In Sweden, young people who haven't completed secondary education don't just find it harder to find work; they are also at risk of poor health and find it more difficult to integrate into wider society.  

With support from the European Social Fund (ESF), a project called Yrk In has been helping to close the gap. In 12 areas of the country, young people with little or no education have been able to take combined introductory and vocational courses, all of which are specially designed to meet the needs of students and employers in that area. Over 500 young people have benefited from the project.  

In Alingsås, 50 km from Gothenburg, the 2015–16 refugee wave meant that the local high school saw a rapid increase in newly arrived students. Yrk In responded through an integration programme for the school. 

‘For me, it was very important to start there,’ says Mohammed, one of the young people who took the course. Despite his worries, he found it a positive and motivating experience. ‘I thought it might not work and then I do not know what I would do… then I probably did not want to be here.’ 

As well as increasing students’ sense of belonging and motivation, integrating introductory courses with vocational courses at the Alingsås school also provided opportunities for newly arrived students to practice speaking Swedish with their peers – a much faster way to learn a language. 

SKR, the employer organisation which developed the Yrk In project, hopes that these tailored responses to the different issues facing each municipality will support more young people into pursuing vocational programmes and – eventually – sustainable, long-term work.