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New Infrastructure Report Warns of Competence Shortage in the Northern Nordic Region
Northern parts of the Nordic region may lack the competence needed to meet future needs in preparedness, transport and logistics in the High North, states new report. “We must strengthen education in the north. Otherwise, this will disappear southwards,” says Kjell Stokvik, director of CHNL.
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Logistics, preparedness, transport and infrastructure in the northern parts of the Nordic region are moving ever higher up the agenda, partly as a result of geopolitical developments and military needs.
Climate change and new business opportunities are also driving these changes, along with renewed demand for infrastructure projects in the High North.
However, it is not only concrete investments that are needed to meet the region's future needs.
According to a new report, there is also growing concern about the competence base and the existing educational provision needed to support the coming growth.
Northern Norway, Northern Sweden and Northern Finland lack the competence needed to meet future needs in preparedness, security of supply, transport and logistics in the region, the report concludes.
"We are not many"
"There is a rather thin competence base in areas such as transport, logistics and infrastructure in Northern Norway," Kjell Stokvik, director of the Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL), tells High North News.
The centre at Nord University has prepared the report on behalf of Konnekt, the national centre of expertise for transport.
"The existing educational environments are relatively small and often dispersed. Only a few people are working on this, and educational provision is in short supply. We see the same across the border in Sweden and Finland," he adds.
"We are too few people to keep up the momentum."
The report points out, among other things, that the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland lack around 50,000 people with higher education in order to develop society at the same pace as the rest of the Nordic region.
Some of the areas of expertise highlighted as particularly important include:
Preparedness and societal security
Energy- and supply security
Civil-military logistics
Artificial intelligence and digitalisation
Drone and autonomous technology
Port and railway expertise
Major future needs
“In discussions with relevant stakeholders, there is no doubt that they will have major needs in the future. The Northern Norwegian counties, major business actors and contractors need everything from engineers and planners to people who can address legal issues. The needs span the full range,” Stokvik says.
“Universities and centres of expertise in the north should get moving, establish programmes and make these programmes more attractive. Perhaps preparedness, transport or societal security could be combined with other types of study programmes to make them more appealing to students? Part of our work is to focus on this strategic thinking,” he says.
Stokvik emphasises the importance of strengthening education and research in the north in order to take part in the future growth and work that will take place.
“Otherwise, this will disappear southwards, and we will be left with the same challenge as before: centres of expertise remaining small and scattered, with the risk that people will not stay. We know that around seven out of ten people who study in the north actually remain after completing their education,” he points out.
Proposes an Arctic fund
One of the most important conclusions from the work on the report is the proposal to establish Arctic Mobility, a long-term joint Nordic fund.
The aim is for universities, vocational colleges and other research and expertise communities seeking to invest in these fields to be able to apply for funding to strengthen education and research in the High North.
"Universities are responsible for educating many people, not least teachers and healthcare personnel. At the same time, critical infrastructure is incredibly important and something we need. In the competition for students and resources, we need to think a little differently," Stokvik points out, continuing:
"We want to both strengthen the existing communities and possibly build something new. This takes time. In the short term, courses can be launched or education programmes adjusted to meet some of the needs we see emerging."
The High North needs more than investments in roads, railways, ports and airports. We must invest in people and expertise.
Earmarked for the region
The director of CHNL also stresses the importance of earmarking the fund for the northern parts of the Nordic region, so that the money does not disappear southwards.
"Nord University or UiT The Arctic University of Norway may be world-leading in certain fields, but when applying for larger transport and logistics projects, the funding often ends up at larger universities in Southern Norway because the northern institutions tend to be too small by comparison," he says.
Moreover, the report highlights that the aim is to accelerate Nordic cooperation on expertise in transport, logistics and infrastructure in the High North.
The fund could be organised as a separate Nordic centre, and there may be major opportunities for cooperation through, among others, the UArctic network or the Arctic Six university alliance.
50 million euros
"In phase two of the project, we are looking at how we can develop a Nordic strategy for this and coordinate our efforts across national borders. We propose joint financing from Sweden and Finland as well," Stokvik says.
What kind of sums are we talking about?
"We have a target of raising EUR 50 million, equivalent to approximately NOK 500–600 million. This amount must be viewed over a period of seven years. If it is divided between three countries over seven years, we consider it entirely feasible."
"Then, of course, it is the various parliaments in the countries that allocate the funding, and this also involves many ministries. It can be difficult to get everyone going in the same pace, which is why we believe this belongs at the prime minister or president level," he adds.
Positive response
Was there anything that particularly surprised you during the work on the report?
"We were curious about the level of interest, which was greater than expected. This may be because there has been a tradition of recruiting people educated in the south within the various fields, and that, in a way, people have adapted to the current situation," he says, concluding:
"At the same time, there has been a strong desire to draw on expertise in the north. We are addressing this and are seeing a very positive response and great expectations."
The report was presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during Arendalsuka, the largest political gathering in Norway.
"The report contains many important points and interesting proposals for addressing competence needs, which we will take forward as useful input to the government's High North policy," said State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson (Labour) at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
