The municipal council in Skagafjörður has offered to oversee the expansion of vocational education premises at Fjölbrautaskóli Norðurlands vestra (Comprehensive College of North-West Iceland) so that work can get under way.
Extensions to four vocational schools to expand their trades education departments have been delayed. In spring 2023, Ásmundur Einar Daðason, then minister of education and children, announced plans to build 12.000 to 16.000 square metres for vocational education across the country. Work began at Fjölbrautaskólinn í Breiðholt (Comprehensive College in Breiðholt), but vocational schools outside the capital area are still waiting.
In order to facilitate work and speed up development, people in Skagafjörður and the management of FNV (Fjölbrautaskóli Norðurlands vestra, Comprehensive College of North-West Iceland) have suggested to the ministry that they oversee the project.
Sigfús Ingi Sigfússon, municipal manager of Skagafjörður, says that,
We at the municipality have offered that, in order to speed matters up, we could go down that route. There is authorisation for that when it is a joint project between the state and municipalities, that municipalities may oversee the project.
It was originally hoped to begin work in Sauðárkrókur this winter, but that has been delayed. The same is true of Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri (Vocational College in Akureyri), Menntaskólinn á Ísafirði (Upper Secondary School in Ísafjörður) and Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja (Comprehensive College of Suðurnes).
Every year, many hundreds of students are turned away from vocational education and teaching takes place in temporary facilities, storage rooms and portable classrooms.
The headteacher of Fjölbrautaskóli Norðurlands vestra and the municipal manager of Skagafjörður have twice met Inga Sæland, minister of education and children, about FNV matters.
“We have had very positive and constructive co-operation and dialogue with the ministry and I expect that there will be good news coming out of it shortly. I just felt a really great interest from her in speeding this up as much as possible,” says Sigfús.
When the vocational education building at FNV was expanded in 2010, the municipality also oversaw the project on behalf of the state and the municipality, with good results.
Source: Ruv.is
