Activities in the innovation studio are off to a good start.
The number of summer jobs for students and entrepreneurs between courses, aged 18 and over, was greatly increased this summer, and a portion of the group has settled into an innovation studio at the Learning Centre by the Stream.
Summer jobs for students and entrepreneurs between courses, aged 18 and over, were greatly increased this summer, and a portion of the group has settled into an innovation studio at the Learning Centre by the Stream. This is a summer employment initiative by the City of Hafnarfjörður, in response to the current economic situation, in collaboration with the Vinnumálastofnun employment service.
The group working in the Innovation Studio this summer. Photo/OBÞ
„Hafnarfjörður's Town Council decided this spring to create 250 new jobs this summer due to the situation in society. We were allocated 160 positions by the Employment Authority and around 75 young students are now undertaking a variety of enjoyable summer jobs, such as in the fields of environmental and project management, information technology, and education, family affairs, cultural affairs and a healthy community in the innovation hub, in the field or in other council premises. The Hafnarfjörður Work Camp received other jobs and more to assign. The first started work about two weeks ago and the newest this week. “We are still taking on new people," says Ida, who will be based in the innovation studio this summer to support the group. In addition, the group has ready access to the project managers and other specialists within the municipality.
At the cottage. Photo/OBÞ
Did not foresee the scale of the municipality's operations
Ida was hired on a temporary basis by the Human Resources team of the City of Hafnarfjörður at the beginning of the year for a variety of projects, the most prominent of which was the implementation of a new learning management system to handle all training for the municipality's staff. Other interesting and challenging projects have also come up, including assisting with this special initiative. Previously, Ida was a manager, both at the Sjáland nursery school, which she founded in 2005, and at Arnarskóli, which she opened in 2017 with a great team. Arnarskóli is a primary school in Kópavogur for children with developmental disabilities. „I never realised before I came here just how much the council does. Part of implementing the training system is meeting with the council's managers, and through that I've gained an insight into their roles and responsibilities. There is so much fun and creative work going on everywhere, and at the same time, there are many challenges. I've only just moved to Hafnarfjörður, but I feel like I'm already part of this fantastic community. That says a lot about this town.“
Getting to know each other, chatting and sharing ideas
In the innovation studio, the young people, according to Ida, are working on all sorts of things. „They are tackling a very diverse range of projects, from exploring the design and construction of recreational equipment, health promotion in the House, opening a café, photography and looking at educational programmes, to analysing attitude surveys and research in various fields, mapping the Sustainable Development Goals, a needs analysis of the library, an assessment of outdoor areas and cataloguing at the Folk Museum. The initiative is linked to many of the City of Hafnarfjörður's departments. I have a feeling that this diverse group will do well and carry out their duties with enthusiasm. They are getting to know each other and finding their feet, as there is a requirement for independent working methods, as well as room for them to put their own stamp on the projects. We are very much looking forward to seeing the results in August when they submit their projects and present them to us,“ says Ida at last.
An interview with Ida was published in Hafnfirðinginn on 3 July 2020.