Agenda Step 7. Boost industrial competence and appeal

All progress comes from motivated, committed and competent employees who jointly
strive towards the operational goals. It is thus crucial that employee development and
competence are a focus point in all endeavours. If the Swedish metal industry is to be
able to maintain the right skills, it must be viewed as attractive. This means that the
industry’s interesting challenges, which ultimately are opportunities to influence world
development, need to be highlighted, while typical labels such as “old fashioned” and
“dirty” need to be challenged and their causes removed. One important factor is the
introduction of modern ways of working in exciting and attractive work environments
that match young peoples’ aspirations. To further increase the attractiveness requires a
long-term effort to profile and highlight the strengths and development potential within
the industry, and how it affects us and our daily lives.

In the next step, the people coming into the industry want to build their skills in a
purposeful way. This requires opportunities for rapid competence and skill development
and specialization, as well as help in choosing ways forward.

One way to strengthen the competence of both new and existing employees is to ensure
that research results and other important knowledge quickly reach those who need
them. For this to be the case, they must be presented in such a way that they are easily
understood, accepted and applied. Finding innovative, efficient ways to disseminate
knowledge and research is therefore essential. Another way to increase industry appeal
and enhance skills is to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to the development,
which may require new tools and working methods.

In order to provide enduring competence development, close links between universities,
institutes and industry are of great importance. A future vision includes a centre
with various research and educational directions, all based on real industrial needs, in
which all aspects of the competence requirements in the industry are highlighted and
where people can move freely and easily between organizations and specialties.

The goal is that the Swedish metal industry will be ranked as one of the most attractive
places to work and also attract foreign researchers and specialists. It should be recognized
for providing interesting and challenging work that leads to personal growth.