How facts contribute to the right education in Norrbotten

How do we ensure that education and training actually meet the needs of the labor market both today and in the future? For Region Norrbotten, the answer is clear, we do it through fact-based analyses and broad collaboration.

All regions have a statutory mandate to assess the county's skills needs in both the public and private sectors. In Norrbotten, long-term work is underway to build a sustainable structure for this in close collaboration with municipalities, education actors and the business community through the project Kompetensarena Norrbotten.

– In order to prioritize correctly, we need data that reflects Norrbotten's actual skills needs, both today and in the longer term, says Vera Westerlund, skills supply strategist, Region Norrbotten.

From needs to educational offerings

The regional needs assessments are a tool for creating an educational offer that better matches the needs of the labor market. The regions are tasked with contributing analyses to the National Agency for Education and the Swedish Agency for Vocational Education. This information influences decisions about which upper secondary school programs, vocational college programs, and adult vocational education programs can be started, as well as the levels of government subsidies.

– Without regional input, there is a risk that decisions will be based to a greater extent on national forecasts that do not fully capture Norrbotten's special conditions. Our perspective is crucial for the education offering to match the needs of the labor market and contribute to the county's development, says Vera.

Facts become local development

The data is also used regionally to create better conditions for educational planning and development. An important part of the work is to feed the results back to the municipalities so that planning and prioritization can be based on local needs and conditions.

– This can involve everything from investments in learning centers as important local actors to develop educational solutions and meet skills development needs to collaborative efforts to attract more residents to Norrbotten. The results also help us decide which projects will receive money from the region to secure skills in both companies and public services, says Vera.

The analyses are also used to set direction for regional skills supply work. An action plan is currently being developed by Region Norrbotten together with the Public Employment Service, Luleå University of Technology, the Office for Transition and Matching, the Regional Council for Adult Education, the Norrbotten Entrepreneurs Association, the Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce and the municipalities of Norrbotten, linked to the Norrbotten Strategy 2040.

Text: Charlotte Norenius Högnelid

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