– My dream job is to work with cars. Marius Costea polishes his car in the City Garage garage. Here he often spends both day and night. Cars are his great passion, and he flourishes in the workshop. – Here they help people who may be lost, and they create miracles, says Costea. Around two years ago, Costea’s everyday life was very different. He had to quit his job as a butcher due to an injury and struggled to find a new job. – I was very depressed. I sat at home and looked at the wall and had nothing to do. But then he found the mekkehallen at Hillevåg in Stavanger. Here he was welcomed with open arms by the man who started it all, his namesake Marius Stangenes. Marius Costea often spends both day and night at City Garage with the new friends he has made through the offer. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news – Here I made new friends and learned a lot of new things. You become a good problem solver by fixing the cars yourself. It keeps you focused, and you become solution-oriented, says Costea. Wants to discover hidden talents Costea is very keen on work. And if the hobby and love for cars could become that, it would have been the best, he believes himself. The concept of City Garage is workshop rental for those who want to tinker. It has also become a place for motor enthusiasts to socialize. And now, two years after it started, the mekkehallen can go from a social meeting place to becoming a way into the business world. The company Seabrokers Fundamentering believes that the concept is good for capturing labour, preferably people without the papers in order. That is why they let City Garage use one of their halls for free, and they have donated two vans. City Garage has gone from being a workshop to being a social meeting place, says founder Marius Stangenes. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news – We found out that we share the same values around seeing the rough diamonds that don’t get to be shown on the school desk. When they come here, talent is discovered that has not been discovered before, says Stangenes. And that is exactly what Seabrokers Fundamentering hopes for: To discover hidden talent. – It is those who do not have paper on what they can do, but still have it in them, that we want to help into the business world. Then places are needed where they can flourish and nurture their strengths, says Ketil Solvik-Olsen. Ketil Solvik-Olsen hopes to be able to recruit people from City Garage to Seabrokers Fundamentering. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news He is a former Minister of Transport and today the general manager of Seabrokers Fundamentering. The company specializes in building the foundation in various construction projects. Solvik-Olsen hopes business and industry professionals can have courses and training a few evenings a month in the mekkehallen. – I think it can be an extra motivation to join, for example if you are between jobs. If you know that City Garage can mix with business and industry people, I hope people will get involved a little more, says Solvik-Olsen. Solvik-Olsen admits that he has paid particular attention to Costea. – When you see what he creates with his hands, you are impressed. The stand-on will. I have taken good notice of him and several others. Oliver Svellingen Bolme (right) appreciates both the expertise and the friendships City Garage has given him. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news Oliver Svellingen Bolme also spends a lot of time at City Garage. He appreciates the expertise he can take with him from here. – There are many talented people here from whom I can learn a lot. The car community is small, so it’s also nice to have a gathering place. Need other ways into the business world Stangenes estimates that around 40 people visit City Garage every day. – There is nothing better than being able to arrange for people to have a job they are interested in. It strengthens work ethic and motivation, says Stangenes. In these 1,000 square meters, anyone who wants to hang out, or just be social, can come. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news Senior researcher Knut Røed at the Frisch Center has delved into topics such as social security, unemployment and job offers. He calls the offer important and something you need more of. – It is good that as many as possible complete upper secondary education, but we have probably made it more important than it should have been. There is a lack of other ways to document that you are capable of something and thus enter the workforce. He points out that employment among those who have not completed upper secondary education has fallen sharply over quite a few years. – We have to realize that there is a part of the population that does not have a good relationship with education and that new defeats are inflicted the more we push for them to have completed upper secondary education, says Røed. He believes that we must have other routes into working life than through upper secondary education. – Everyone needs to get some victories and get confirmation that they are succeeding at something. Back in the workshop at Hillevåg, Costea works diligently on his car. Maybe there is a job for him here in the future. – This is a good starting point. Here they help people to become someone.
ttn-69
– They create miracles – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
