Introduction

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Over the next few years, StudentPulse will participate in a new ground-breaking project at SOSU Østjylland to increase wellbeing, retention, and implementation among students at SOSU Østjylland.

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Two significant societal challenges underlie our collaboration with Aarhus Municipality, SOSU Østjylland, and CompanYoung (Elevaid):

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• Workforce shortages in the welfare sector

• Dissatisfaction among young people

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Challenge

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Just like in the rest of Denmark, Aarhus Kommune faces a shortage of skilled workers. They've been experiencing difficulty attracting employees with the right skills, particularly within the social, health, and nursing sectors. Therefore, they need to get more hands to solve the tasks in the municipal and regional welfare areas so that citizens can get the help and support they need.

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SOSU Østjylland is a prominent educational institution that is a significant source of skilled labor to Aarhus Municipality. However, the dropout rate due to student dissatisfaction at SØSU Østjylland varies between 10% and 15% today.

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With a collective understanding of dissatisfaction as both professional challenges as well as personal and social challenges, this project has a consistent focus on identifying students at risk to increase their well-being and thereby also increase retention. Specifically, the 2023-2026 project must contribute to a substantial increase of 150 graduating students from SOSU Østjylland.

Implementation

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Recognizing that early and preventive measures are the most effective to prevent dissatisfaction so that the dropout rate is reduced and students remain in vocational education, SOSU Østjylland implemented StudentPulse.

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It is crucial that SOSU Østjylland has the opportunity to identify students' need for support as early as possible, and our micro-measurement tool has been enabling students to complete quick check-ins monthly via their mobile phones, where they answer questions about their personal, social, and academic well-being.

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This allows the school to quickly and proactively identify and support vulnerable and at-risk students, helping them to complete their education. Elevaid's counseling services supplement this initiative by offering online sessions addressing various challenges, including stress, anxiety, and motivation.

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Through the micro-measurements, we can quickly connect students directly to support services. This means that the support initiative takes on a preventive nature, where we assist before challenges become overwhelming and potentially lead to drop out. It's particularly the students who 'fly under the radar' today that we aim to help faster—such as students lacking resources to seek help or those ineligible for SPS support (social pedagogical support).

Nikolaj Schlüter, founder of Elevaid and Head of Experience at CompanYoung

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Results

Results so far indicate that approximately 8% of students accept support based on their responses in the micro-measurements, leading to prompt phone contact and scheduling of sessions. This way, dissatisfaction is detected and acted upon quickly so that the support effort becomes preventive. Moreover, around 90 educators participated in workshops, enhancing their skills in analyzing and utilizing well-being data effectively.

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Two of the big problems of this time: dissatisfaction among young people and recruitment of staff for the welfare areas, call for new, non-traditional collaborations, and social investments are one of the solutions. I have great expectations that the project with SOSU Østjylland will create a new path that benefits the young people, the school and the municipality.

Jacob Bundsgaard, Mayor of Aarhus Municipality

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This innovative collaboration exemplifies the power of social investment to address societal challenges. By fostering well-being and supporting students, this project aims to retain students and create a conducive learning environment for future graduates.You can hear more about the project in a feature by TV2 Østjylland here.