Most schools have contact with the business community. But contact is not collaboration. Real cooperation between schools and companies requires clear roles, shared goals and persistence. When it works, students get better internships, companies get better candidates and schools get better education.
School–industry collaboration is the systematic partnership where schools and companies jointly plan, implement and develop workplace-based learning and other connections between education and working life. It's not just about finding internship placements but about creating a structure that holds over time.
Why "finding placements" is not enough#
Skolverket's evaluations show that APL quality often falls short – not because students are poorly prepared, but because the collaboration between school and workplace is too thin. Common symptoms:
- the school reaches out once per term, the rest is silence
- the company doesn't know what the student should learn
- the supervisor isn't aware of the education plan
- matching happens randomly
- no joint evaluation
The result: students get uneven quality, companies lose interest and the teacher burns out as the sole coordinator.
What good collaboration looks like#
Good collaboration is built on four pillars:
1. Shared vision#
The school and the company need to understand each other's needs. The school wants the student to reach the learning objectives. The company wants to see competent workers in the long run. Both need to articulate this together.
2. Clear role distribution#
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| School APL coordinator | Matching, agreements, supervisor training, follow-up |
| Teacher | Pedagogical connection, assessment, student support |
| Supervisor | Daily guidance, work tasks, feedback |
| Student | Own learning, journal, communication |
| Principal / management | Resources, strategic support, quality assurance |
3. Continuous contact#
Good collaboration is about ongoing dialogue, not just contact at internship start. This can be:
- term meetings with supervisors
- workplace visits during the internship
- joint evaluation after the period
- industry councils or program advisory boards
4. Joint development#
The best partnerships evolve. School and company adjust together: new tasks, better matching, adapted schedules.
Strategies for building long-term relationships#
Identify key companies#
Not all companies are equally important. Focus on:
- companies that want to host interns regularly
- workplaces with engaged supervisors
- industries with recruitment needs
- local anchors: hospitals, the municipality, large employers
Start with a meeting, not an email#
Personal contact builds trust. Visit the workplace, present the education and ask what the company needs.
Make it easy to say yes#
Many companies want to help but are put off by complexity. Offer:
- clear information about what the internship involves
- a simple agreement
- support throughout the period
- flexibility in dates and scope
Create a program advisory board#
A program advisory board with 5–10 local companies meeting 2–3 times per year provides:
- insight into the industry's skills needs
- feedback on the education's relevance
- anchoring when changes are made to the program
- stronger shared identity
Value the companies' contribution#
Supervising an intern costs time and energy. Show that you appreciate it:
- thank them after the period
- share success stories
- invite supervisors to school events
- highlight the companies in communications (newsletter, website)
Obstacles and how to work around them#
Person-dependent collaboration If the relationship rests on a single teacher, it disappears when they leave. Solution: document contacts and agreements centrally, involve several people in coordination.
Companies that stop responding It happens. Don't send more emails – call. Ask what's needed for the collaboration to work. Sometimes it's bad timing rather than disinterest.
No resources for coordination APL coordination requires time. If the school doesn't allocate resources, quality will decline. The argument to management: collaboration is not extra – it's a prerequisite for the education.
Geographic distances In rural areas, the supply of internship placements is limited. Digital tools, regional collaboration between schools and creative solutions like remote internships (where feasible) can help.
How Prakto can help#
A digital internship platform like Prakto can serve as the hub for collaboration: matching students with companies, shared communication, agreements, check-ins and evaluations in one place. This makes it easier to build systematic collaboration instead of ad hoc contacts.
Frequently asked questions about school–industry collaboration#
Does the school need to collaborate with the business community?#
For upper secondary vocational education, APL is mandatory and that requires collaboration. Skolverket recommends program advisory boards. For higher vocational education (YH), industry representation is a requirement.
How large do the companies need to be?#
All sizes work. Small companies can be excellent internship placements – but the school needs more of them and the support needs to be clearer.
How often should the school be in contact with companies?#
Before, during and after each internship period. Plus once per term through advisory boards or similar forums.
Who initiates collaboration – the school or the company?#
In most cases, the school. But the best relationships emerge when companies also actively seek out schools.
How do you handle companies that don't meet quality requirements?#
Dialogue first. If things don't improve, change the placement. Document – patterns become more visible with data.
Conclusion#
School–industry collaboration is not a project with a start and end. It's an ongoing partnership that requires time, clarity and willingness from both parties. Schools that invest in relationships with local companies don't just get better internship placements – they get an education that's relevant for the labor market their students will enter.
Sources#
- Skolverket – general guidance on APL and program advisory boards
- Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education – requirements for industry collaboration in YH
- Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) – school–work collaboration
- Swedish Schools Inspectorate – quality review of APL
