…Daniel is 17 years old and lives with his mother in [Denmark]. His school life was characterised by defeats and he was referred to as being unmotivated and tired of school. 2 years ago he was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome…
When Daniel had spent 6 months at home, his mother asked the local authorities for help. She could not cope with the fact that he was playing World of Warcraft 18 to 20 hours a day. Through the local authorities Daniel’s mother got in contact with Specialisterne…
Traineeship with NORDEN
…Through Frank [Paulsen, head of STU] and Specialisterne, Daniel was offered a traineeship with NORDEN.
Today, Daniel works 1 or 2 days a week in NORDEN’s IT Department solving tasks such as setting up and debugging PCs and laptops, testing computer screens, setting up iPhones as well as wireless networks on NORDEN’s owned vessels and assisting in internal movings.
A successful solution
“Daniel has solved several big tasks with great success. He is very skilled and interested in what we do. His work benefits the entire organisation and us in the department, because we now have more time to solve other tasks. He is a good boy and I hope that perhaps we can help him get an education,” says Sture Freudenreich [NORDEN’s Head of IT].
In addition to Daniel, NORDEN’s IT Department has hired Jonathan, who is also a trainee from Specialisterne. This solution means that time can be spent on development tasks instead of on routine tasks and it has been such a great success that Sture Freudenreich is considering hiring paid consultants from Specialisterne in the long term.
"Both Daniel’s and Jonathan’s special skills mean that we can safely delegate more and more tasks to them. The only thing we need to do is define the task to eliminate any doubt–and then the task is solved 100%. i am sure that other companies, but in particular other departments in NORDEN, can benefit from either trainees or consultants from Specialisterne. It is a question of getting rid of prejudice and remembering that the benefits outweigh the problems, says Sture Freudenreich.
Super cool
“It is super cool to be a trainee here at NORDEN. They take me seriously and allow me to do lots of things. For the first time in my life, I feel responsibility for the tasks I am given and towards the people I work with,” says Daniel, who - at the time of writing - has been a trainee in NORDEN for more than 6 months, still works every Thursday and Friday and may potentially continue for 3 years under Specialisterne’s traineeship programme.
emanating from Specialisterne’s special youth education programme (STU). As part of the programme, Daniel works as a trainee for 2 days a week (at NORDEN)…