Labor wants to teach young people to work – VG

Trym Tvedt Johansen (16) from Røa in Oslo got up at 05 every day to work in this field in Lier last summer. According to his boss, many of the other young men left soon after.

– It was my first job. It was hard work and also nice to be outside. I consider working there again until the summer if I get the chance, the 16-year-old tells VG.

VG has previously mentioned the tough battle for summer jobs in Norway. Pandemics and modernization create far fewer jobs. This week, Labor Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen came out and promised 2,000 new summer jobs for young people in collaboration with NAV.

He now faces strong opposition from Nils Kristen Sandtrøen (Labor Party), who believes that the government should also focus on training young people, so that they are better qualified for jobs, especially in agriculture.

– The government is very bad at helping young people in the pandemic. What we need now is large-scale recruitment and training of young people who can get summer jobs where there have been many guest workers. This is especially true in agriculture, says Nils Kristen Sandtrøen (Labor).

He wants young Norwegians to receive support to educate themselves for this job, and points out that the Storting has already allocated an additional 1 billion for, among other things, training of people in need of employment, as part of crisis management.

– Skilled youth can become highly skilled summer substitutes in these industries. But like all other jobs, you need a little training to get started, he says.

– The work does not have its own proposals

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (H) praises the Labor Party for engaging with youth.

– It is good that the Labor Party is also concerned about summer jobs, and I fully agree that more young people should get a job also in Norwegian agriculture. But the Labor Party does not have its own proposals, and they go against our proposals that actually make it easier to hire young people. Last year, we proposed, among other things, that they receive an extra carrot for unemployment benefits so they can work in agriculture, but then the AP firmly said no. They are doing the same this year. I don’t see that they have tabled any other proposals, says Røe Isaksen.

He promises that NAV will be ready to bring Norwegian youth to agriculture.

– It is great that young Norwegians are getting jobs in agriculture, and we need them even more this year when we have such strict control of borders, emphasizes Røe Isaksen.

Disappears after a day in the field.

Vegetable grower Anders Hørthe in Lier examined many young Norwegians last year. She has followed the debate on summer jobs and believes that the key to creating more is support for training.

– What many politicians underestimate is that it takes knowledge and experience to do a good job on the ground. After two to three weeks, most people can reach their potential, given close follow-up and a good work environment, but most young people still lack working conditions and should work shorter days, he says. Hørthe.

He doesn’t hide the fact that he has shared experiences from the past.

– Some young people are highly motivated, others disappear after a day in the field. Some apply for a job and promise a total effort, but then shut up and don’t show up. Remember that young people compete with people from abroad who have worked for us for many seasons and who know this topic. These jobs are more demanding than many people think, says Hørthe.

– What do you think of the proposal that young people with unemployment benefits can keep the aid if they take a job in agriculture?

– A person receiving unemployment benefits may very well be motivated to work in agriculture, but disappears back to alternative work as soon as there are better opportunities and then we have lost the effort that lies in education and job training – what fit for agriculture? – nothing ?