According to reports from SVT Örebro, an industrial technical high school program is set to restart in Lindesberg this autumn after several years of hiatus. The program will emphasize practical training and includes a promise of summer jobs for participating students.
Johan Westman, a 20-year-old who completed a vocational electrical program, reportedly secured a permanent job as an electrician after his education. "The practical training was really important," Westman told SVT Örebro, highlighting the value of hands-on experience in vocational education.
The internship was really important, especially to see how things work, learn, meet new people, and see new environments.
The program has attracted interest from local industry, with Cummins Meritor, a major Lindesberg employer that manufactures rear axles for trucks, reportedly helping to design parts of the curriculum. Johanna Halvarsson, HR manager at Cummins Meritor, emphasized the importance of such programs for workforce development, stating that without practical high school programs, employers face significant challenges in meeting their staffing needs.
So far, seven students have applied to the new program as their first choice, with an additional 30 listing it as their second choice. Companies collaborating with the school have reportedly signed contracts that include promises of summer jobs for students and potential employment offers after the third year of education.
We often get people we could hire, but they're not trained in what we need. Without the practical programs in high school, we as employers find it extremely difficult to manage our competence supply.