Theme: A Nordic drive for lifting competencies
Photo: Ilja Hendel
The necessary skills at the right time
Finding a good match is not always easy, especially in the labour market. As the labour market is transforming at lightning speed, the need for skills increases. The opportunity to get adult and continuing education becomes equally important. But how to do it? The Nordic Labour Journal looks at possibilities and practice in the Nordic region.
“Only the labour market knows which skills are needed”
Swedish employers are in desperate need of people to fill positions within many different occupations. Meanwhile, more than 340,000 people are registered with the employment service. The problem is that the job seekers’ knowledge often does not match the needs of the employer.
Fitness industry seeks millennium-old skills – and knowledge of how to become bootylicious
More than four million Nordic citizens are members of gyms like Sats Elixia. As a result, the demand for skilled instructors is considerable. We joined one student of theology, one accountant and one brand expert in their spinning, yoga and shape classes.
How Sats Elixia works to secure the right competency
Competency is a moving target, since the knowledge needed to manage a job always changes. In the fitness and exercise industry this is doubly true. Not only does one trend replace another. Competency also often means knowing the right movements and how to make people move.
How do you motivate adult Danes to retrain?
The Danish adult and continuing education system is being reorganised in order to get more Danes to choose to take part in continuing training. One in three say they are not interested.
Older colleges’ experience needed as the 80’s generation take over the Viking ferries
Viking Line is facing a real challenge. The largest age group onboard their Baltic Sea passenger ferries is 50 to 59 year olds. When they retire, a big chunk of competence disappears. The company has decided to treat this as a challenge and not a problem.
Restaurants break with old language norm – English makes an entrance
Finnish restauranteurs are worried about the lack of Finnish-speaking waiters. As a result, more and more restaurants now seek English-speaking staff. Meanwhile, trade unions sound a warning that many young people are leaving the trade because of low pay and a lack of workplace training opportunities.
Ragnhild Lied – Head of Nordic trade unions guarding the Nordic model
Globalisation, technological developments and a changing labour market are all challenges to organised work. Trade union leader Ragnhild Lied is at the frontline fighting labour market crime, the shadow economy, new organisational structures and the weakening of the working environment act.
Agreement on what constitutes minimum rates of pay for construction workers in Sweden
After nearly ten years of quarrelling, the Swedish trade union for construction workers (Byggnads) and their counterparts at the Swedish Construction Federation (BI) have agreed what the “minimum rates of pay” for constructions workers posted to Sweden should comprise. The parties think the same conditions should apply for public procurement of construction projects.
Erna Solberg heads for four more years as Norwegian Prime Minister
Erna Solberg carries on as Norway’s Prime Minister, but with a weaker parliamentary mandate. The Labour Party was the looser in Monday’s election. The Centre Party gained the most ground, carried forward by rural areas protesting against what they see as a threat to municipal independence.
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