img_1736_Bergen Business Council Photo: Bergen Business Council
From left: Geir Mikalsen (Bergen Business Council), Björgólfur Hávarðsson (NCE Seafood), Gisle Nondal (GCE Ocean Technology), Anne Jacobsen (NCE Media) and Atle Sivertsen (Finance Innovation)
Norwegian business is in transition and will digitize much of its operations. However, a recent survey on digital skills needs shows that most industries are struggling to find the right skills. It is particularly knowledge in artificial intelligence and digitalization of the value chain that companies are in demand ("Digital skills and needs in the Bergen region" in collaboration between NCE NCE Seafood, GCE Ocean Technology, NCE Media, NCE Finance Innovation, VIS and Bergen Business Council).
Read the results of the survey here.
The pace of innovation in Norwegian business is high. The survey shows that a full 80 percent of companies in the seafood industry are looking at new business models based on digitalization, and big data, artificial intelligence and digitalization of the value chain are the most important areas where more and more specialized expertise is needed.
The demand for digital expertise is therefore high, but the seafood industry is also crying out for expertise in a number of other fields. It is not only in the traditional fields of biology, fish health and aquaculture that more expertise is needed, but also in economics, social sciences, marketing and law.
In the national transition to further develop seafood as Norway's major growth industry, it is therefore necessary to increase focus on improving expertise within a number of different fields that will contribute to creating sustainable seafood growth.
We must start already in primary and secondary schools and facilitate increased knowledge about the seafood industry at an early age, and we must work on educational courses that provide the business community with the necessary expertise. In parallel, we must work strategically with recruiting talent both for the various educational courses and, not least, for jobs in the companies.
A concrete measure to recruit talents from different fields to the seafood industry is the Seafood Trainee Program. This is a national program where each trainee receives basic training and an introduction to one company for a year in addition to participation in a joint academic program. The goal is to offer young people an exciting career in a sustainable and meaningful industry and thereby attract the best candidates.
Since the start of the first Seafood Trainee program in the fall of 2016, 20 companies have gained access to highly qualified candidates from various fields and 83 young talents have gotten a kick-start in the seafood industry.
The survey on digital skills needs recommends strengthening digital skills through increased collaboration between business, academia and the public sector, increased collaboration within the business sector, increased commercialization of digital projects, increased attraction to attract talent and increased risk-taking in established businesses. A scheme based on the Seafood Trainee program could be a good first step on the way.
Read the results of the survey here.
Article from Bergen Business Council here
