Owner of Frode Laursen creates new transport subject for boarding school students

Dyslexic students at Hjembæk Efterskole in West Zealand now have the opportunity to explore a brand-new subject within transport and logistics. This has been made possible through support from the ATTA Foundation, established by the family behind Frode Laursen.

With funding from the ATTA Foundation, the school has invested in ATVs and truck simulators – tools that make it possible to create a new subject focused on transport and logistics, which the school would otherwise not have been able to afford, explains Deputy Headmaster Thomas Vinther.

− All of our students struggle with dyslexia and have often experienced setbacks in the school system. They learn best through hands-on, experience-based activities, and this new subject is a perfect fit for their needs. That’s why we are so pleased to be able to offer it. It is a tangible investment in their future, says Vinther.

A personal commitment
Behind the ATTA Foundation are Thorkil Stæhr Andersen and Annie Stæhr Thomsen, who, together with their daughters, own Frode Laursen and other companies in the transport and logistics sector.

− For more than 35 years, we have run businesses within transport and logistics. In connection with a generational change, we established the ATTA Foundation, which co-owns TA Logistics A/S and owns companies such as Frode Laursen A/S, Skanol A/S, and Kaj Madsen A/S. We believe that the transport industry offers excellent career opportunities, even for people with dyslexia, they explain, as Thorkil Andersen continues:

− I am dyslexic myself, and Annie, as a former upper secondary teacher, has met many children struggling with dyslexia. We know how many obstacles it creates and how painful it can be. But we also know how far you can go with the right support and tools. That’s why we want to help others find their place in life and give them hope for a good future, Thorkil explains.

A possible turning point
As the first in their families to complete an education, Thorkil Andersen and Annie Stæhr Thomsen know the profound difference an education – whether vocational or academic – can make. And for the students, the new subject may also become an important step towards confidence and further education, says Thomas Vinther.

− The teaching gives students academic success and personal growth. They experience that they can succeed – something many of them have never felt before. It builds self-confidence, and for several, the course becomes a turning point, where they can see themselves as part of an educational community and in a future working life, he concludes.