COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND INDUSTRY

Cooperation between school and industry

There has been an urgent need for more science students in Norway in recent decades. After many years of little interest and little recruitment, the trend now seems set to turn. According to the Rector of Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Torbjørn Digernes, the number applicants for scientific studies has risen steadily in recent years, suggesting that we are on track. Veidekke is dependent on scientific expertise, and has a number of cooperation agreements with schools and educational institutions in Norway to better attract this expertise to the industry. In the next three years we will, for example, fund two research assistant positions at NTNU, programmes in the study of construction and environmental engineering. One of the positions is geared towards the field of design management; the other is aimed at participative planning and knowledge of project-based manufacturing. The positions are part of the NTNU project Future Building Study, which will work to ensure that institutions educate a sufficient number of civil engineers with the expertise and quality the construction industry requires. The programme will be research based, and on a high international level. The project is an extension of the subject "Project Management", which Veidekke took the initiative to begin in 2008 and in which Veidekke aids in teaching.

At the beginning of the year, Veidekke had 9 agreements with various schools and institutions of higher education in Norway. The agreements are geographically disperse, and are linked to schools near Veidekke's local operations. We are also working with the non-governmental international organisation "Young Enterprise", to encourage closer collaboration between schools and business; and we sponsor HM Aarhønen - Association of Construction and Environmental Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.