The coronavirus crisis has been especially challenging for groups who find themselves outside the job market. The graduate newcomers are well-educated and can make a significant contribution to the Swedish economy. Despite this, they are often shut out from the job market here.
One solution that has proved highly successful is the Jobbsprånget internship programme. Since its inception, 6,700 graduates have applied and 800 have been placed in an internship. 70 percent of these received a job offer after their 4-month internship. This can be compared to statistics from the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Forum indicating that it can take more than a decade for newcomers to Sweden with a degree to find a job at their professional level.
“We are working hard to inform all of the graduates arriving here that they can apply for an internship with participating employers all around the country”, says Alexandra Ridderstad, Head of Jobbsprånget.
There has been a 30-percent increase in applications compared to spring 2020 and 55 percent of the applicants are women.
One of the past interns is Ghofran Jamaluddeen. She is an architect from Syria who completed an internship with property company Kungsleden AB in Malmö:
“It’s not easy to be new in Sweden, but Jobbsprånget gave me an opportunity to be a productive person again. I really am much closer to the job market now than I was two months ago. I’ve also had an exciting experience, I’ve improved my Swedish and I’ve met talented and interesting people”.
“It’s surprising how enriching working together in this programme is, in the form of the fresh ideas and positive feedback we get. Ghofran is a highly driven person who quickly felt at home in the company. She’s interested, curious and eager to learn new things”, says Benny Bendzovski, Regional Marketing Manager at Kungsleden and Ghofran’s mentor.
Jobbsprånget is a 4-month, nationwide internship programme for university graduates who have recently moved to Sweden and is run by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). Jobbsprånget is working in cooperation with the Swedish Public Employment Service, which determines who qualifies to apply for an internship. This autumn internships will be offered at 48 locations around the country. 12,000 applications have been received from 1,200 individuals from 90 different countries.
“Jobbsprånget shows that it’s possible to provide a fast track into the job market. If this talented target group of individuals do not quickly get into the workforce, it’s a total waste of resources for the individuals themselves, employers and society”, says Alexander Ridderstad.
Facts
Jobbsprånget was launched in 2016 and is part of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). Jobbsprånget’s target groups are economists, architects, engineers and scientists who have recently moved to Sweden and all of the relevant professions are represented in the programme. Jobbsprånget receives funding from the Government through the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW).
