– I passed with very good grades, says Nikolai with his latest grant of diploma in hand. Neither he nor his twin brother Kristian have any doubts about the path they want to take in life. The boys from the village of Vikedal in Vindafjord just got their second vocational certificate, and they are already well underway with the third. – It’s always fun to have documentation that we can do something. It’s something to hang on the wall and be proud of. They have vocational certificates in construction machine operator and road and construction subjects. They are also well underway with the vocational certificate called road operation and road maintenance. – Now we are young and willing to drive on, we have to take it while we have the “guts” to do it, says Kristian. The twins Kristian and Nikolai Andreassen, aged 22, will soon have a total of six diplomas. Photo: Thomas Halleland / news 400 more apprenticeship contracts The deadline for applying for upper secondary education is fast approaching. On March 1, thousands of young people will choose the way forward. – The advantages are that we are stronger in the competition for jobs, says Nikolai. Nikolai Andreassen believes that he and his brother are stronger in the hunt for work. Photo: Thomas Halleland / news The twins are apprentices in their father Andreas Andreassen’s company. They were also when they took their first two diplomas. – We grew up in a construction company and have been doing this since we were very young. What we were going to do has really been clear since we were born, says Kristian. Recent figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Education show that historically many people got an apprenticeship last year. In the period October 2021 to September 2022, 24,900 new apprenticeship contracts were entered into. That is 400 more than the previous year. – The apprentices get a unique competence, salary during education and great opportunities for permanent employment afterwards. For the companies, it is also a good opportunity to acquire the workforce they need, writes regional director of NHO Rogaland, Tone Grindland, to news. – We are good at apprentices in Norway, but we can be even better. There are most new apprentices in building and construction engineering. Here, almost nine out of ten get an apprenticeship contract. In addition, almost nine out of ten newly qualified skilled workers in this field are employed. Decrease in completed letters On the other hand, there is a decrease in professional and apprentice letters obtained in the same period. – Our statistics show that more people choose vocational subjects. Unfortunately, there are also some who do not end up with professional or journeyman certificates, writes Dior Kurta, senior adviser in the department for statistics and data management at the Directorate of Education, in an email to news. He believes the decline is about a normalization after a very high number of professional and apprentice certificates last year. Dior Kurta at the Directorate of Education. Photo: The Directorate of Education – There was a decline from 2019 to 2020, but this increased quite a bit in 2021 when things stabilized. Naturally enough, it falls a little to more normal levels in 2022, writes Kurta. There were also fewer applicants for apprenticeships in 2022 compared to 2021. Kurta says it is difficult to point to one reason. – We see that the biggest decline has been in health and education subjects. The proportion who change their mind, take a year back or take additional general study skills can also affect the number of applicants for apprenticeships. In the 2022–2023 school year, there were 2,300 more applicants for vocational subjects than for study preparatory education programs in the first year of upper secondary school. Dior Kurta’s invitations Dior Kurtas in NHO has several invitations for you to choose what you want to do after secondary school: Think about what you want to do and what motivates you. At secondary school, students have a subject called Education Choice. Use this subject to ask questions and discuss with the teacher and other students. Feel free to take a look at vilbli.no and utdanning.no for inspiration. It is important to remember that it is possible to change your mind if amn finds out along the way that you have made the wrong choice. You can make a re-election, cross race or take an extension. Skills shortage in business The business world is crying out for skills. Two out of three NHO companies lack people with the right skills. – More people must gain knowledge about all the opportunities vocational subjects offer. No doors close by choosing a vocational subject, says Ole Erik Almlid, CEO of NHO on their website. Grindland in NHO Rogaland says she has handed out close to 1,000 vocational certificates in the county. – It is quite clear that we need even more in the coming years. Unemployment is at a record low, and there is a great need for more professionals. Although it looks dark, Grindland is nevertheless optimistic. – One of the most important things we can do is to improve the gender distribution. Fortunately, we now see that more girls are choosing what have previously been typical “boys’ subjects”. In addition, there are many companies that are good at marketing their own subjects and professions. The regional director of NHO Rogaland says that she is positive, even though two out of three NHO companies lack people with the right skills. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news
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Deadline to apply for upper secondary education 1 March – historically many people get apprenticeship contracts – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
