Elkjøp and Vålerenga Samfunn extend partnership on employability

Elkjøp and Vålerenga Samfunn extend partnership on employability

Elkjøp entered a silver partner at our member Vålerenga Samfunn. The new partnership is an extension of an already existing and successful collaboration in connection with the Jobbsjansen project.

Meaningful collaboration

Vålerenga Samfunn has collaborated with Elkjøp Ullevål on the project Jobbsjansen for several years. Jobbsjansen is a work training programme that helps young adults who are outside working life enter working life or return to school. The programme provides participants with mapping, skills development and has a large and holistic focus on personal development on the road to working life. Elkjøp Ullevål has hired three candidates who have come in via Jobbsjansen.

Elkjøp is now expanding its collaboration with Vålerenga Samfunn by Elkjøp Norway joining the foundation as a silver partner. This means that Vålerenga Samfunn receives support to finance and further develop the foundation’s four main projects: Vålerenga against racism, Jobbsjansen, Inclusion and NoAssets. The collaboration also sets a clear framework for agreements on work training under the auspices of the Jobbsjansen project for both parties.

The general manager of Vålerenga Samfunn, Jannicke Aas, is happy to have Elkjøp on board and that the company sees a value in taking greater social responsibility.

We are happy and proud that Elkjøp has now entered as a silver partner in Vålerenga Samfunn for 2021 and 2022. Elkjøp is already a proud partner of Vålerenga elite football, and that they are now expanding this collaboration to also apply to us in Samfunn, we put a great price on that. Elkjøp is concerned with taking social responsibility and we have many overlapping values ​​and thoughts. Elkjøp supports all our projects through its partnership, with a special focus on Jobbsjansen. They have a unique training and development programme for their employees, and they are willing to give employees an opportunity to grow internally in the company. They value qualities such as effort, mood and determination, and what is written on the CV is not necessarily the most important. These are values ​​we work a lot with in Jobbsjansen, and we are happy to have a solid and well-known company like Elkjøp on the team that is willing to give those who have fallen a little outside a chance.

From unemployed to valuable staff member at Elkjøp

Stian Lindseth (28) and Ahmed Nassir (26) are currently both employed by Elkjøp Ullevål, and have joined via Jobbsjansen. Before participating in Jobbsjansen in 2017 and 2018, both Stian and Ahmed had little work experience. On the other hand, they both had a lot of technical competence that they had acquired through hobbies.

Ahmed had built his own PC and taken a certificate in computer electronics in high school. Stian set up local servers in his spare time and explored his IT skills by, for example, getting the desktop PC at home to communicate with the laptop without cable. They have both also been involved in gaming which has also helped to develop their technical skills.

There is so much competition in working life. It was a bit frustrating to be unemployed. You do not know how to proceed to get ahead. I applied for many jobs before I joined Jobbsjansen, without success. Here at Elkjøp Ullevål, we can receive 100-200 applications for a job advertisement. It will be difficult to compete even if I had worked a lot on the PC at home somehow.

For me, it helped a lot to participate in Jobbsjansen and to get an internship at Elkjøp. It gave me something to do instead of sitting at home writing applications.

Stian Lindseth, Elkjøp Ullevål employee

Consider myself a different person today

Today, Stian is a full-time employee at Elkjøp Ullevål where he works in the support department. His tasks are mainly to work on PCs that customers submit with specific problems and setup of new PCs. Stian explains what the process he has been through has meant to him:

For my part, it has done a lot. I feel very lucky to have participated in Jobbsjansen, it was a bit like a rescue for me at that time. I consider myself a completely different person now than I was when I started in Jobbsjansen. Gained more self-confidence, more competence, and better social skills just by being in an environment with different people you must be able to interact with. I feel that I have developed a lot, and that the last four years have been significant. It has been a good year in Elkjøp.

Stian Lindseth, Elkjøp Ullevål employee

Works next to school

Ahmed explains that, like Stian, he also applied for jobs everywhere before joining Jobbsjansen in 2018. Today he works part-time 2-3 times a week in the shop at Ullevål next to his studies to become a computer engineer.

I feel lucky to have entered Elkjøp and participated in Jobbsjansen. On the job opportunity, I learned to get to know myself better and collaborate with others. It was instructive. Today I enjoy my job at Elkjøp.

Ahmed Nassir, Elkjøp Ullevål employee

Ahmed works to receive customers who come for complaints and support, and sometimes also as a technician for support.

Collective pride in getting people to work

Operating manager at Elkjøp Ullevål, Thomas Andersen, brags about Ahmed and Stian and can tell that they are good resources in the store.

The work tasks on support are just not that simple, and not for everyone. One must be focused and keep his tongue in his mouth. The impression I am left with is that it has been of great importance to them to be hired. I probably think that both the candidates, my leaders and myself feel a sense of pride. We are helping to get more people into work, and that is to the benefit of both us and them.

Thomas Andersen, Elkjøp Ullevål operating manager

Thomas further explains that in order to be employed by him, he looks for people who take the initiative, are conscientious and do the job they are assigned. When he admits candidates for work training, it lasts for three months, and a decision is also made on employment after that. Everyone goes through a training run that is under the auspices of the chain in addition to a local program for the store at Ullevål.

Want to give people a chance in a safe environment

Jan Erik Aaserød works in Elkjøp Norway as Head of HR and training. He explains that they in Elkjøp want to give people a chance, and that they have clear expectations that are easy to relate to.

When we search for people in Elkjøp, we look much more for who you are, than what you have done. When we hire, we are more concerned with commitment and motivation. In work training, they get to try themselves. Some do it well, others do not. I believe that the culture in Elkjøp with that competitive element can inspire many to give gas, as long as they have a safe environment around them.

Jan Erik Aaserød, Elkjøp Norway Head of HR and training

A good starting point for a safe environment is good training. Elkjøp spends a lot of resources on follow-up and training. There are extensive training processes that include onboarding programs and classroom training. The chain is concerned with inspiring and creating culture among the employees.

Fantastic recruitment channel

Taking candidates into work training and giving them an opportunity to show themselves can be valuable both at the individual and societal level. Jan Erik is concerned about the social responsibility the chain has throughout Norway to create a more inclusive working life, and wants to bring out the good examples to get more Elkjøp stores to recruit more through work training.

Getting people in through work training is a fantastic recruitment channel. By seeing the candidates in work training, we get to test them and they get to show themselves, a place to unfold and feel valuable. There are extremely many nice people who are unlucky and fall a little outside or lose motivation. With us, we can help to facilitate mastery and that people are motivated.

Jan Erik Aaserød, Elkjøp Norway Head of HR and training

Vålerenga Samfunn looks forward to the collaboration with Elkjøp and look forward to taking joint responsibility for helping even more people to work life in the years to come.