“We have to stop talking about the refugee crisis”
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- Volvo has started an apprenticeship program where new arrivals combine studies with work, which has increased the chance of employment for 40 people since 2020.
- Pontus Berger at Volvo Car’s HR department believes that everyone is needed to meet the company’s future needs, and calls for an end to the discussion around the “refugee crisis”.
- Aftonbladet’s editorial page calls on other companies to follow Volvo’s example and for the Swedish government to show the same power of action and respect for diversity.
ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.
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fullscreen Volvo Cars has started an apprenticeship program for new arrivals. So far, 40 people have been recruited that way. Photo: Roger Lundsten / Schibsted
A couple of years ago, Volvo made a series of attention-grabbing commercials. Under the slogan “Made by Sweden”, the car brand appeared with stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedish House Mafia and Robyn. But it was the film about how people from different backgrounds went up to work at the Volvo factories in Gothenburg that had the greatest impact.
People shared the commercial in their feeds. It stood out that a large company in 2019 dared to stand up and say that Sweden is multicultural and that multiculturalism is good. Together we make Sweden a little better. Because no one else in the social debate had that message.
Apprenticeship program started
Nowadays, “Made by Sweden” is scrapped. But the philosophy that Volvo conveyed then still lives on today. This is shown by a hopeful report in Göteborgs-Posten.
Pontus Berger works in Volvo Cars’ HR department and had long thought about why it must take so long for new arrivals to get to work. He knew the system of apprentices that had been successful in Germany.
Said and done. In 2020, a program was developed where participants had to combine studies with jobs in production. Since then, 40 people have been employed that way.
“Everyone is needed”
– We have to stop talking about the refugee crisis. When we look at the recruitment needs that exist in the future, in the Torslanda factory, the new battery factory and with our friends at AB Volvo, we cannot afford for groups to stand on the sidelines. Everyone is needed, says Pontus Berger.
Selma Kaidi, from Algeria, is one of those who got a job through the apprenticeship program. She had been told that it was not possible to get a job in Sweden if she wears a hijab, a headscarf. But at Volvo the veil was no problem.
– No one at Volvo has said anything. No discrimination. Everyone respects each other, she tells Göteborgs-Posten.
The Swedish government could show the same power of action – and respect for people’s differences. Instead, they have actively chosen to talk about immigration as a problem.
Mismatch in the labor market
According to a current survey by Swedish Business Administration, one in four recruitments fails. The most common reason why recruitments fail is the lack of people with the right professional experience. There, politics must step in and offer better education so that people can be employed.
Companies can be inspired by Volvo Cars. Their apprenticeship program has not only been successful for the company which is standing strong, despite the recession. It has also given many new arrivals a chance to build their lives here in Sweden.
Employment leads to meaning and community. But also so that you pay taxes and maybe even get a villa, doggie and a Volvo. Imagine if Ulf Kristersson’s government could convey an equally positive message: everyone is needed in Sweden. But the will seems sadly lacking.