On October 27, Sund & Bælt invited representatives and partners from the construction industry to the official opening of Campus Femern – a new residential and learning environment where apprentices working on the Fehmarnbelt project can live during their training on the construction of the world's longest immersed tunnel.
As the client of Denmark's largest infrastructure project in history, Sund & Bælt has a special obligation to strengthen the education of skilled labor. The purpose of Campus Femern is to create attractive surroundings where apprentices can live, learn, and grow – and hopefully attract more young people to pursue vocational education and become apprentices on the Fehmarnbelt project.
The campus is located in scenic surroundings close to the construction site and includes 24 housing units, a community house, a workshop, and training facilities. During the inauguration, Emilie Juel-Helwig, Sustainability Director at Sund & Bælt, emphasized the importance of actively incorporating apprentices into large construction projects.
"We know how significant the social aspect is for young people's choices and well-being during education. Therefore, we must meet their demands if we want to inspire more young people to pursue vocational education. I am proud that today we are officially opening Campus Femern, which we hope will set new standards for how we think about apprentices in future large-scale construction and infrastructure projects," said Emilie Juel-Helwig, Sustainability Director at Sund & Bælt, during the inauguration.
More Than Just a Roof Over Their Heads
Sund & Bælt has required contractors to deliver at least 500 apprentice-years during the project's construction phase. So far, 339 apprentice-years have been completed, meaning the project is more than halfway to its goal.
However, for some apprentices on the Fehmarnbelt project, the construction site in Rødbyhavn is far from their hometown. One of these apprentices is Sebastian Grønn, a blacksmith apprentice with the main contractor FLC.
"I’m from Silkeborg, so it means a lot to be able to live close to the workplace and also be part of a community. Here, I have my own housing and access to a gym, a TV lounge, and table tennis. It makes it easy to relax – and be social with the other apprentices when I feel like it," says Sebastian.
Also present at the inauguration was Søren Sand Kirk, Director of Danske Byggefag (Danish Building Trades), who gave a speech emphasizing the importance of the Campus Femern project.
"Here live apprentices who are far from home – from blacksmiths to crane operators to IT supporters. These are young people building the Denmark of the future. And they deserve the best framework. At Campus Femern, they get more than just a place to live. They gain respect for each other’s trades. They gain a sense of belonging. And friendships for life," said Søren Sand Kirk in his speech.
In addition to housing and various facilities, Campus Femern also includes a building with office spaces where different educational institutions and trade organizations will work alongside employees from Sund & Bælt.
About the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel
- The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel is being built as an 18 km long immersed tunnel for cars and trains, connecting Rødbyhavn on Lolland, Denmark, with the German island of Fehmarn.
- The tunnel will include a two-lane motorway in each direction and two electrified railway tracks for high-speed trains. The journey from Denmark to Germany will take 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train.
- Sund & Bælt, the client for the Fehmarnbelt connection, has required contractor consortia to deliver at least 500 apprentice-years during the construction period. So far, 339 apprentice-years have been completed.
