According to the National Agency for Education, 20,000 Year 9 pupils in Sweden failed to meet the eligibility requirements for upper secondary education in spring 2024. Continuing education is a key factor in preventing social exclusion and securing the skills needed by the labour market. In the long term, this offers substantial savings for society. Lifelong social exclusion costs society SEK 9 million per individual, on average. This figure is then doubled if social exclusion leads to crime.

The Trade and Industry Group has partnered NEXTAR since it was founded in 2022. NEXTAR works to create meaningful encounters between young people and working life, and to help young people to understand the value of education. This is done by means of mentoring programmes and activities involving schools, businesses and students. NEXTAR is driven by the ambition to make both a social and a societal difference by showing young people new paths, away from exclusion and crime – to studies, jobs and a future that gives them hope.

Photo: NEXTAR

NEXTAR’s mentoring programme is aimed at young people in lower secondary school and is currently off ered at eight schools in Gothenburg. The programme is resultsoriented and has been developed in collaboration with students and school staff. The programme works with activities such as mentor meetings, job shadowing, study visits, homework support and summer jobs. NEXTAR is aimed at young people with low motivation who live with multiple risk factors, such as insecure home environments, poor school attendance or a lack of adult role models. The organisation works in collaboration with schools where there is the greatest potential for improvement. Mentees are selected in collaboration with the school, which identifies students who are at greatest risk of not achieving eligibility for upper secondary education.

NEXTAR is supported by research by Martin Lackéus, a researcher at Chalmers University of Technology. He argues that the method has strong positive effects on motivation and inclusion, and that linking school to genuine needs and relationships outside the classroom strengthens young people’s self image, confidence in the future and sense of purpose. Martin describes NEXTAR as clear evidence that long-term relationships and the right support make a real difference, both for young people in Gothenburg and for society in general. It builds hope and confidence in the future, while also empowering young people to find their place in society. NEXTAR reports annually on goal attainment in terms of school attendance and grades, but also measures confidence in the future, study motivation, self-confidence and behaviour. Impact goals are reported in an annual Social Impact Report.