What workers in Norway need to know about the 'fagbrev' certificate
fagbrev
The
fagbrev
is a Norwegian trade certificate awarded to those who have completed vocational training through a mix of practical work and education. It is called a craft certificate, or a journeyman's certificate in English.
Someone who holds a
fagbrev
is considered a certified skilled worker, or
fagarbeider
in Norwegian.
For Norwegians, a
fagbrev
is typically obtained after completing two years of vocational education at the upper secondary level and then a two-year apprenticeship. After they've completed these steps, they'll have to pass a final trade examination.
A
fagbrev
can be awarded for trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, health care, and much more.
How can foreigners get a
fagbrev
?
For foreign workers in Norway, the two plus two route probably isn't a realistic prospect, given that they're already trained once to carry out their profession.
Workers from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland or Sweden are able to get their vocational training verified by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills.
Recognition is available for everything from butchery to bricklaying. You can see the full list of approved training
here
.
There are several options for those without the option of getting their vocation approved. Firstly, it might be worth trying to contact NOKUT to see if you can have your qualifications approved in Norway.
READ ALSO:
How to get your qualifications recognised when you move to Norway
Advertisement
Meanwhile, if you have five years of experience, you could become a
fagbrev
candidate. You'll need to document your experience and take a few tests. The tests include a theory test and a practical test.
You must have Norwegian skills at around the B1/B2 levels (considered semi-fluent) to pass the exam and understand the paperwork.
Should you go through this process successfully, you will receive a
fagbrev
without retraining or studying in Norway, although some revision and practice will be needed for the exams.
Another route is the
fagbrev på jobb
path. This sees people work full time and gradually gain their
fagbrev
through supervised training at work. This will take between one and three years, but it allows employees to continue to earn full pay while working to gain the certification.
Why would I need the
fagbrev
?
Essentially, it'll improve your career opportunities and you can, generally, expect better pay after obtaining a
fagbrev.
When it comes to pay, there's no law saying that those with a
fagbrev
are entitled to better pay. However, companies will pay those with a
fagbrev
more, because it's a mark of skill and experience.
Firms also pay out more because in certain sectors only employees with a
fagbrev
can work independently, making you more attractive to companies.
Furthermore, those covered by a collective bargaining agreement will typically get a pay boost after obtaining a
fagbrev
. This is because they will be entitled to
fagarbeiderlønn
(skilled worker pay) through the union agreement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Norway
4 days ago
- Local Norway
Norway's Airbnb boom shows no signs of abating
According to recent figures from the analytics firm Capia, the number of homes listed on Airbnb in Norway more than doubled between June 2022 and June 2025, soaring from 58,737 to 122,628. The company also found that income had nearly tripled over the same period, rising from 1.5 billion kroner to 4.1 billion kroner, reflecting the platform's growing appeal for both landlords and tourists. Figures released on Thursday by the Norwegian Tax Administration paint a similar picture. In 2024, rental intermediaries such as Airbnb, but also including cabin rental agencies, and others, reported 13.3 billion in income, an increase of 20 percent on the previous year. Northern Norway and the Lofoten Islands are particularly affected, with the number of room nights rented out in Northern Norway nearly doubling from 804,483 in 2022 to 1,656,887 in 2024. Advertisement Young people with summer jobs in Northern Norway have reported that it is impossible to find a place to live as all available accommodation is already rented out to tourists. Bergen is also badly hit, with 5,724 rental units available for rent on Airbnb over the last six months, up from just 2,806 back in 2022. Norwegians are increasingly raising objections to the number of Airbnb rentals in popular areas, with a recent self-selecting, unscientific poll on NRK's website finding that 63 percent of respondents favoured stricter rules on Airbnb. Norway's parliament voted through a law in June which will allow municipalities struggling with overtourism to levy a 3 percent tax on Airbnb stays (and also on hotel and hostel stays). 'There's political will across party lines in Bergen to address this,' Bergen City Development Councilor Eivind Nævdal-Bolstad told NRK. 'The sharing economy should work for everyone - not just investors and tourists." "There is nothing wrong," he said, "with ordinary Bergen residents renting out their homes when they are away for a few days on vacation or a work trip. The problem is that Airbnb and other rental platforms are being abused by players who buy up entire neighborhoods to practically operate as hotels."
