Bridging an expanded learning arena - Strategies for building mutual links between education and working life

The project's aim is to help improve the quality and increase the efficiency of education and training systems by promoting cooperation and the sharing, exchange and flow of knowledge between education institutions and enterprises/businesses.
Through the project, the aim is to create a committed partnership between the schools and the local industry in the area around the schools. The aim is that through this project an early connection can be made between pupils and the workplace. With a starting point in their local identity, students can look outward and be equipped to solve challenges both regionally, nationally and internationally.
The project's aim is to highlight the possibilities that exist in working in local industries after a high school and university education. Through a vocational or skills education pupils often make links with local businesses. This is not the case for the pupil group that sees a high school or university education ahead of them. The teaching is often closely linked to the school, and the pupils have limited awareness of the diversity of work opportunities that are carried out in local industry.
The aim is to create a wider learning arena which more closely links theory in the school and the world of work outside and is oriented towards the pupils’ education needs with respect to the global world of work. A wider learning arena will provide them with better skills for employability such as entrepreneurial initiative, digital skills and foreign languages, encourage transferable skills such as the ability to think critically, to take initiative, to solve problems and work collaboratively to make pupils more entrepreneurial and able to adapt to the inevitable changes during their future career paths.

The main aim of the project is to develop a way of working that can be used to establish mutual relationships between school and the work environment. A subsidiary aim is to make the study-based education more relevant and motivational for pupils who, to a great extent, do not experience a close connection between their education and future employment. A second subsidiary aim is that the individual pupil will spend time in a workplace and carry out relevant work tasks through active participation and responsibility, and that those pupils who have an interest in this will see the possibilities which result from being innovative, and possibly take part themselves in creating new jobs.
The strategy for implementing the practical programme will mainly build on the methods related to Storyline, Scotland. The project has as its aim to highlight opportunities that exist for working in local businesses after completion of school, college or university education. Through skills related education the pupils have the need to make links with local businesses. This is not always the case for pupils aiming for college or university education. The teaching is often closely linked to the school, and the pupils are not always fully aware of the many work opportunities that exist in local businesses.
Our project aims to meet these objectives in all the partner countries and each initiative / story that is developed will be agreed in partnership.
We have chosen some key areas which can be related to taught subjects and communicated in other languages: entrepreneurship, business development, cultural understanding, leadership development and presentations techniques.
The pupils from all partner countries will be connected to different businesses and each have a mentor. There will be a case study developed for each pupil group. The pupils will be required to solve this case study together with the mentor. Through placements with businesses the pupils will be in contact with many different professions and jobs to solve their task. Businesses can be involved in the starting up of new enterprises. In these cases the Haram Innovation Studio is an obvious starting point partner for start-up advice. After this, there may be a need for other businesses as partners, and the need to investigate whether one can find premises, and funding for the project proposal.
Storyline, as a method, can be used more in the study preparatory course subjects, and can make the courses more related to working life.