The case in summary The Norwegian Armed Forces’ largest kitchen is located in Setermoen camp, and only has two apprentice chefs this year. The armed forces have noticed a decline in the number of chef apprentices in recent years, and in 2023 they only managed to fill 40 of their 80 vacant apprenticeships in the cookery and nutrition subjects. If the trend does not reverse, the Armed Forces must consider introducing conscripts into the kitchen again. The armed forces offer a number of benefits to the chef apprentices, including free board and lodging, free access to training facilities, the opportunity for further education and up to seven paid trips home. The head of the Setermoen garrison sees it as a social mission to be a learning company, and believes it is an advantage to be able to exchange expertise between the civilian and the military. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Henrik Myrabakk and Kasper Borg Haukaåsen quickly throw together a fragrant puddle in a pan in the large industrial kitchen in Setermoen camp in Indre Troms. On this very day there is a staff meeting, so the usually busy kitchen is quite quiet. The 18-year-olds are apprentices in the Armed Forces’ largest kitchen, and feed more than 1,000 hungry soldiers’ stomachs every day. With allied training, the number doubles. – It’s fun when you fill so many stomachs and have the opportunity to cook large quantities of food, says Myrabakk. There are large quantities of food that must be prepared when you are going to feed over 1,000 soldiers’ stomachs. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news As the only two apprentices in the kitchen, Myrabakk and Haukaåsen are well known. Actually, the kitchen has room for six apprentices. But in recent years, a decline in apprentice chefs has been noticed. – The alpha and omega for a combat-ready defense As Norway’s largest apprenticeship company, the Norwegian Armed Forces are keenly aware of the chef crisis. In 2023, the Norwegian Armed Forces managed to fill 40 of its total of 80 vacant apprenticeships in cooking and nutrition. In some kitchens there is not a single apprentice this year. For 2024, they have 79 available apprenticeships. Half of the apprenticeships are at risk of being empty. Per-Arne Pedersen is professional manager of the apprentices in the commercial kitchen at Setermoen camp, where he has worked for ten years. – When I started here, we had four shifts and four apprentices on each shift. Now we only have two first-year apprentices, in addition to one who will take a vocational certificate for work. It has gone down every year, says Pedersen. Per-Arne Pedersen is the subject supervisor for the apprentices, and hopes for more chef apprentices in the Norwegian Armed Forces’ largest kitchen this autumn. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news Now they plan to go out to the schools in the surrounding areas to try to recruit more young people into the cooking profession. Because someone must be able to feed the soldiers in the future as well. – You can see that in the wars in, for example, Ukraine, how important motivation is. Food and the quality of food is important. Having something to look forward to in a difficult everyday life, I think, is the alpha and omega of having a capable defence, says Pedersen. Kasper Borg Haukaåsen and Henrik Myrabakk are the only apprentices in the Norwegian Armed Forces’ largest kitchen. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news Apprentice coordinator at the Training Office for the Armed Forces, Torstein Kaarigstad, expects that by autumn they will have 30 per cent of what they wanted from apprentices in the Armed Forces’ many kitchens. – Many of the kitchens are located in pig-infested areas where we have challenges with recruitment. We must recruit especially locally for these kitchens in Indre Troms and Finnmark. But we are also working on recruiting chefs to take abroad if there is a question of setting up departments there, says Kaarigstad. He believes that the focus has been wrong in the Armed Forces when it comes to the recruitment of apprentices, and that recruitment has not been targeted towards the individual subjects. – We are trying to turn it around, but the main focus of the Armed Forces is operationality and solving missions, he says. Two birds with one stone Myrabakk does not regret choosing to become an apprentice in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Because there are a number of benefits they can offer that other companies cannot. Free board and lodging, free access to the training facilities in the camp, a doctor, the possibility of further education and up to seven paid trips home are some of what the Norwegian Armed Forces can offer the apprentice chefs. In the first year of their apprenticeship, they also receive the military education they need to be able to cope as soldiers. They therefore do not have to put their education on hold for a year in order to complete their military service. – I kill two birds with one stone. I get to do both the conscription and the apprenticeship in two years instead of three, says Myrabakk. Henrik Myrabakk and Kasper Borg Haukaåsen carry out military service and professional certificates for two years. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news Even it was by chance that he ended up right here. An advertisement appeared online that he applied for. A month later, he received a positive response. Myrabakk believes that part of the reason why the Norwegian Armed Forces is struggling to get enough apprentices is that they do not “sell” themselves well enough to young people. – It’s perhaps a bit bad that it doesn’t get out to everyone, it should have been published in more places so people get it, he says. Assessing conscripts in the kitchen Garden was the last department in the Army to discontinue the kitchen service for conscripts. This was in 2013. If the shortage of cooks does not reverse, conscripts in the kitchen may once again become relevant. – If you are going to have conscript soldiers in the kitchen, then restrictions must be introduced on that and not at the expense of the man-years we have today, says head of the Setermoen garrison, Lars Dahlberg. He confirms that the introduction of conscripts into the Armed Forces’ kitchen is under investigation. There will, however, be different requirements than before if it becomes relevant to put soldiers to work in the kitchen. – The kitchen is perhaps the most important resource we have in the garrison. We will give both Norwegian and allied soldiers good and nutritious food in peace, crisis and war, says Setermoen garrison commander, Lars Dahlberg. Photo: Dan Pedersen – If you want conscripts in the kitchen, then you want to bring in soldiers with education that enables them to be put into the production line in the kitchen and not just clean and wash dishes. It is important to us that the soldiers receive a good and meaningful service, says Dahlberg. The defense would most like to see the trend in the industry turn around, and that more people want to be apprentices with them. – We also need to train cooks for what we call the war structure in the Armed Forces to support both strength building of Norwegian soldiers, but also allied reception in the Setermoen garrison. Therefore, the apprentices are also an important part of the overall preparedness in the garrison, says Dahlberg. Henrik Myrabakk and Kasper Borg Haukaåsen are an important part of preparedness in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news – Just to “benefit” the Chief of the Setermoen garrison sees it as a social mission to be a learning company. For those who take a diploma in the Armed Forces, they can also apply for civilian jobs afterwards. – It is only an advantage that we can exchange expertise between the civilian and the military, he says. Henrik Myrabakk envisions a career in the Armed Forces. – When I finish my education, I might want to work a little more in the Armed Forces, and then come back to work in the kitchen, he says. Henrik Myrabakk envisions a career in the Armed Forces after completing his education. Photo: Malin Straumsnes / news This week, thousands of young people will decide where they want to apply for an apprenticeship in the autumn. Although Per-Arne Pedersen is satisfied with the two apprentices they have, he hopes to get even more to supervise in the kitchen after the summer. – They are without doubt a resource for us. So we have a very pleasant time here, it’s a good environment and pleasant people. Chefs are known to be in a good mood, he coaxes. Myrabakk also hopes that there will be more young, up-and-coming chefs in the kitchen this autumn. He has simple advice for those who are unsure whether an apprentice chef in the Norwegian Armed Forces is for them. – It’s just to “benefit” from it. Just go for it, says the would-be chef.
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Considering introducing conscripts into the kitchen again – news Troms and Finnmark