Local Norway
6 days ago
- Local Norway
Early voting, electronic tags and bigamy: What changes in Norway in August 2025
Although most people will be back at work by the start of August, not everyone will be, so expect the first few weeks to still be slower than usual with the country only hitting its normal pace once children are back in school on the 18th. Election campaign kicks off The final spurt of the campaign will begin in earnest when politicians from all parties descend on the city of Arendal for the Arendalsuke political festival on Monday August 11th. The big event of the festival will be the party leader debate hosted by Norwegian broadcaster NRK on the first day. There will also be a speech by Norway's finance minister Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday August 13th. Early voting begins From August 11th, those who are eligible to take part in Norway's general election can vote ahead of time at polling stations in every municipality in the country. You can find your nearest polling station and when it is open on the election authority's website here . All you need to bring is identification, which can be a passport, national ID card, driver's licenses (including digital ones), or a bank card with a photo. Advertisement Fellesferie 'industrial' holiday comes to an end Norway's official industrial holiday, the so-called fellesferie or "joint holiday" takes place this year between July 7th and July 25th. From the start of August, the emails will once again start to pile up in your inbox, and you'll find more and more meetings scheduled each week. This will also mean that the big cities will once again feel a bit busier as people return to their daily commutes. Back to school Children return to school in most municipalities in Norway, including Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim, on Monday, August 18th. There will then be a short short autumn break between September 29th and October 3rd, with Christmas holidays starting on December 22nd. Interest rate decision Norway's public bank is expected to make a new interest decision on August 14th, following the surprise cut in the interest rate it announced in June. The current consensus is that the bank will keep its interest rate steady at 4.25 percent with only one out of 24 analysts polled by Reuters expecting a further cut to 4.0 percent at the bank's August meeting. Øyafestivalen (Oslo) Øyafestivalen is Oslo's biggest musical festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary last year. This year's festival, held from August 6th to August 9th, is headlined by some of the hottest artists today, such as Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Queens of the Stone Age, girl in red, and Kneecap. There are several available ticket options. The weekly pass, which gives you access to the festival in Tøyen Park from Wednesday to Sunday, are already sold out at the time of publication, as are day passes for Wednesday and Thursday. Weekend passes and day passes for Friday and Saturday were still available. Will Norway escape Trump tariffs? US President Donald Trump on July 7th sent letters to EU countries warning them that a blanket tariff of 30 percent would be applied to their exports to the US, starting on August 1st. Norway received no such letter. "There will be no further increase in tariff rates before this deadline," Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth said. She admitted, however, that the situation was unclear, so it remains to be seen whether Norway will stay out of the firing line. Advertisement Majorstuen and Nationaltheatret stations remain closed The Majorstuen and Nationaltheatret stations on the Oslo Metro will remain completely shut down until August 10th at the earliest, as the system undergoes its biggest upgrade since the 1970s. Throughout the summer, Line 2 will only be running between Østerås and Borgen and between the Stortinget and Ellingsrudåsen, while Line 3 will only run between Kolsås and Borgen and between the Stortinget and Mortensrud. There will be a replacement bus, 2B, shuttling passengers between Borgen and Majorstuen every three minutes throughout this period. Read our guide to the disruption here . Teachers given new powers to stop bullying New rules come into force in August empowering school staff to intervene physically to prevent students from psychologically abusing others, or significantly disrupting the education of other students. This abuse could include, for example, threatening behavior, swearing, derogatory comments or filming. Changed sick leave rules for upper secondary students The rules on sick leave for children at upper secondary school will also be brought in line with the rules on sick leave in the work place. Students will be allowed report themselves sick for up to ten percent of the hours in each subject, after which they will need a sick note from a health professional. New rules allowing criminals to be sentenced to 'ankle bracelets' From August 1st, new laws come into force giving courts the power to order criminals to serve their sentences outside prison while being monitored electronically with electronic tags or ankle bracelets. Advertisement Bigamy restrictions on family reunification Parents and siblings will have their right to family reunification with children who have been granted asylum or collective protection in Norway limited if immigration officials judge that issuing a residence permit would lead to the practice of bigamy in Norway. The new rules, which come into force on August 1st, will also mean that the applicant cannot be either married or planning to live with the child's other parent if the latter already has a residence permit in Norway. In such cases, the applicant must apply for family reunification as a spouse or cohabitant.
Local Norway
10-07-2025
- Local Norway
Coffee... chocolate: Norway continues to see steep rise in price of food items
Food prices in Norway increased by 1.4 percent from May to June, according to the SSB. "Food prices rose in the last month, but more slowly compared to last year, " Camilla Rochlenge, senior advisor at Statistics Norway, said. Despite the slower monthly increase, food prices were still 4.4 percent higher in June than they had been a year earlier. Items such as chocolate and coffee have seen especially sharp increases, with prices up 22 percent and 20.4 percent, respectively, over the past year. Eggs and beef products also contributed significantly to the annual rise. Not all food items became more expensive, however. Ice cream prices dropped by 2.1 percent from May to June, though they remain 1.7 percent higher than in June 2024. Advertisement READ ALSO: Three reasons why food prices in Norway are so high In April a report from the Norwegian Competition Authority pointed to three potential factors to explain why food prices in Norway continued to shoot up. The report outlined that weak competition in the grocery sector meant that supermarkets could charge more than they otherwise would. According to the report, Norwegians bought around 95 percent of their food from one of the three major chains – meaning Coop, Rema and Norgesgruppen have almost the entire market to themselves. Furthermore, the process to import foods that aren't subject to tariffs was difficult, according to the watchdog. This makes it difficult to bring cheap food into Norway. It also favours the larger chains that have far more staff available to deal with the red tape. Meanwhile, new entrants to the grocery market are effectively blocked from being able to find suitable premises. The big chains have used negative easements, which set limits on what a property can be used for, in order to block off potential locations for competitors. Despite this practice no longer being allowed, the Norwegian Competition Authority reported that the biggest chains seemed to have found a way around the ban.
