In Kolding Municipality, we want to empower women with other ethnic backgrounds so that they can become an active part of our labour market. But how do we help women, who often do not speak Danish, to gain both the courage and the necessary qualifications to enter the Danish labour market?
Sheworks Atelier began as a research project at Design School Kolding in collaboration with a group of immigrant and refugee women outside the labour market. But instead of focusing on the barriers that often deter them from job opportunities — such as language challenges and lack of formal skills — we used design thinking to focus on women's strengths: their craft skills.
Through the project, the women were given the opportunity to participate in tailor-made upskilling courses, where they were matched with craft tasks that suited their professional level and gained new skills that strengthened their ability to enter the labour market.
At the end of the project, Kolding Municipality, Design School Kolding, FOF and Flexfabrik jointly established Sheworks Atelier. Today, the atelier operates as an independent design company that “upcycles” discarded textiles into handmade design products with high aesthetic value. The products are sold by design shops and museum shops, among others.
Sheworks currently employs xx employees, while other women who have completed the upskilling courses continue their careers in other industries such as pedagogy.
After the course, 38 per cent of the participants have entered work or started an education.
In addition, the project contributes to the circular economy. By recycling surplus materials from the textile industry, Sheworks Atelier saves the environment approximately 30 million kg of CO₂ annually.
