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Markus Roos Breines

Research Professor

Markus Roos Breines is a researcher at Fafo with migration, integration, and skills as his main areas of focus. Breines is currently working on several projects related to vocational education in Norway.

He has worked on a variety of social science topics in the past. Breines has previously led and participated in research projects in the United Kingdom and several African countries, and he has extensive experience in using innovative qualitative methods. His research has included topics such as distance education in South Africa, the use of chatbots in education in Scotland, and new medical technology to reduce child mortality in Ethiopia.

Breines has published numerous articles in international journals and authored a book on migration and class relations in Ethiopia. He is a board member of the Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research.

Area of work

Education, digital education, mobility/immobility, social class, inequalities.

Current projects

Future skills - briding the skills gap
The project “Future Skills – Bridging the Competence Gap” is based on a shared Nordic need to strengthen the connection between labor market demands and the population’s skills in light of the green and digital transition. The Nordic countries face structural challenges in ensuring access to a qualified workforce in both urban and rural areas. At the same time, the systems for competence matching vary significantly between the countries, highlighting the need for joint analyses and knowledge sharing.
Higher vocational education for health care workers: Support for further education and opportunities for career development
This project explores how employers facilitate further education for healthcare professionals, and to what extent higher vocational education leads to healthcare professionals receiving new tasks, roles and/or increased salaries.
Settlement of unaccompanied minor refugees
A new Fafo study will examine how unaccompanied minor refugees are looked after post-settlement.
Enabling Environments for NCD Risk Reduction in Ethiopia (ENABLE)
Fafo participates in an "Ethical Advisory Board" for the Horizon Europe-funded project ENABLE.
School4Work

School4Work is a project involving partners OsloMet Department of Vocational Teacher Education, Fafo, Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB) and the regional education authorities in Oslo kommune and Viken fylkeskommune. The project is about vocational students' transition from school to apprenticeship. It aims to generate knowledge about the conditions that affect the transition, particularly emphasising what vocational teachers can do to facilitate it. Fafo participates in two work packages, one on what vocational teachers do to prepare students for apprenticeships and one on employers' decisions to offer apprenticeships, and leads the latter.

Skills2Capabilites

The Skills2Capabilities project is about understanding how skill systems across Europe can reduce the level of skills mismatch in the labour markets. The study addresses this from both a demand side and a supply side perspective to identify how skill systems can better respond to meeting skill demands in a more fluid labour market environment. The project is a collaboration between research institutions in eight European countries. Fafo leads a work package where we will compare countries in how selected VET qualifications adjust to technological change, and how work content/organization interact with changes in VET qualifications.

designing equitable and effective strategies to combat violence hate and discrimination
The aim of this research project is to further develop the knowledge of society's efforts against violence, violations and discrimination. Researchers from Fafo, Nordland Research Institute and NOVA/OsloMet collaborate on the accomplichment. The project will be carried out from 2022 to 2025 on behalf of The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir).

Publications

Fafo publications

Scientific publications

Research communication

Interviews | 27. November 2025
Interviews | 21. March 2025
Popular science | 19. January 2024

Completed projects

Attitudes toward vaccination - a qualitative study
The ambition of the project is to get to know more about attitudes towards vaccination among elderly people (+65), pregnant women and health professionals who themselves are engaged in vaccination. The project uses qualitative methods; interviews and focusgroups in order to generate datamateriale suited for knowledge on how attitudes are created.
Online Higher Vocational Education: Opportunities and Limitations
This project explores the opportunities and challenges of online Higher Vocational Education, with a focus on technical subjects as well as health and welfare studies.
Evaluation of the Stine Sofie Centre

On behalf of the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), Fafo will conduct an evaluation of the government grant to the Stine Sofie Center.