– What are your main duties?
– My main duties are administering the ‘Jobbsjansen’ grant scheme. The main goal of the grant scheme is to increase employment among stay-at-home immigrant women who are far from joining the labour market and need qualifications to get into work or ordinary education. I’m responsible for following up fifteen Jobbsjansen projects in four counties. I’m also working on the development of a new IT solution and am involved in preparing initiative proposals for 2024.
Besides this, I write management meeting items, respond to orders from the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion and plan several conferences and seminars, including IMDi’s largest annual conference with 500 participants.
– What do you like best about your job?
– First and foremost, I’m very interested in integration, diversity and inclusion. I love working in this area. It’s nice to be able to contribute to skills development and knowledge building in such an important field. And I appreciate having a knowledge-based job and the fact that reading research is part of my workday. Besides this, the contact with municipalities is a highlight of the job.
– Out of everything you learned at the Faculty of Humanities, what has been most useful to you in this job?
– I’m an immigrant myself and am passionately committed to increasing opportunities for immigrants in society. My education from the Faculty of Humanities has increased my understanding of my field – qualification of refugees, immigrants, immigrant women and diversity in working life – and enables me to view the area from several perspectives. Gender studies gave me insights into relevant topics, debates and theories within gender research, gender rights, equal opportunities, social disparities, different social categories and power disparities in society. This is useful in my job! I would also highlight as relevant the subjects that shed light on majority policy in its meeting with the Sami population, national minorities and immigrants. In short, the education has given me professional skills in what I’m passionate about: equal opportunities and rights in a diverse society.
The combination of gender studies, sociology and law has also helped me develop other important skills. Quantitative methodology and statistical analysis are useful for reading research and reports, and I have also learned to write well and comprehensibly, and to disseminate research.
Before I joined IMDi, I worked for the Norwegian Welfare and Labour Administration for nine years and my education has been, and is, an important tool in my career.
– What are your best tips for new students who are thinking about job opportunities after their studies?
– Multidisciplinary gender studies can be combined with a subject area and elective courses. Try to choose a subject you’re passionate about. Also try, early on, to think about where and what you want to work with and how you can use your education as a tool to find the job you want or dream of.
Queen Sossina Wacu Joramo
Subject:
Tverrfaglige kjønnsstudier
Interdisciplinary Gender Studies
Degree:
Bachelor's
Graduated:
2013
Position:
Adviser
Employer:
The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (imdi.no)