When the state-owned construction company behind the Fehmarn link puts tasks out to tender, it is often contracts for three-digit million sums that involve large constructions or facilities. But the latest tender from Femern A/S is in a somewhat different category.
Will invest up to DKK 2.7 million
Femern A/S will invest up to DKK 2.7 million in developing a learning concept with teaching material aimed at 6th and 7th grade. The material will present the construction industry and the career opportunities it offers through a series of engaging and educational activities based on the Fehmarn project.
– We need significantly more young people to apply for vocational training if we are to meet the demand for skilled labor in the construction industry. As a state-owned company and one of the largest builders’ organizations in Denmark, we feel a special obligation to make young people aware of how many exciting career opportunities the industry offers, says Oliver Sellner Vonsild, who heads the department for labor market relations and sustainability strategy at Femern A/S, in a press release.
Must reverse the trend
Only about a fifth of primary school leavers apply for a vocational education right from the 9th or 10th grade. That number has not moved appreciably in the last 20 years, and it is nowhere near enough to meet the demand in the construction industry. Femern A/S and Sund & Bælt hope that the new teaching material will be able to contribute to reversing that development.
TunnelTalents
The development project of the teaching material has the working title TunnelTalents. It will be a free offer for primary schools throughout Denmark. Part of the teaching will be able to take place at the Femernbyggepladsen at Rødbyhavn on Lolland. Therefore, it is also part of the task to develop a concept for field trips to the construction site and plan activities that can take place in the field.
Cannot solve the task alone
The project must be developed in collaboration with an external supplier. Therefore, Femern A/S is now putting the task out to tender.
– It is not a task we can solve alone. That’s why we’re looking for a supplier who understands the conditions of vocational education and has experience in creating engaging material that resonates with young people, says Oliver Sellner Vonsild from Femern A/S.
The plan is for the first students to be able to be taught how to become TunnelTalents in the 2024/2025 school year.
The tender can be seen here.
