Opportunity for students: Summer study and summer jobs 2021
A wide range of summer training and summer jobs will be on offer for young people and jobseekers this summer, as part of the government's measures to promote activity and future growth for Icelandic business life. The City of Hafnarfjörður is currently looking at
A wide range of summer training and jobs will be available for young people and jobseekers this summer, as part of the government's measures to promote activity and future growth for Icelandic business. Hafnarfjörður is currently reviewing its contribution to the project, and the number of jobs and the arrangements will be announced as soon as a decision has been made.
See the announcement on the website of the Cabinet Office.
2,500 summer jobs for students
The government intends to reach the group of students who do not get a job or access to another resource this summer and will allocate nearly 2.4 billion kr. to an initiative to increase temporary jobs for students. The aim is for the initiative to create around 2,500 temporary jobs for students aged 18 and over, in collaboration with public institutions, local authorities and non-governmental organisations. Each new student hired through the scheme receives a grant equivalent to full-time wages in accordance with current collective bargaining agreements, up to the maximum amount of income-related unemployment benefit, which is up to 472,000 kr. per month, plus a 11.51% contribution to a pension fund. The employment period is up to two and a half months. The progress of this project will then be closely monitored to ensure that students are not left without employment and a means of support over the summer.
350 students receive a grant for innovation
The Student Innovation Fund recently allocated 311 million króna to tackle unemployment and support student innovation. The fund's aim is to give universities, research institutions and companies the opportunity to hire undergraduate and postgraduate students for summer work on research and development projects. This time, 206 projects were awarded a grant, and 351 students are therefore registered to participate, for a total of 1,037 person-months.
Summer study 2021 guaranteed
The government intends to provide a total of 650 million kr. to ensure the provision of summer courses this summer; 500 million kr. will go to universities and 150 million kr. to further education colleges. The 2020 summer programme proved beneficial for many and helped to prevent unemployment. A wide variety of courses were on offer, with over 650 students attending courses run by 10 upper secondary schools and nearly 5,000 students attending around 260 courses run by the universities. The detailed arrangements and availability for the 2021 summer school will be announced in the coming days. The plan is for schools to offer short, practical courses, bespoke work-based introductory courses, and bespoke Icelandic courses for students whose mother tongue is not Icelandic.
Powerful levelling tool
Work is also continuing on increasing the basic maintenance allowance for students from the Student Loans Company. The maintenance allowance for student loans has risen above inflation, but has not kept pace with the full increase in purchasing power. Work is underway to bridge this gap, and it is planned to take important steps in this regard in the coming weeks. Proposals on the matter will be presented to the Minister of Education and Culture by 1 May.