Inese Podgaiska
Secretary General, ANE
You might be wondering, “Why is lifelong learning a top priority for the Association of Nordic Engineers (ANE)? Isn’t education a national issue? How does this concern ANE, which operates at the Nordic level?”
Association of Nordic Engineers ANE is a cooperation between the trade unions representing engineers in the Nordics. These unions include The Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers (Sveriges Ingenjörer), The Danish Society of Engineers (IDA), The Norwegian Society of Engineers and Technologists (NITO), The Association of Chartered Engineers in Iceland (VFÍ), and Engineers Finland representing the Finnish organisations: the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK), the Technical Association in Finland (TFiF), the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland (ILRY) and the Engineers in Finland (DIFF). ANE currently stands as the voice of over 500,000 engineers in the Nordic countries.
Well, let’s clear the air. Yes, ANE advocates for engineers and STEM professionals at the Nordic and EU levels, and indeed, education and training are primarily under the competence of Member States. However, the ripple effects of skill and labour shortages, particularly within STEM, that we’re witnessing in the Nordics and Europe, have implications that transcend national borders. These shortages could potentially hamper our drive towards a green and digital transition in Europe and affect our competitiveness in the global market.
The Nordic countries have a vibrant job market that attracts talent, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe. This might seem like a quick fix and a ‘cheaper’ solution than upskilling our existing workforce. But here’s the catch – if we leave certain regions in Europe behind, we risk weakening the Single Market and falling short of our green ambitions.
In conclusion, driving lifelong learning initiatives at the Nordic and even the EU level, even when education is a national matter, is not just possible, but highly necessary. We at ANE have some thoughts on how this can be done.
Understanding the Sector Skill Demand
The first step is to comprehend the sector skill demand and align political incentives with the market’s needs. This involves prioritising and investing in large-scale mapping of the skills demand for the green technology sectors in the region. We at ANE have initiated this process by providing a snapshot of the specific STEM skills required for the development of a greener Nordic energy sector. Find out what the key competencies and skills required for engineers working with climate technologies in the Nordic region are here.
Our report also highlights that higher education institutions face several challenges in matching skills provision with industry demands in the green sector. Some of these challenges include a lack of industry alignment and a focus on traditional engineering practices in existing educational programs that may not adequately cover the emerging technologies and sustainability themes prevalent in the green sector.
ANE has written a letter to the Nordic Ministers responsible for Education and suggested the establishment of a Nordic Green Transition Assessment Forum to pinpoint and address the shortage of specific STEM competencies. This forum should assess skills demand, align strategies, and direct investments to bridge deficiencies.
Investing in Lifelong Learning and Reskilling
The second step is to invest in lifelong learning and reskilling. This involves incentivising higher education programmes to offer more short courses and study modules on climate technologies. These courses and modules should be explicitly developed for flexible upskilling and reskilling. But it’s not just about the education sector. Employers also have a crucial role to play. They need to act in time to identify upskilling needs and provide both the space and time for competence development and lifelong learning opportunities.
ANE and NORDTEK have drafted a statement to Nordic Ministers responsible for education with specific recommendations to boost Lifelong Learning. Read the statement by ANE and NORDTEK to Nordic Ministers here.
Incentivising Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
The third step is to incentivise and increase Nordic knowledge sharing and collaboration. This involves fostering more substantial knowledge sharing and collaboration across borders, organisations, and sectors. It’s essential to avoid a silo mentality to capitalise on the vast potential for exporting skills and know-how from the region.
In 2020 we published a policy paper, Boosting the digital transition through lifelong learning, which was co-created with Nordtek and the national representations from Denmark and Sweden in the EU Jobs and Skills Coalition. In the paper, we highlight initiatives that support lifelong learning based on strategic partnerships. Namely different types of cooperation, engagement and communication with target groups, provision modes, as well as pedagogical and financial models. We believe that these initiatives could serve as an inspiration for a better and more collaborative approach to lifelong learning. Here are a few examples:
- Digital Dogme: A Danish project encouraging companies to co-create solutions to improve employees’ digital skills. It recognizes the varying skill needs among different types of employees and promotes collaborative learning.
- FITech Initiative: A Finnish program offering free university courses for degree students and lifelong learners from all technical universities in Finland. It aims to update professionals’ ICT competencies and break down organisational barriers in higher education.
- Knowledge Foundation: A Swedish foundation that supports the development of continuing education courses in higher education institutions as part of their research program funding.
- Icelandic Education Funds: Managed by trade unions, these funds ensure individuals can access lifelong learning. They operate according to work agreements and receive contributions from public and private employers. Individuals or their employers apply to the fund for their continuing education needs.
A Call for EU Accountability
The EU has a pivotal role in holding Member States accountable for developing comprehensive and effective competence strategies, particularly a STEM strategy. This is key to addressing the STEM skills gap and driving innovation across Europe.
While Mr Enrico Letta developed his report “Much More Than a Market” on the future of the single market, ANE had the opportunity to speak to Mr Enrico Letta and offer him our recommendations on STEM competencies. Read the recommendations here: ANE Advocates for STEM Competencies in EU Internal Market Report – nordicengineers.
How does ANE work?
Finally, you might ask, how does ANE work to promote lifelong learning in the Nordics?
At ANE, we support digital skills development and bridge the digital skills gap in the Nordic region through collaboration, advocacy, and strategic partnerships. We coordinate positions of our member organisations and promote interests in a joint and structured way. We aim to influence policy-making and strengthen ties with relevant stakeholders and politicians at the Nordic and EU levels, to promote STEM education, close the STEM skills gap and advocate for lifelong learning opportunities.
While we’ve made some strides, our journey towards fostering lifelong learning and bridging the digital skills gap is far from over. We believe in the power of dialogue and collaboration, and we’re always open to new perspectives. If you share our passion for this subject and would like to join the conversation, we’d be more than happy to discuss it further over a cup of coffee.
| Communications ManagerTove Keldsen
Email: tovk@ida.dk |
Secretary GeneralInese Podgaiska
Email: ipo@ida.dk |
