Making cities more sustainable and colourful

Previous successful projects

Cool color was set up by Måleriföretagen i Sverige (an industry and employers organization with the task of developing the professional painting in Sweden). The project was started because very few were choosing a painting career, despite the steady high demand.

Måleriföretagen i Sverige has been running painting projects for a very long time

The very first project was organized in conjunction with the 1995 World Championships in Athletics that was hosted by Gothenburg. At the time, the painting industry was in a recession and many painters were out of work. The project commissioned painters to paint different parts of Gothenburg in preparation for the World Championship. Accordingly, jobs were created and it helped turn the recession around.

Since then, Måleriföretagen has run several integration projects, led by Erling Zandfeld, in both Sweden and Estonia.  The national organisation has stood behind it all, making it very clear that integration projects are an important component of its operations. It has also issued a directive on the importance of continuing such development projects.

Let´s colour Gothenburg

Cool color has evolved from our Swedish organization; Let’s Colour Gothenburg. Work-based learning has been tested in several small-scale Swedish cities, with successful results. In 2016, the project received an EU grant to implement Let’s Colour Gothenburg on a larger scale.

The goal was clear: to get 100 youth into real, long-term jobs as painters by 2021 (the year that Gothenburg celebrates its 400th anniversary).

The method applied in Gothenburg involves, in the first stage, giving youth a taste of what it’s like to work in the painting industry, all under the supervision of an instructor. The work involves not only such things as renovating an apartment, but also decorative painting like mural artwork.

Those who show a real interest in the profession might be encouraged to enroll in an adult education programme that will certify them as a professional painter. Certification comes in the form of an apprenticeship journal that is decisive in getting these youth employment with a painting company.

Learn more about the project at sattfargpa.se