"Jobs on Trial" is a simulation of a court hearing with the aim of getting participants to think about an occupation and to challenge preconceptions about it. This spring we will try it out with restaurant professionals.

Created in France and used with different professions, we are developing the method in the Erasmus+ project Pathway to Hospitality, which aims to help alleviate the pan-European labour crisis in the hotel and restaurant sector.

Last week, we participated in a training session for hospitality ambassadors  in France with vocational teacher Heli Kakko and employer representative Kaupo Pastak (Saaremaa Veski, Naba), where we also played out a hearing in defence of the chef and restaurant service professions.

For the method to be successful, it is important to work in advance with the learners, who can take part in both the prosecution and the defence side and develop arguments for or against the profession. 

It is important that representatives of the employers or people who work at the jobs on are involved in both the preparation and the hearing. The Jobs on Tiral handbook stipulates that the final decision will always be aquittal of the job on trial.

Read Jobs on Trial handbook>link opens on new page

This spring we are testing this method here in Saaremaa with our local basic school pupils. A video clip will also be produced to introduce the Jobs on Trial tool.