During 2025 and 2026, a clear trend has emerged in Swedish education: municipalities are investing in digital systems to manage the internship process. From matching and agreements to follow-up and evaluation – the manual email and spreadsheet work is being replaced step by step by specialized platforms.
Digital internship management means schools use digital tools to match students with workplaces, handle agreements, follow up on the internship period and collect evaluations. It reduces administration, improves quality and makes the process more transparent.
Why now?#
Several factors are driving the development:
Increased quality requirements#
Skolverket's and the Schools Inspectorate's focus on APL quality forces schools to document more. It's unsustainable to do this manually when a school manages hundreds of placements.
Teacher shortage#
APL coordinators and teachers don't have time to call, email and track things in spreadsheets. Digital tools free up time for pedagogical work.
The pandemic's digitalization effect#
Covid-19 forced schools to digitalize rapidly. Attitudes toward digital tools changed – and internship management is the next area being modernized.
Success stories#
Municipalities that early implemented digital internship tools report:
- shorter time for matching
- better supervisor overview
- fewer internship interruptions
- easier follow-up during conflicts
It's spreading.
What municipalities are buying#
Most solutions cover:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Matching | Connecting students with workplaces based on program, location and capacity |
| Agreement management | Digital internship agreements with signature and archiving |
| Follow-up | Check-ins, journals and supervisor assessments |
| Evaluation | Structured evaluations from student, supervisor and teacher |
| Overview | Dashboard for coordinators with status per student |
| Integration | Connection to school platforms or learning management systems |
Which municipalities lead the development?#
Without naming specific vendors, patterns are visible:
- Major city municipalities drive development through large procurements
- Mid-size municipalities follow when proven solutions exist
- Smaller municipalities collaborate in regional clusters to share costs
SKR (Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions) has highlighted digital internship management as a development area in its recommendations to members.
Challenges remain#
Fragmented market: There are many small players and no national standard. Schools in the same municipality may use different systems.
Integration problems: Internship tools need to work with existing school systems. They don't always.
Company adoption: Digital tools only work if companies also use them. Getting all workplaces to log into yet another system is a challenge.
Cost: Smaller municipalities have limited budgets. License costs can be a barrier.
What it means for schools#
Schools not already exploring digital alternatives risk falling behind. Municipalities investing now are building infrastructure that:
- makes the APL coordinator's job manageable
- gives principals and management data for quality decisions
- makes it easier to meet Skolverket's documentation requirements
What it means for companies#
Companies can expect more schools to contact them via digital platforms. This means:
- easier to register interest as a host workplace
- clearer information about which students are looking
- digital agreements and follow-up instead of email
Frequently asked questions#
Must all schools use digital internship tools?#
No, there's no legal requirement. But with increased documentation demands, it becomes difficult to manage the process manually.
Does it cost companies anything?#
In most models, the school or municipality pays. The company gets access to the platform at no cost.
Can digital tools replace personal contact?#
No, and that's not the intention. The tools streamline administration so teachers and supervisors can focus on the human side: guidance, feedback and relationships.
How do we choose the right tool?#
Start by mapping your needs: how many interns, which programs, which functions are you missing today? Then compare 2–3 providers and request demos.
Conclusion#
Digital internship management is no longer a future vision – it's an ongoing change. Municipalities investing now get better quality, happier teachers and an internship process that meets future requirements. Those that wait risk building a technical debt that's hard to recover from.
Sources#
- SKR – digitalization in schools, recommendations 2025
- Skolverket – documentation requirements for APL
- Swedish National Agency for Public Procurement – procurement statistics in the education sector
