education to prove that both general and specific qualifications have been met.

Marketing

The university logo may be used for contract education. Use of the Stockholm University logo must comply with the university's rules for visual identity, which are specified in the university's visual identity manual. In cases where contract education is organised in collaboration with other universities and university colleges in Sweden, it must be clearly stated which parts Stockholm University is responsible for.

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