Collaboration across industry boundaries gives you the power to act

How can different industries, the county's municipalities and the Norrbotten Region help each other to solve the skills shortage in Norrbotten? That question was in focus when the construction industry, the tourism industry and the cultural and creative industries came together in a regional industry forum.

– We want to explore how we can work across borders for the county's skills supply. It's about finding new ways to collaborate, says Karin Erkki, project manager at Kompetensarena Norrbotten.

Region Norrbotten has a government mandate to strengthen collaboration in the county and one way to do this is through Kompetensarena Norrbotten. At a time when the need for skills is increasing due to industrial investments in the county, various activities are now underway to create new collaborations between different actors.

Shared challenges and new opportunities

During a workshop, both differences and similarities between the different industries were highlighted. Although the conditions vary, there are common challenges such as finding the right skills and making seasonal work more sustainable over time.

“It is important to understand each other's reality. Then we can also find common ways to work more strategically,” says Erik Hagnelöv, HR partner from Peab.

Peab highlighted examples of how seasonal work can be distributed across industries, which could lead to more people staying in the county year-round. Something that the tourism industry agreed with.

Swedish Lapland's CEO Annika Fredriksson works together with Leif Pääjärvi from Utbildning Nord during the workshop.

– We see a great need for cross-seasonal operations. It is important to be able to build and maintain expertise locally, collaboration is an important step to get there, says Annika Fredriksson, CEO of Swedish Lapland.

Facts as a basis

The conversations highlighted the importance of having relevant data. What do the county's employers need? What skills are missing? During the autumn, a skills survey will be conducted where all employers in the county are invited to show what skills they need.

“The results will be a valuable basis for our industry forums. It will also give decision-makers a better and fairer picture of the situation in the county,” says Karin Erkki, project manager.

You can read more about the mapping here.

Text: Charlotte Högnelid
Photos: Magdalena Ahnqvist Olsson

Kompetensarena Norrbotten is a project that aims to manage the county's increasing skills needs as a result of the extensive industrial establishment in Norrbotten.

The project is run by Region Norrbotten in collaboration with the county's municipalities and business companies, Akademi Norr and the Lapland Municipal Association. It is funded by the European Social Fund, ESF+.