Solving challenge of rural skills in new research project
Companies in the metal industry are often located in rural areas, which creates challenges around recruitment and workplace attractiveness.
In a new project, researchers from Jönköping University (JU) as well as Uppsala University in collaboration with the business community and municipalities, will look at how to work together to create attractive environments to live and work in.
Lina Bjerke and Anette Johansson, two of the initiators of the project.
The project is funded by Vinnova and is a continuation of the KOMPET project, which after three years is now coming to an end. It was during the work on the previous project that the group realized that more research was needed on the importance of geographical location when it comes to skills supply.
“Creating an attractive place is something we need to do together. Municipalities are dependent on the presence of attractive employers in their neighborhood, and the business community is in turn dependent on the municipalities,” says Lina Bjerke, senior lecturer and associate professor of economics at Jönköping International Business School (JIBS), and project manager for LOKOMET.
On the research side, Lina is one of the initiators of the project together with Anette Johansson, senior lecturer in work organization at Jönköping School of Engineering (JTH) and Katarina Graffman, researcher in anthropology at Uppsala University.
“LOKOMET is basically about how it can be easier to collaborate. We hope to find keys to how we can co-operate between companies and municipalities so that it becomes concrete. I also hope that the project will create a greater understanding between the parties,” says Anette Johansson.
Action-oriented through workshops
The project works in learning cycles and has workshops at two-month intervals. Between workshops, each project group works on development work and ‘homework’ linked to the project's objectives. During the joint meetings, everyone can actively participate and report on activities, challenges and obstacles, for example.
On 4 December, it was time for the project group's first workshop where participants had to present their first ‘homework’. It was about the importance of a location for a company's skills supply.
An attractive location matters
The first workshop took place on december 4th.
On the business side, Bruzaholm Mill, Hydal Components, Eksjö and Vetlanda Municipality are involved in the project. The company Placebrander is also participating as process manager for the project.
Placebrander has extensive experience of site attraction issues and site development.
“We are used to acting in the borderland between the public, private and non-profit sectors. It is important to get all actors to think about where they want to go, how they can collaborate and act to get there,” says Anna Österlund, CEO of Placebrander.
One of the companies that talked about the challenges linked to the site during the first workshop was Bruzaholms bruk.
“When we worked with the KOMPET project, we often came back to the discussion about how important the location is for skills supply. Getting people to want to live in a place is a prerequisite for being able to work in the same place. It is good that LOKOMET will now be a continuation of the previous project and that we can work together on the issue,” says Marie Krantz, Production Manager at Bruzaholms bruk.
The project will develop a new collaboration model
Camilla Egerlid, Business Manager, Eksjö kommun.
The aim of the project is to find a concrete way of working together on skills supply that is relevant to the local and regional business community. In the longer term, the project aims to ensure that businesses in a geographical location become a well-integrated part of the local and regional work on the attractiveness of the location, and that the public sector is seen as a natural partner for the business community on issues relating to skills supply.
Camilla Egerlid is head of business and industry at Eksjö municipality. For her, it was a matter of course to accept to participate in the project.
“Skills supply is crucial for our future and the geographical location is connected to that. I would like the project to give us a clear and shared picture of what we need to do to become an attractive place linked to business. That we will find a common path,” says Camilla Egerlid.
