“Common challenges can lead to action”
Making the needs for skills in Norrbotten visible can lead to joint solutions and simplify the supply of skills for companies. This is according to Isak Vikman, CEO of Alteco System, who sees advantages in the work of Kompetensarena Norrbotten.
Isak Vikman, CEO Alteco System. Forum: Alteco System.
Alteco System offers engineering services and complete solutions within the industry, with a focus on project and design management in technology-intensive projects. CEO Isak Vikman believes that most companies in the industry have challenges recruiting certain skills in Norrbotten.
– Technology companies like ours need the right skills to match customers' needs. If we look at the education side, there are certainly various areas that can be improved. In smaller towns where there are no universities, one possibility could be to have more short, targeted training courses aimed at local needs, for example design training courses within the various disciplines. This will lower the threshold for training, or retraining, says Isak.
During the autumn, Kompetensarena Norrbotten will map the real skills needs in the region. Employers and entrepreneurs will be asked to answer a survey about their needs for skills development, recruitment and training. The answers will form the basis for concrete measures to meet the major challenge of skills supply that the entire region is facing.
“It would be good if several companies responded to the survey. If it turns out that the needs correlate, more targeted investments, for example in education, can be made,” says Isak.
Text: Stina Engman, Brightnest
About the survey
The survey is digital and will be conducted in the fall of 2025, starting in October.
Here you can find more information about the survey.
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+.