For 23 years, Second Chance School in Norrköping has helped young adults to undergo individually designed vocational training. "Our goal is for them to be employable and able to move on to employment or want to continue studying when they are done here," says principal Ann-Sofie Björde.

The popular education program can be applied for by young adults who attend the high school's introductory program or who are long-term unemployed and lack a complete high school diploma. At Second Chance School, SCS, they can apply for a tailored vocational training in a selected workplace that is combined with the school's coaching and knowledge of the subject. Three days a week the students are out at their workplaces, the other two in the school facilities.

"The subject knowledge can be vocational theory such as food hygiene or truck driver theory. Whatever each individual needs to reach their individual goal. Over the years, SCS in Norrköping has developed a solid network of training places. We have contact with, for example, restaurants, glassworks, homes for the elderly, printers, dismantling companies, workshop companies, tire workshops and hotels," says Ann-Sofie Björde.

One of the school's supervisors designs a plan together with each student and then follows their various "steps" in the workplace and at school to ensure quality and that it leads to a diploma.

Biggest challenge as a teacher at SCS

Capturing the students' interest and getting them to discover what SCS is all about is a challenge for the teachers at the school. Many of the students have been sitting at home for some time before they come to SCS and then it takes work to make them believe in themselves and ignite the spark that there is a path for them that leads to work or further studies.

"We say that this school is harder than the regular school. A lot is required of our students. They are selected because they have applied here and been accepted. It is particularly important to tell them this. They have passed the selection process, which is not easy. We work with their self-confidence, self-awareness, health awareness and their social skills so that they eventually can enter adult and professional life," says Pierre Driscoll, one of the school's mentors.

His colleagues Gisela Lönn and Helene O´donoghue agree. Support, respect, interaction are all important parts of the program. The students need support regarding their well-being, housing situation, family, health, and finances. Everything around them needs to work in order for them to complete the training within the allotted time. An education takes approximately 1.5 to 2 years.

"They have not been able to enter the labor market and traditional studies are not relevant for them. That's when we come into the picture. It is also important to match the right company with the right student so that they become motivated and build up their own ambition," says Helene O'donoghue.

Every student who is approved and has completed his/her studies receives an education certificate that shows that they have reached their goal and have become employable in their profession.

"In 2022, 23 people finished their studies with us. Of those, eleven people went on to employment and six to further studies. 74% of the students reach the goals of their study plan. That is a good result, says Ann-Sofie Björde.

SCS in Norrköping, the first school in Sweden 

The European project SCS started in 1995. In 1998, the government of Sweden decided that Sweden would take part in the project, and in 1999 Norrköping was commissioned to participate in it.  Ann-Sofie Björde has helped start up SCS in Norrköping. Previously, she was a middle school teacher and worked in an area with many students who needed extra support. There began her interest in supporting those who need extra help.

Internship in Copenhagen

The school has students who each year do an internship in a different country, often in Denmark. The school usually rents a house or an apartment in Copenhagen for this.

"In the evenings after all the interns come home from their internship, we get together and cook and talk through their experiences. There can be nine different professions and internships, so it's exciting for everyone during this stay. We talk a lot about how important it is to take it seriously, both in terms of studies at school and their internships out in the working world, and about not "cut corners", says Pierre Driscoll.

Second Chance School is also a member of the European network E2C-Europe and within that there is the opportunity to participate in international contexts. The students are offered an internship abroad for a few weeks, or to participate in the annual "Youth Summit Meeting", a meeting where participants from Second Chance Schools throughout Europe participate.

"The E2C-Europe network is the silver lining for us. We meet colleagues and students in Europe through lifelong learning, studies, conferences and student internships. France has 139 schools and 15,000 students, Spain has 43 schools with 8,000 students and Portugal is a new country in this network. It opens up many opportunities and exchanges for us, which we must make use of," says Ann-Sofie Björde.

For one of their students, the change from sitting at home to going out into working life has been particularly fast. After a short time she was out on an internship in the hotel industry, since then things have only gotten better and better. She has discovered a lot of things about herself, including that she is good at working at a high pace and how important it is to take care of one’s health in order to be able to work hard. This summer she has a great chance to get a job. The long-term goal is to try working in Denmark, progress in the industry and eventually stand on your own two feet and become independent.

“When they complete their journey, as this training can be compared to, it is amazing. It is then that we have all succeeded in our goals," says Ann-Sofie Björde.