Göteborgsregionen (GR) is working to strengthen collaboration between schools and the world of work, with the aim of ensuring that more young people are given the best possible conditions to make well-informed choices about their studies and careers. This work is based on one of the region’s greatest challenges – ensuring a supply of skilled labour by encouraging more young people to choose vocational programmes at upper secondary level. To make this possible, pupils need to gain an early insight into the sectors where the demand for labour is greatest. At present, these sectors are often under-represented in work experience placements, which limits young people’s knowledge of possible career paths.

We want more people to realise that work experience is not a burden, but an investment. For employers, it is an opportunity to take a strategic approach to strengthening the supply of skills. It also gives them the chance to get to know today’s young people, who will become the employees, managers and customers of the future.

Lena Sjöstrand, project leader Göteborgsregionen

Photo: Göteborg & Co

In 2026, a work experience programme for vocational courses will be launched in collaboration between GR and the Trade and Industry Group. The project aims to develop a scalable model for sectors that are significantly under-represented in work experience placements and where there is a severe skills shortage. The project will address this by increasing access to work experience placements in shortage occupations linked to vocational programmes, broadening the range of sectors that take on students, and making it easier for companies in under-represented sectors to participate.

The Trade and Industry Group has collaborated with GR in the past by introducing the ‘group work experience’ concept in 2021 as a way of lowering the barriers for companies to take on students. The concept has played a key role in scaling up work experience programmes, thereby helping more companies to turn their intentions into action.