Partner Spotlight: Frans Schartaus Handelsinstitut

Founded in 1865, Frans Schartaus Handelsinstitut is the City of Stockholm's long-established business school. It has run IT and cybersecurity programmes since 2018 and is now widely regarded as one of the most respected YH providers in the field. The school has built a solid structure for working with industry, including steering groups with members from companies such as TrueSec, Sandvik and Microsoft. In autumn 2025 it launched a new standalone course in digital forensics, developed with ten companies after the Swedish Armed Forces flagged an urgent skills shortage. Emnet Jonsson has extensive experience in higher vocational education, spanning business development, marketing and educational leadership.

What has Frans Schartau contributed so far, and what do you hope to achieve going forward?

We've shared our perspective on how to package an offering so it reaches companies. If you want someone to invest in taking a course, it has to be visual, easy to find and built around a clear concept. Not too many clicks, no vague messaging, and signing up has to be simple. Going forward, I see collaboration happening on several levels. In higher vocational education we often refer to the Swedish Qualifications Framework (SeQF), which is aligned with the European framework. Our programmes sit at levels 5 and 6, and level 6 is equivalent to a bachelor's degree. I think it's important to make education visible at every level and to see what we can learn from each other. Through my work with Cybercampus I've gained a much better understanding of how universities operate, and I can give them insight into how we work. Employers are looking for graduates from both vocational programmes and universities.

Higher vocational education is often praised for its close ties to the workplace. What does that look like in practice?

In every one of our courses, students should get a real taste of working life, and not only through the industry professionals who teach them. Here's an example from our cybersecurity programme. At a steering group meeting just a couple of days ago, a member from TrueSec talked about how much he'd enjoyed meeting the new class at the start of term. He's a team lead today, and he was a student with us back in 2019. When we kick off the placement process, a representative from Sandvik comes in. Before our AI and machine learning course, a partner from PwC came to talk about developments in agentic AI and how to approach them. Employers also host study visits, for example at Microsoft, which also sits on the steering group. We want students to practise on the systems the industry actually uses, we want lecturers who are active in the field, and ideally, the members of our steering groups take on placement students and are actively looking to hire. Working closely with industry gives students insight into the field, and it also helps them build a wider network.

At the same time, you've found it harder to secure work placements. Why is that?

Compared with our first cyber class in 2018, it takes much longer to secure a placement now because security vetting has become far more extensive. The world looks different today, and the checks vary a lot. Some are a simple background check, while others go all the way to the Swedish Security Service. There are also more schools in the market now, so more students are competing for the same pool of placements. And because the industry has grown and many companies feel stretched, we've noticed they're more hesitant to take on placement students. We've gone from companies knocking on our door asking for students to having to work much more systematically to secure placements and build partnerships. That's also why our website is very clear that students must pass security vetting. If you don't, you can't do your placement and can't graduate. You only get a certificate of completion. We didn't need to spell that out as clearly in 2018. More companies also need to take a longer view if we're going to secure the talent the sector will need in the future.

What can higher vocational education add to the Cybercampus course catalogue that isn't already there?

Highly specialised skills. Take our digital forensics course, for example. It's aimed at people who are already working in the field, and we can update the content every year instead of writing something that stays fixed. What sets it apart from a university catalogue is that industry developed the content, not just us as a school, which means there's already an audience asking for exactly those skills. The idea came out of a meeting at Cybercampus, where it emerged that the Swedish Armed Forces had flagged a major skills gap in digital forensics as early as October 2024. We submitted the application together with ten companies, and the course started in the autumn term of 2025. Because we can get started so quickly, we're far more agile than the university world, and we can design and launch courses much faster. The infrastructure for industry partnerships and hands-on learning is already in place.

Which areas do you think work best as standalone courses?

You could break out most of the modules, from network security to AI, automation and machine learning. Digital forensics isn't part of our regular cybersecurity programme. It's only offered as a standalone course, and I think it's a great fit for someone who has completed our programme and then spent a few years in the industry. There's also strong demand in endpoint security and information security, not least because of the NIS2 Directive and the legal framework around it. What's great about higher vocational education is that it makes career changes possible for people who are already working. If AI reduces demand for a certain kind of programmer or developer, for instance, you could take a course in digital forensics and become an attractive candidate for the police. You don't need to start a whole new programme. You just add specialist skills that make you competitive again.

Cybercampus is holding YH Day on 7 October. What does this initiative mean for Frans Schartau and other providers?

It means a great deal. It'll be a place for dialogue and collaboration. We're colleagues and competitors at the same time, and I think we need a space where we can talk through the challenges in our sector. For example, what do we do about all the people who dream of working in this field but can't pass security vetting? How can we communicate together so they know what applies before the programme even starts, and where can we help each other? I see YH Day as the starting point for that kind of collaboration. There's no forum for it today.

Want to help shape the future of cybersecurity skills? On 7 October, Cybercampus brings together partners, education providers and stakeholders for a full day focused on higher vocational education. Register here →