If you are outside both education and work, oppfølgingstjenesten (OT), the follow-up service, can help you move forward. The service is free. It supports its target group until the end of the year they turn 24. Contact your local OT to clarify your entitlement and agree on the next step.
Who can get help from OT?
OT must support people entitled to upper secondary education under opplæringslova § 5-1, the Education Act, who are outside both education and work. The scheme covers you until the end of the calendar year you turn 24. It therefore does not end on your birthday itself.
Entitlement to upper secondary education is based on completing compulsory schooling or equivalent education. It may also apply if you completed upper secondary education in another country but it is not recognised as a higher-education entrance qualification or vocational qualification in Norway. You must be likely to stay in Norway for more than three consecutive months.
If you went to school abroad, ask the county authority to clarify the documentation and whether your education is equivalent to Norwegian compulsory schooling. Do not delay your first contact because your papers are unclear. This does not mean your entitlement has already been decided. See opplæringslova §§ 5-1 and 9-4 on Lovdata, which publishes legislation, and the rules on equivalent education.
The rules were checked as of 7 October 2026. If you are outside the target group, ask the county authority which guidance service or adult education provider you can contact.
How do you make contact?
You can contact OT directly where you live. You do not need to wait for the service to contact you first.
Utdanning.no has a directory of OT services in the counties. A school adviser, PP-tjenesten or Nav can also help you make contact. PP-tjenesten is the educational and psychological service, which helps adapt education to students' needs, among other tasks.
You can say: «I am outside education and work and would like help with my next steps. Who can I speak to, and when can we have a conversation?» This is a suggested message, not an official form.
Explain how you can be contacted. Ask which channel to use if you need to send documents. Request a simple explanation if you do not understand the reply.
Why has OT sent you a message?
OT must keep an overview of its target group, provide written information about rights and establish contact with each person. A letter or SMS may therefore be the start of follow-up.
Utdanningsdirektoratet (Udir), the government agency for schools and education, explains that sending one message without following up is insufficient if the young person does not reply. See Udir's commentary on opplæringsforskrifta § 8-3, the education regulations.
If you already have a place in education or a job, tell the service so the information can be clarified. Akershus fylkeskommune, the county authority, asks incorrect recipients to contact OT. Do not assume a message means you have done something wrong.
What should you discuss at the first meeting?
Explain what you want to achieve, what you have done before and what makes your next step difficult. You do not need to have chosen a particular occupation before asking for guidance.
You can make some short notes before the conversation:
- Which school or education programme you attended.
- Subjects you have completed and any you still need.
- Work experience and interests.
- What help you need to participate.
Ask the adviser to help sort out what you can do together now and what other services need to contribute. These are preparation suggestions, not a list of mandatory attachments.
| Discuss this | Questions you can ask |
|---|---|
| Goals | Which options fit my educational background and wishes? |
| Offers | Who will look into school, training or activities? |
| Practical needs | What do I need to attend and participate? |
| Further contact | Who will support me, and when will we speak again? |
Trøndelag fylkeskommune, the county authority, describes guidance conversations tailored to your needs. Ask for clear agreement on what you have decided together.
Which options can you explore?
OT must ensure that its target group is offered upper secondary education, other measures that build skills or work. OT must also connect people with offers and coordinate them. This follows from opplæringslova § 9-4.
An offer may combine education and activities. The aim is to build skills that help you progress towards education or work. Ask what the education is intended to lead to and how your learning will be documented.
Offers are organised locally. Oslo kommune, Oslo's municipality, describes help with work, courses and school places. This does not mean everyone receives exactly the same course or a particular job.
If you do not have an apprenticeship place after Vg2, the second year of upper secondary education, SamfunnPrep has a separate guide to alternative Vg3 without an apprenticeship place. Ask OT and the county authority to clarify which offer applies to you.
What is the difference between OT and Nav?
OT is the county authority's service. Nav, the labour and welfare administration, has its own services and assesses the need for help towards work. They can cooperate on the route to education and work. See Nav's information about cooperation with OT.
Nav's ungdomsgaranti, the youth guarantee, offers a regular contact person when Nav has assessed that you need this help. Its age conditions differ from OT's. If you are under 18 and will receive follow-up through ungdomsgaranti, you need consent from a parent or guardian. See Nav's description of ungdomsgaranti.
Contact with OT does not automatically provide wages or financial support. For example, tiltakspenger, an allowance for participants in labour-market measures, has separate conditions concerning the measure, age and whether you receive other Nav support or wages as a worker within the measure. An activity suggested by OT is not enough. You must apply, and Nav decides your application in a written decision. See Nav's rules for tiltakspenger.
Clarify your finances before making plans based on a payment. Ask who assesses support, whether you need a separate application and which expenses you must cover yourself.
What is shared with parents and other services?
OT staff must keep personal matters confidential. However, this does not mean every disclosure always requires consent. Legal provisions may allow necessary information to be shared. See forvaltningsloven §§ 13–13 b, the Public Administration Act, and opplæringslova § 25-1.
Ask who will receive information, what they need and what basis is used. If consent is involved, you can ask for its scope to be explained.
Parents of young people under 18 must receive the first general information about rights unless it is protected by a confidentiality obligation under other legislation. This is not a rule giving parents copies of every conversation and message. See opplæringsforskrifta § 8-3.
What do you do if you move or do not receive follow-up?
Contact OT and ask for a concrete next step. If you move to another county, ask whom to contact there and how follow-up can continue. Do not assume every agreement and piece of information transfers automatically.
If you cannot clarify the help available, follow up with the adviser or the county authority's education department. Ask for an explanation of the target-group assessment and written information about your rights. Save messages and agreed dates and times.
Other questions about being young are covered in SamfunnPrep's guide to young people's lives and rights. You can find help organising everyday life in SamfunnPrep's practical tools.
