Last school year, UMF signed an agreement with Numedal VGS that technology and industrial subjects (also known as TIF) will move into their domain. So far, it has proven to be a successful collaboration.

Technology and industrial subjects teacher, Trond Foss, says it has been an interesting and motivating project, both for teachers and students.

– It has been very inspiring, and the staff at UMF have been positive and welcoming. They have taken very good care of us all, which has contributed to us feeling welcome. We are looking forward to the further collaboration with UMF, says Foss.

Recruitment through availability and collaboration

UMF is also left with positive experiences:

It is important for the company to recruit new and young people who want to live in the municipality. As a natural consequence of this, we present our company to young people.

Rune Tollefsen, UMF’s person responsible for coordinating the training with Numedal VGS.

The students have been at UMF once a week. There they have received training in CAD drawing, programming and CNC driving. Tollefsen has been responsible for plans and implementation, while Numedal VGS has been present with its own subject teacher throughout. For some of the training, the class has been divided in two, whereas training has been split between the factory and the school. This requires a will to cooperate.

This cooperation gives many good ripple effects. UMF has cutting-edge expertise in its field, and this gives students an academic boost.

They get in direct contact with the business world and thus gain an insight into how the industry works. At the same time, UMF gets a good opportunity to get to know students who are potentially their future apprentices.

A business model for the future

Foss is convinced that this is the way to educate skilled workers:

– It is about preparing the students the best way possible for work after school. At the same time, it gives the company access to apprentices who have expertise in modern technology. In this way, the transition between upper secondary education and the company becomes more seamless. This is easier for both the company and the apprentice.

Tollefsen also believes that this model can have a lot going for it. He believes that it is usefull to be out in a company and learn.

– It is a slightly different school day than just sitting in the classroom, he adds with a smile.