The students in the innovation studio

Summer jobs for students and entrepreneurs increased in Hafnarfjörður between the spring and autumn terms, particularly among those aged 18 and over. This is a summer employment initiative by the City of Hafnarfjörður, in response to the current economic situation, in collaboration with the Vinnumálastofnun (Labour Office). Part of this group settled into an innovation studio at the Learning Centre by the stream, where they undertook a variety of enjoyable summer jobs, e.g. in the fields of environment and operations, information technology, education, family affairs, cultural affairs and a healthy community, in the field or in other council premises. Several young people spoke about what they were involved in.

The local newspaper Hafnfirðingur produced material on several illustrative and fun projects in collaboration with the summer staff at the innovation lab.  

Starkaður Pétursson

Starkaður Pétursson, also known as Starki, is a lively and entertaining person with great dramatic talent, who is studying at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. This is not the first time he has worked for the town, as he has also held a summer job at the Hafnarfjörður Museum of Local History, where he excelled on the museum's social media. This summer, Starki worked on sorting over 30,000 photographs for the town, tagging them correctly and making them easier to access and search for by specific keywords. „The work was both enjoyable and challenging, but of course, it's a great responsibility to have photographs like these in your hands. Some of the photos are over 20 years old, so they are a real treasure trove. We went through and sorted hundreds of photos a day, and for work like that, it's good to have a good podcast on.“

Snædís María Ásgeirsdóttir

Snædís María Ásgeirsdóttir will turn 23 this year; she is studying financial economics at the University of Iceland and has one year left. Snædís is cheerful, upbeat and ambitious. When she is not working hard for her town, she can be found in her kitchen or running around Lake Vífilsstaður. „My job involved calling the town's creditors. I made it easier for them to send electronic invoices to the town. The job was really nice, with a lot of independence and flexibility in the workplace.“

Svala Birna Þórisdóttir

Svala Birna Þórisdóttir is a keen sportswoman. She has been playing handball for many years and finds few things more enjoyable than going for a swim in the Suðurbæjarlaug on a sunny day. „Although I find swimming terribly boring, it's the hot tubs I'm after.“ Svala is 20 years old and is studying for a degree in Statistics and Data Processing at the University of Iceland, which is part of the Department of Applied Mathematics. She worked with the council's human resources team, creating training materials, among other things. This included training materials on recruitment processes, induction, and guides for Workplace and Office 365. „The job was enjoyable but at the same time very demanding. It required working independently and creative thinking.“ She has previously worked for the council at the Þyt Sailing Club and on the playground. 

Hlynur Jóhannsson

Hlynur Jóhannsson is a 23-year-old, very creative summer employee who is studying Business Administration at the University of Iceland. His role involved, among other things, coming up with creative ideas for the City of Hafnarfjörður's health promotion. Hlynur also categorised over 30,000 photographs for the municipality with Starkaður Pétursson, tagging them correctly and making them easier to access and search. „The job was challenging and varied. I love jobs that make me use my creativity, so I was delighted with this role. The colleagues were fun and the work was challenging. Hafnarfjörður is an incredibly beautiful and fun town. The people are friendly and open“. In his free time, Hlyn enjoys playing the guitar and heading out to the football pitch with good friends. He also likes to take a stroll through Hellisgerði, where he finds a certain peace and quiet. He was previously the shift manager at the reception of Hotel Saga.

Ragnar Már Jónsson

Ragnar Már Jónsson will turn 23 this year and has just completed a degree in Tourism Studies from the University of Iceland. This autumn, he plans to start a master's degree in innovation and business development. He also studies saxophone at the FÍH Music School. His dream is to travel to New Zealand and to the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but also to play for Bó [Björgvin Halldórsson]. Ragnar is cheerful and good-natured, and his work involved working on Hafnarfjörður's tourism, conducting a market analysis of the future prospects and opportunities for Hafnarfjörður as a tourist destination. „I conducted surveys, analysed data and then worked on updating various things, including service information at the information centre and information on Visit Hafnarfjörður, Visit Reykjavík and Visit Reykjanes. The work was very enjoyable and flexible. It's a good platform for young people to gain knowledge and experience in their field, and the work has practical value for the City of Hafnarfjörður, which is great.“

Maria Björk Ásgeirsdóttir
Maria Björk Ásgeirsdóttir is 35 years old and is studying for a teaching degree at the University of Akureyri. She is a keen sportswoman, with a great interest in basketball, which she played for more than 25 years. Maria works in two roles that involve older people, both for a senior citizens„ association and at Hjallabraut, a residential complex for older people. There, she was in charge of activities for senior citizens, particularly for those who had been in day care at Sólvangur. Due to the pandemic and Covid-19, there has been no group activity for a long time. What María and her colleagues provide for the residents is the pleasure of being amongst people and also to encourage them to leave the house, as many had been confined indoors for a long time. “I have worked for the City of Hafnarfjörður a few times before and have always enjoyed it. The older people are keen to chat about all sorts of things, and the conversations are varied. I have worked with a wide age range, and working with older people is a real joy; they have such great stories to tell. They have all lived through so many different times, and it's so enjoyable and interesting to hear their stories.". 

Patrekur Ingi Sigfússon

Patrekur Ingi Sigfússon is a 20-year-old university student at the University of Reykjavík, studying computer science. The course was therefore a perfect fit for his job with the City of Hafnarfjörður, which was web publishing. This mainly involved programming. This is his first job as a programmer, and he has done very well. „It's been fun but challenging, and the projects are interesting. I love being able to apply what I'm learning at university to my work. I would recommend the job. Both the working conditions and the atmosphere are very good.“ When Pétur wasn't busy programming for the City of Hafnarfjörður, he was with his nose in his books studying, as he was attending summer school at the same time. Pétur is a keen sportsman and is very interested in being outdoors, going for walks, being by Lake Hvaleyrarvatn, and so on. His main future plan is to finish school. „After that, many opportunities will undoubtedly be open, and therefore it's impossible to know how or where that will lead.“.

An article about some of the summer staff's projects was published in the Hafnfirðingur on 16 August 2020.