Forum 2020: Skills, matching, and future workplaces part 2

With the past year bringing changes to our lives and to the way we work, the final session of Nordegio Forum 2020 will focus on a topic that is becoming more and more important – acquiring the right skills for the future. One other important part of the discussion will revolve around what the workplaces of the future will look like, taking into consideration changes in the labour market, such as automatization of jobs and changes in working-age groups.

Despite relatively high standards of living, several indicators show that large groups of young people in the Nordic countries are not thriving. In addition, regional variations in the situation of young people across the Nordic countries are striking. The topic of youth, the skills they have, their prospects for the future and how policies and ecosystems can promote the right skills will also be part of this last session.

13.00 Karen Refsgaard, Research Director at Nordregio will start today's session together with Åsa Ström Hildestrand and Vaida Ražaitytė, our moderators for the day, and introduce you to the programme and topic.

13.10 Oskar Penje, GIS expert at Nordregio, will set the scene with some interesting maps on labour market changes and forecasts, education levels by municipality, areas affected by automatization, change in working-age population, and cross-border commuting.

13.20 Anna Lundgren and Anna Karlsdóttir, both Senior Research Fellows at Nordregio will talk about Policies and ecosystems to promote skills, followed by Youth, skills, and workplaces in the future.

13.45 Sveinung Skule, Director, Kompetanse Norge (Competence Norway) tells us how they work to improve matching and skills provision throughout Norway, both at a regional and municipal level.

14.05 Ask the experts! Here is your chance to ask questions to the speakers.

14.30 Short break

14.35 How do we improve matching and life-long learning, rural youth involvement, cross-border collaboration; digitalisation and changing skillsets? We have invited five experts to share their views as well as some regional initiatives to learn from. With us are Birgitte Wohl Sem, Senior Analyst at Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Jouko Kinnunen Head of Research, Åland Statistics & Research, Maria Edvardsson, Coordinator of Vocational SFI School, Karlstad Municipality, Sigurður Ólafsson, Secretary-General at the West Nordic Council, and Søren Melcher, Special Advisor at the Danish National Association of Municipalities (KL). Questions from the Q&A will be addressed throughout the session.

15.25 Wrap-up and next steps, Karen Refsgaard.