Julie was a freelance archaeologist, but a new attempt gave her career an unexpected twist

Julie Størup is wearing yellow plastic gloves as she sorts soil from an excavation in Randers.

As a trained archaeologist, she is in her element. The image she presents is several years old.

Julie Størup shovels soil from an excavation site in Randers while working as an archaeologist. (© (c) private photo)

Since then, her career has taken an unexpected turn.

It began with a pregnancy and many thoughts about how the jobs as an archaeologist often only lasted a few months at a time.

So after Julie Størup was unemployed for a year, she agreed to participate in a new pilot project, which aims to qualify young unemployed individuals for sectors with a need for new competencies.

This gave her a job in a sector she had never considered before – at the construction company HUJ A/S.

"It wasn't quite the construction industry I thought I would end up in," says Julie Størup.

But the construction industry, like many others, is facing challenges in these years.

Increased documentation requirements, reporting, and the green transition are placing significant demands on companies that often do not have employees with the right competencies for these types of tasks.

At the same time, companies are under pressure from technological leaps and global competition.

--------------------------

In need of a helping hand

--------------------------

Therefore, DI Byggeri Østjylland, Aarhus Jobcenter, and VIA University College have designed a new pilot project to show that help can be found if companies go new ways and recruit employees with completely different educational backgrounds than what is normally seen in the construction industry.

>

> In my world, there is a need for more of these types of projects just to

> get the doors open.

> Kasper Høegh, HUJ A/S

Over the past 11 weeks, 24 candidates with various educational backgrounds have been in a practical and educational program at VIA University College and ten companies to help them meet the extensive reporting requirements.

Currently, 14 of the 24 candidates have found jobs, and more agreements are expected to be reached in the near future.

During Julie Størup's program, she discovered that there is not necessarily a long way from archaeological work to a job as a quality coordinator in a construction company.

"I am used to collecting data, structuring data, and documenting things all the time. So I eventually realized that this job fits well with some of the things I have previously worked with," says Julie Størup.

Even though she was clear that it was the end of archaeology, a new job did not come easily. And if it is to be found in a completely new sector, there is a need for a helping hand, thinks Julie Størup.

"The difficult process is finding the right match when you have an unconventional CV. Here, the pilot project has helped create a framework for finding a concrete place," says Julie Størup.

In HUJ A/S, she now functions as a liaison between the worker on the construction site and the project leader and ensures that each construction project meets a series of high quality requirements.

"I set it up in a system, and then the worker knows how to ensure that there is control over the various processes," says Julie Størup.

From July 1, she can even look forward to the fact that her work tasks may expand. The requirements for construction companies' climate documentation are sharpened significantly.

All new construction projects must now be able to document their CO2 footprint.

-----------------------

Sharpening the company's profile

-----------------------

In HUJ A/S, project leader and financial director Kasper Høegh notes the increasing documentation requirements. He also notes that there is no education tailored specifically for this type of job in the construction industry.

Therefore, the Aarhus pilot project has also been crucial for the company to find a candidate like Julie Størup with the right competencies.

"In my world, there is a need for more of these types of projects just to get the doors open."

"For my part, it has really changed the perception of what kind of profiles we should have on board for these tasks," says Kasper Høegh.

Kasper Høegh is very pleased to have recruited Julie Størup through the new pilot project. (Photo: © Theis Lange, DR)

He does not hide his hope that HUJ A/S can distinguish itself in the construction industry by having recruited Julie Størup – and that it can give some advantages in competition with other companies.

"We want to be a pioneering company, and if we can already deliver something now that we may not necessarily be obligated to, it may put us in a better position in a competitive situation," says Kasper Høegh.

Julie Størup hopes that the pilot project can spread across the country, and that other unemployed academics will open their eyes to the fact that there are new paths to take.

"It has been important to get the opportunity to come out and try it out and get someone to see what I am actually good at, and whether I can actually do something, even if it says something else on the CV," she says.

The pilot project is currently being evaluated, but the organizations behind it are already evaluating whether it has shown its qualities and potential to be scaled up to more regions in Denmark.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.