Inclusion on fragile ground: Supporting students with special educational needs in Swedish work‐based learning

Abstract This study explores how vocational education and training (VET) teachers in Sweden support students with special educational needs (SEN) during work‐based learning (WBL). Based on interviews with 15 teachers from nine upper secondary VET programmes, the analysis draws on communities of practice and Biesta's three domains of education. Findings show that VET teachers employ adaptive strategies such as breaking down tasks, offering visual aids and negotiating incremental participation to enable access to WBL. However, inclusion often remains fragile and uneven. Workplaces are rarely designed to accommodate students with SEN, leaving VET teachers to shoulder responsibility for mediation and adaptation. While WBL can provide legitimate peripheral participation, opportunities for recognition, progression and subjectification are frequently limited, especially when students are restricted to repetitive or marginal tasks. This study argues that meaningful inclusion requires systemic arrangements that balance workplace demands with broader educational purposes, enabling students with SEN to participate safely and with agency in vocational communities.