Students in socioeconomically vulnerable areas leave the classroom for two hours per week to go to a workplace during school time. They receive a monthly salary of 750 kronor from the employer. From 2027, the city will introduce so-called SAO jobs, study-motivating work-life orientation, where students work two hours per week throughout the school year. The jobs replace the traditional work experience period and become part of school teaching. The purpose is to break exclusion and prevent crime.
Approximately 400 students at six schools in Uppsala, Upplands Väsby, Sundsvall, Sundbyberg, and Västerås have already started their SAO jobs. Gothenburg City signed an agreement with Evin Cetin's organization Next Generation Sweden to introduce SAO jobs at two schools: Nytorpsskolan in Angered and Gamlestadsskolan. From next year, 200 eighth graders from three schools will get jobs with pay during school time. SAO jobs will first be introduced at three schools: Sätraskolan in Skärholmen, Enbacksskolan in Järva, and Vällingbyskolan in Hässelby/Vällingby. More municipalities will introduce so-called SAO jobs.
It was a guy here in Gothenburg who influenced me incredibly much. I had talked about future faith and then he took the mic and then he pointed at me and said: 'You are a talker. If you want to make a difference, give us jobs.'
The government will present a 30 million kronor state grant for SAO jobs to municipalities that begin implementing SAO jobs for high school students. Students will work at real workplaces that the city has cooperation with and receive pay according to collective agreement. Companies will cover the salaries, and Stockholm City will be responsible for coordination and matching between students and workplaces.
If schoolwork is not managed otherwise, the student can be temporarily suspended from the job. To keep the job, students must manage their school attendance; those with too high invalid absence can be paused from work until attendance improves.
They should build relationships. They should broaden their perspective about the future labor market, but they should learn. What does a job entail? What does it mean to go to a job interview? What does it mean to build relationships over a year?
The initiative originally comes from the organization Next Generation Sweden, which works to connect school and working life. Similar models have been tested in other parts of the country with positive results. The program aims to provide practical work experience while maintaining educational priorities.