Since 2003 the Ministry of Education and Research has financed mentor education (30 cred.) and participation in establishing locally based mentoring programs together with local authorities (White paper, No. 16, 2001-2002; White paper, No. 11, 2008-2009; White paper, No.16 2016-2017). In addition, the Ministry has also financed a national network for mentoring NQTs (https://www.nyutdannede.no/). Since 2009, there have been agreements at a national level aimed at NQTs in kindergartens, elementary schools and upper secondary education (Bjerkholt, 2013). However, despite efforts to strengthen the scope and quality of the mentoring, a national review (Rambøll, 2016) revealed that four out of ten NQTs did not receive mentoring. For those who received mentoring, there were large variations in scope, content, frequency, structure and quality. In February 2017, the Norwegian Parliament decided “…to design a national framework for a mentoring system which ensures that all NQTs are covered by the scheme and allows for local adaptation." In September 2018, the national agreement was formally confirmed, and the mutual agreement was signed by representatives of nine stakeholders: Ministry of Education and Research (KD), The Teacher Education Institutions (NRLU), different teacher organizations (most prominent the Union of Education-UF), The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and different organizations of private employers. The mentoring guidelines, formulated and agreed by the national network, consist of the following elements: • Principles and obligations for mentoring for newly qualified teachers (NQT’s) in kindergartens and schools the first 2 years working as teachers after the graduation. • A written professional guideline/strategy on how good mentoring schemes can be designed and implemented locally. • National guidelines for mentor education (30 ECT) This agreement adopted by the stakeholders is an important milestone, but it does not include extra financial resources for the employers of NQTs to establish induction and mentoring programs. The principles therefore have no formal legal basis, but represents a strong recommendation agreed upon by the stakeholders. This might represent a weak part in what might be characterised as the ecosystem of induction and mentoring for NQTs in Norway. The stakeholders will continuously evaluate the extent and quality of mentoring during the implementation period and a final evaluation report will be provided by the end of 2020. In 2021, the stakeholders will assess the results and decide if they will enter into a new voluntary agreement, or the case returns to the political authorities for further assessment.

Attard Tonna, M., Bjerkholt, E., & Holland, E. (2017). Teacher mentoring and the reflective practitioner model. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. Bjerkholt, E., & Hedegaard, E. (2008). Systems promoting new teachers' professional development. In G. Fransson & C. Gustafsson (Eds.), NQT’s in Northern Europe - Comparative Perspectives on Promoting Professional Development. Teacher Education: Research Publications no. 4. pp. 45-75. Gävle University Press. Kunnskapsdepartementet (2002). Kvalitetsreformen Om ny lærerutdanning – Mangfoldig - Krevende – Relevant (Quality Reform on Teacher Education) no. 16 White paper. Kunnskapsdepartementet (2009). Læreren Rollen og Utdanningen. (The Teacher, Role and Education) no. 11. White paper. Kunnskapsdepartementet (2017). Kultur for kvalitet i høyere utdanning. (Culture for quality in higher education) no. 16. White paper. Kunnskapsdepartementet (2017). Lærerutdanning 2025. Nasjonal strategi for kvalitet og samarbeid i lærerutdanningene. (Ministry of Education and Research, Teacher Education 2025. A national strategy on Quality and collaboration). White paper. Kunnskapsdepartementet (2018). Veiledning av nyutdannede lærere - Prinsipper og forpliktelser for veiledning av nyutdannede nytilsatte lærere i barnehage og skole. (Mentoring NQT’s in kindergarten and schools – Principals and commitments) National agreement. Rambøll. (2016). Veiledning av nyutdannede barnehagelærere og lærere: En evaluering av veiledningsordningen og veilederutdanningen. (Mentoring NQT’s; An Evaluation of Mentoring programs and Education).