Good collaboration between the business community and schools in Sauðárkrókur
Students in the woodworking department of the Northwest Iceland Comprehensive College in Sauðárkrókur build houses from the ground up and install the interiors in close cooperation with the industry. Iðan went on-site and spoke with Óskar Már Atlason, head of the FNV Woodworking Department:
“This keeps us on our toes and we graduate students who are ready to go straight to work,” says Óskar Már, as part of the carpentry program at the Northwest Iceland Comprehensive College in Sauðárkrókur involves building timber houses in collaboration with local companies.
“By doing it this way, we are essentially always keeping up with the times. We get the new materials that the contractors are working with and the latest things on the market. They are often trying something out themselves and test it here, and we attend courses with them. This keeps us on our toes, the students on their toes, and when students leave us, they are ready to go straight to work,” says Óskar Már, who describes the program as exciting for everyone involved and constantly evolving. The collaboration involves the department's teachers handling the teaching and supervising the students' work, while the companies provide all materials, drawings, and also manage construction supervision and master craftsman responsibility.
Demand for the school is high, and the department is fully enrolled in both the day school and weekend program.
Students build the houses from the ground up and often get to do the interior fittings as well. Óskar Már says it is very important to have diverse and ever-changing projects.
