Uddannelsesbroen Brobygning set fra en praksisvinkel ”Brobygning” – A Practical View Hanne Kirk, Tietgen Odense We have been one of the 12 p

Uddannelsesbroen A cooperation between 4 VET schools in Odense and 5 municipalities on Funen In the pilot project: 250 participants from April ‘13 till May ’14. Afterwards approx. 275 participants per year Participants between the age of 18 and 29 in an ”in between” position = NEETs Characteristics: poor academic skills, cognitive problems, mental health issues, personal problems, poor family background, lack of family support, bad schooling experiences, drug abuse, criminal record Average time spend is 14 weeks Uddannelsesbroen = a project for NEETs between 18-30 years old. The participants are in a " in between position" .  All most All of them have recently ben part of the ordinary education system but for various reasons They have dropped out and our focus is to motivate and encourage them to get started again Focus on a structured time schedule – school like environment

Key elements in Brobygning Uddannelsesbroen is physically situated in a VET school We offer a structured time schedule 25 hours a week with different activities: focusing on a new perspective on education and motivation towards education Focus is on improvement of academic skills: particularly math and Danish Bridge building to other VET schools Internships at companies Participants experience being part of a group, but also get mentoring individually Mentor help in both educational and personal matters. We help them change habits Collaboration between mentors, teachers, counsellors and social workers Mentorship continues for up to 6 months if mentee starts school The activity is physically placed in the ordinary education system - typically at a VET school - Uddannelsesbroen is located at a business School. This is very important because it makes it possible for the participants to identify a goal and also the other students at the School will appear AS role models. AS mentioned All ready the majority of our participants need to improve their academic skills, which is the reasons that They are being taught Danish and math as part of the project Internships at other VET schools as well as in companies serve as a way for the participants to get hands on experiences with different courses/educations and jobs before choosing which way to go. This is important because we want to try and minimize the "wrong choices" that some of the participants already have had several experiences with. Several of the participants are challenged in their social skills – therefor we focus on peer and group orientated exercises. At the same time we know that it’s important to offer an individual perspective so the participants experience an acknowledgement of their individual difficulties but we try to do this in that way that encourage them to take new actions in their life – changed their habbits Mentor – every participant get their own mentor when they start at Uddannelsesbroen. Mentor and mentee will have discussions/talks where they set up new goals towards education, discuss the way on how to get there, mentor will support his mentee but also challenge him and try to make him take new actions/decisions in life.

Interview with 2 former participants Dan Frederiksen 32 years old Part of Uddannelsesbroen in the fall of 2013 Internship at Logistik Centralen A/S Offered apprenticeship Warehouse apprentice Mentorship continued for 6 months Maria Larsen 24 years old Part of Uddannelsesbroen in the spring of 2015 Internship at Tietgen Internship at Bolia – a furniture warehouse Completing VET school in January 2017 Mentorship continued Hvorfor kom du på Uddannelsesbroen? Hvordan oplevede du undervisningen på Uddannelsesbroen?  – hvad var relevant? Hvordan vurderer du betydningen af at kunne komme i brobygning og virksomhedspraktik mens du var tilknyttet Uddannelsesbroen? Hvordan oplevede du det at have en mentor? På Uddannelsesbroen og efterfølgende, da du startede uddannelse?  Hvordan adskiller brobygningsforløbet på Uddannelsesbroen sig fra andre tilbud du har været i?  Gjorde det en forskel at Uddannelsesbroen er placeret på en skole?  Ville du anbefale unge ligesom dig – at starte i et brobygningsforløb og hvorfor?