Make the industry visible to students
At the innovation camps, students get to work on real issues from the business world, while representatives from various companies contribute input along the way. Last year, Nutrimar, Cargill, Grieg Seafood, Patogen, Lerøy Seafood and NHH participated.
– We see that innovation camps are a great arena for increasing students' knowledge of the seafood industry and presenting the industry's opportunities to them, while also having great benefit for the companies involved , says Fride Iversen, Senior Project Advisor at NCE Seafood.
Upscaling from last year
Now Young Entrepreneurship Norway and NCE Seafood have signed a cooperation agreement for 2023, where more camps are planned than the previous year.
– At the camps, students really get to test their creativity on real issues, and we – and the counties – are looking forward to a new year with a focus on the seafood industry among young people, says Torild Nilsen Mohn, Head of Pedteam in Young Entrepreneurship Norway.
The goal for 2023 is to hold camps in Vestland, Rogaland, Møre og Romsdal, Trøndelag, Nordland and Troms and Finnmark this fall, a total of 10-15 camps.
– With around 100 students per camp, this means that up to 1,500 high school students will gain a better understanding of the industry, says Iversen.
– Relevant ideas can also be taken forward with the help of mentors from the business community, and further developed into student companies. It will therefore be very exciting to see what the students present , adds Mohn.
Extra focus on plastic
This year, the issues will also be linked to highly topical challenges facing the industry, for example, the seafood industry's challenges with plastic.
This autumn's innovation camp will also feature the Norwegian Trade Environment Fund as a partner. One of the issues that students can choose to solve will therefore be about the industry's plastic emissions and how to reduce them.
The goal of the collaboration
The collaboration between Young Entrepreneurship Norway and NCE Seafood will help build innovation and entrepreneurship skills among young people, and will also strengthen collaboration between local working life and schools.
About the partners
Young Entrepreneurship is a non-profit organization that works with innovation and entrepreneurship in schools. The organization works throughout the country and throughout the school year, and the work takes place in close collaboration with local businesses.
The NCE Seafood industry cluster works for sustainable growth and development in the seafood industry, and one of the most important focus areas to achieve this is competence and future talent development. Engaging young people in the challenges facing the seafood industry is a very important project for the entire industry.
Handelens Miljøfond was founded in 2017 and is Norway's largest private environmental fund. They mainly finance projects that reduce the production and use of plastic, and increase plastic recycling. Members of HMF pay a fee of 1 krone per plastic carrier bag they buy or sell in Norway.
About innovation camp
Creativity, creative joy and innovation are the core of an innovation camp.
In the program, students are given a real assignment by NCE Seafood with a defined problem to which they must present a solution, within a limited period of time. In advance, NCE Seafood provides students with the background information they need to solve the challenge and offers and guidance throughout the process to increase the students' learning outcomes. Students work on the assignment in groups and present their solutions to a jury, which selects a winner based on given criteria.
Innovation camps are often used in the start-up phase of a student business, youth business or student enterprise.
