SAO-jobs makes paid work part of the school week, helping students from underserved communities build the networks, experience, and confidence that too often determine a young person's future.
TURNING JOBS INTO A TOOL FOR INCLUSION
After meeting more than 12,000 teenagers in Sweden’s underserved communities, SAO-jobs founder Evin Cetin heard the same message repeatedly: if you want to help us, give us jobs. In a labour market where most positions are filled through personal networks, many young people risk inheriting a cycle of exclusion and unemployment simply because they lack professional connections. SAO-jobs tackles this challenge early. In participating schools, all Grade 8 pupils spend two hours each week in paid employment arranged through the municipality, gaining access to workplaces, colleagues, and opportunities that would otherwise remain out of reach.
A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOLS, MUNICIPALITIES, AND EMPLOYERS
What makes SAO-jobs distinctive is its systemic design. Municipalities source jobs from employers in both the public and private sectors, schools integrate work placements into the curriculum, and employers provide meaningful workplace experience. Pupils return to the same workplace each week, allowing them to build relationships, skills, and confidence over time. The model is backed by collective bargaining agreements and uniquely links continued employment to school attendance, creating a strong incentive for educational engagement. Designed for straightforward municipal adoption, SAO-jobs turns local government into an active bridge between schools and the labour market.
CREATING OPPORTUNITY THAT LASTS
SAO-jobs delivers immediate benefits through paid work experience, professional references, workplace skills, and self-earned income. For municipalities, it offers a practical, geographically targeted tool to reduce exclusion and strengthen pathways into employment. Following a successful pilot involving 100 pupils in Upplands Väsby and Sundsvall, the programme is expanding to more than 400 pupils across additional municipalities including Sundbyberg, Uppsala, and Västerås. Over time, the ambition is not only to improve outcomes for individual students but also to help employers recognise underserved communities as valuable sources of talent, skills, and future leadership.
