On 1 October 1996 the number of apprentices totalled almost 28,000, 41 per cent more compared to 1995. The biggest increase was seen in Sør-Trøndelag, Hedmark and Troms counties. In proportion to population Telemark, Vest-Agder and Rogaland counties had the most apprentices, while Finnmark county and Oslo had the fewest.
In the autumn of 1996 36 per cent of apprentices were under 20 years of age, compared to only 21 per cent the year before. The increase was the highest among 18-year-olds, who are the first to enter into apprenticeship contracts under the 1994 reformation of Norway's educational system.
Nearly 13,000 new apprenticeship contracts were approved in the period from 1 October 1995 to 30 September 1996, an increase of 22 per cent from the year before. The biggest increases were in Hordaland, Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag counties, with respectively 78, 63 and 59 per cent. On the other hand Finnmark and Sogn og Fjordane counties had respectively 35 and 14 per cent fewer new approved apprentice contracts in 1996.
Weekly Bulletin issue no. 24, 1997