KBT vocational school halfway through the first semester
A journey
Almost one year after KBT got accredited vocational school education, our first class is just about to complete their first exam, and what a journey it has been.
Many people have shown interest in our new education program, and this fall we started up with classes. We are pleased to announce that we have filled up the first course with engaged students. Now we’re looking forward to next years admission.
One of our eager students is Linda. She had actually been looking for an opportunity like this for a couple of years. When she discovered KBT vocational school for peer support she got really excited, and now she’s even deputy student representative in the school board.
– This is exactly what I want to do!
Linda has high hopes for her future, and wishes to use her lived experiences in a job after she graduate from our study program.
Important offer
KBT’s ambition is that this education can create recognition for the value of user experience as an important tool for health services to provide a better offer to the patients. Moreover, in terms of career, we hope this education may give an entry into working life, create new position and better working conditions for our students. As several of our students have expressed, the opportunity to help others based not on professional expertise alone but also on real life experiences, is of great importance to them.
Experience consultant is a quite new profession in Norway, but we believe it has an essential place for future working life and will become a common profession within the services. KBT sees the value of letting people in crisis meet others who have been there themselves. In that way patients and other receiving support for mental health issues or drug problems may feel less lonely and inferior as they are met by equals. Of course we all should meet each other as equals, but as we know there are still stigmas, both in the society as a whole and in the health care systems.
Digital classes
KBT vocational school was always meant to be conducted mostly digitally, with some few physical assemblies. Due to this year’s events with Covid-19, physical meetings have of course been harder to organize.
A few weeks ago, we were able to invite some of the students to our new classroom in Trondheim. The situation in Norway was safe enough to let people visit our office space, which was highly appreciated by our students.
This gave us the opportunity to try out the technical facilities we have installed. With half and half digital and physical attendance of both students and teachers, this was a fun challenge for our staff.
New school, new staff
KBT is on a good wave these days. We have a new education program, new staff members and a lot of good projects going on.
One of our new employees is Anne. She’s been doing a great job administrating the vocational school. A lot had to come into place this fall, from technical structures to administrative tasks.
– It’s been like jumping into cold water. You get warm after a while. I have been able to use plenty of the knowledge I had from other jobs. The difference is, previously I got things served on a silver platter, in this job I get to help creating. That is very fun and refreshing!
Half way through first semester
Now we have completed several weeks of teaching our eager students. Headmaster Karl Johan says it has been a success.
– Given the situation in March, we were in doubt if we could manage this, but I think we have managed very well!
Our students have written their first papers, and there have been some great lessons these last few weeks. In addition to theoretical classes, some of the subjects are practical. In that way the students get practical training at the same time as they learn new theory. We think this is a good way to learn how theory and practice go hand in hand.