Skills Policies

Long-term trends in Nordic societies (such as ageing populations), along with rapid social transformations (like those brought about by automation and digitalisation), have resulted in increased attention being paid to skills and skills enhancement – not least from policymakers looking to cope with those challenges. However, skills are complex and many actors are involved in their promotion and provision. In this study, we focus on the regional level, which is the point of scale at which the demand for, and supply of, various skills is often articulated. In order to respond to the research question concerning How regions work with skills, six case studies were conducted in 2019 and 2020. That meant one case study in each of the Nordic countries. Those selected were Pohjois-Karjala (North Karelia, Finland), Värmland (Sweden), Hovedstaden (Denmark), Hedmark and Oppland (Norway), Norðurland eystra (Northeastern Region, Iceland), and one in Greenland. This report on skills for resilient and innovative regions is part of a series of reports conducted on behalf of the Nordic Thematic Group for Innovative and Resilient Regions 2017–2020, within the Nordics Cooperation Program for Regional Development and Planning, and under the aegis of the Nordics Council of Ministers.