CO classes are given to refugees prior their departure to Norway. Each course consists of 20 hours of intensive CO training given over period of 4 days for adults aged 15 and above.

Children aged 8 to 14 years receive 2 days, a total of 10 hours, of CO training. The use of the refugees’ own language as the language of instruction maximizes effective learning.

The curriculum includes topics like resettlement process in Norway, climate, history, geography, housing, introduction programme, education, health care, employment, and other public services. Special attention is given to local customs of the accepted refugees that could be misunderstood or problematic in European / Norwegian culture. Such topics include gender issues, reproductive health issues and domestic violence.

The CO classes emphasize a participatory approach, are learner-centered, and combine discussions, visual teaching aids, theatre-for-development and learning through dialogue and case studies.

The CO's schedule for adult and children can be downloaded from IOM's Norway Publications