Startpage for Swedish National Agency for Higher Education

 
 

2005:5 R

Which higher education institutions have separate companies that offer commissioned courses

On a number of occasions the Riksdag and the government have stressed how important it is for each higher education institution to keep track of commissioned courses and to ensure that they are dealt with in a uniform manner. The institutions are expected to be able to manage and develop their commissioned courses more effectively. At the same time the surrounding community can be offered natural access to the commissioned courses offered.

There are several ways of keeping track of commissioned courses and ensuring the consistency of how they are organised. One method is to allow any holding companies the higher education institutions may have established to set up subsidiary companies that can offer commissioned courses, separate educational providers.

This memorandum provides a survey of the higher education institutions that make use of separate companies to provide commissioned courses. The information comes from the responses of the higher education institutions to a questionnaire and oral information collected in the context of the National Agency´s project on the ways in which higher education institutions cooperate with the surrounding community (National Agency for Higher Education Report 2004:38 R). Material has also been acquired from the web-sites of the higher education institutions and the companies established to provide commissioned courses as well as through direct contact with representatives of these companies. This analysis reveals that Lund University, Stockholm University and the Karolinska Institute have companies linked to them that are actively involved in the provision of commissioned courses. These three companies are well established and appear to operate in compliance with the regulations and the government´s intentions.

Swedish National Agency for Higher Education  Visting address: Luntmakargatan 13  Box 7851, 103 99 Stockholm
Phone: 08-563 085 00  Fax: 08-563 085 50  Email: hsv@hsv.se