Courses in Oslo are currently fully implemented. There have been 16 participants in the FIER class from August to December 2018, organized by VO Oslo Rosenhof (Adult Education). Participants follow 16 hours per week of classroom lessons and 14 hours per week of in-job training in the school’s canteens. All the teaching topics are related to gastronomy and the world of work, including areas such as hygiene, weight, recipes, diabetes, allergens, diet, temperatures and CV writing, as well as labour laws and rights. Admission requirements are simple: basic Norwegian language skills (A1 CEFR), both written and oral, having a common interest in cooking, and having a strong desire to work in a canteen or a restaurant.
The FIER teacher cooperates closely with the chefs in the school canteen, planning goals together and setting evaluation criteria for a two-week period at a time. This parallel form of cooperation will last until the end of the year. After then, participants will continue their classroom education, but their in-job training at school will be replaced by a two-day-per-week practical training at regular workplaces, further increasing to three days per week by mid-February. Then, the training will take place both at the classroom and the workplace, with the teacher as a connection hub, closely following their progress at work.
In this complex teaching coordination system, VO Oslo Rosenhof aims to cooperate with the city’s social services, different workplaces and chefs in the school canteen so that all institutions can work together with each participant. The school’s experience so far shows that the mindset of the various sectors involved is being put to a challenge, and they are currently looking for good solutions that allow a successful implementation of FIER.
Last autumn, the school visited different canteens to get an insight about the various types of workplaces that there can be. Furthermore, they arranged a meeting between participants and employers for which participants prepared the food. This opportunity allowed them to talk to different employers and get a better perspective of how the Norwegian world of work is.
The school’s staff is looking forward to an exciting period from January to summer, during which participants will take a step closer to the labour market.
FIER - Fast-track Integration in European Regions 