- connecting people to create value -
Sammen om en jobbThe mentor program in Rogaland was established in September 2022. The program connects skilled immigrants seeking relevant employment with mentors from the local workforce who have a similar industry background.
We started with 5 members and a handful of newly recruited mentors. Today, we are a steadily growing community of candidates, dedicated mentors, and collaboration partners.
Our work in the region is producing results. The mentoring program facilitates between 40 and 50 mentor-mentee matches each year, supporting a more diverse and equitable workforce and helping to bridge the skills gap in the region.
In 2022, approximately 30% of our mentees found relevant work during the 6-month mentoring program.
In 2023, 37% of candidates found relevant work within the 6-month mentoring period. Another 6 months later, 50% of candidates had found relevant work in the region: at Equinor, the British International School Stavanger, NATO, Aider, OKEA, Baker Hughes, and Dynamo Analytics, to name a few.
In 2024, 50% of candidates found relevant work within 6 months.
Social Return on Investment
Sammen om en jobbWilstar’s social return on investment is around 8. That means that for every 1 NoK invested, 8 NoK in social impact is generated. Unsurprisingly, the largest gains come from increased income and increased tax payments. The image below is from Wilstar’s 2022 report on SROI. EY conducted an independent assurance of the figures.
Are you interested in how we calculate SROI?
Check out this article for a summary.
Who Are the Candidates in the Mentor Program?
While the reported percentages of key performance indicators that have been met are important, more information is needed to fully understand the program’s scope. The datasets below are from 2024, but the picture they paint has remained consistent over the past two years.
The typical skilled migrant job seeker in the Rogaland region ( Sammen om en jobb ) is a woman from a non-EU country. She lives in the Stavanger region because her partner works there, and she holds a master’s degree in engineering, business, or technology/IT. She is often a mother, but she is unlikely to have had a long career gap prior to relocating to Norway.
Our second-largest—and fastest-growing—member group in Rogaland is international students. They are typically resourceful young professionals with master’s degrees in engineering or business from the University of Stavanger, eager to join the Norwegian workforce.
Norway needs everyone to pitch in for the future. Supporting dual careers for those relocating internationally and helping international graduates find relevant opportunities are key to attracting and retaining global talent in the region. In addition, employing people who are already here is a sustainable use of available human resources.
I invite you to click through the slides below to learn: Who are our mentees? What are their professional backgrounds? Who finds work?
Collaboration Partners in Stavanger
One of the main challenges when figuring out how to enter the workforce in a new country is a lack of social and cultural capital. “Social capital” refers to who you know and what they can contribute in terms of information and influence. “Cultural capital” relates to how well you understand and interpret cultural values, norms, and expectations, and how you express your cultural identity. In practical terms, this can involve:
the ability to communicate and demonstrate skills and competence appropriately, for example through application materials
the ability to interpret cultural cues and act appropriately, for example in an interview setting or through online activity
gaining access to relevant industry-specific information and opportunities through relationships with other people
We strive to foster connections and serve as both social and cultural bridge-builders. Our collaboration partners contribute significantly to this work by participating in partner mentor programs. “ Sammen om en jobb ” matches volunteer employees from a partner company with suitable candidates through a fully coordinated, best-practice in-house mentor program.
With a collaboration partner mentor program, you can:
Gain access to new talent and new perspectives
Gain new insights into diversity, inclusion, and the candidate journey
Gain insights into structural inequalities in the hiring process and the relevance of variables such as ethnic and religious identity, gender, or visa status
Be a trailblazer for social sustainability
Let your employees volunteer as mentors: an engaging, meaningful, and motivating experience
Since 2023, we have run collaborative mentoring programs in Stavanger with Sval Energi and Worley Rosenberg:
Sval Energi’s mentor programs in 2023 and 2024 matched 31 mentor-mentee pairs. Today, 14 of those 31 candidates hold relevant full-time positions. Here’s a post on LinkedIn sharing some of Sval Energi’s key takeaways.
Worley Rosenberg’s mentor program in 2024 connected 12 mentors and mentees. Five mentees found jobs during the six months of mentoring. Here’s a post on LinkedIn detailing the results.
The video below, created at a networking event hosted by Sval Energy, will give you an idea of how we work in collaborative partnerships and why people want to collaborate with us. You can also contact Program Manager Tone Indrelid in Stavanger, or click the button below for more information about partnership mentor programs.
Sammen om en jobb Stavanger's Events
Sammen om en jobb "i Stavanger" hosts monthly in-person events, funded by the City of Stavanger. Please click hereto view a full Sammen om en jobb list of events.
Want to join us?
Are you interested in learning more about Sammen om en jobb? Or perhaps in joining us as a member or a mentor? Welcome! Click the button below to learn more and sign up.
The fine print:
Sammen om en jobb is a membership organization. We charge 200 NOK for a 6-month membership. As a member, you are eligible to apply for a spot in the mentor program. The mentor program— Sammen om en jobb , in Rogaland—is free of charge for members. This is currently made possible by funding from the PA Foundation and Wilstar, as well as collaboration with local mentor program partners.