- We know a great deal about how adults learn new skills and competences best, but much of the skills development that is undertaken and available on the market is not based on this knowledge. Instead, it is still based on how schools are organised, ideas about pedagogy and how children learn. This means that the impact of initiatives is very small," says Katarina Pietrzak, a researcher and strategist on lifelong learning issues at RISE.  

Megatrends have created a 'perfect storm' of pressure for change 

She says the pressure for change has created a perfect storm where the need for lifelong learning and innovation has grown exponentially with each megatrend. So it's not enough to send people on training or measure skills development in terms of courses completed.

"We need to shift the focus from the delivery of knowledge by an instructor to the learning process itself. We are talking about collaborative and collective learning, where we increase the capacity of employees to absorb new information. Only then can we be prepared for the changes our organisations and societies are going through."

Katarina Pietrzak notes that there is no specific model for skills transfer that can be used as a blueprint.  

But there are some things that are crucial, whatever model you use:  

• Employees must be motivated to learn.  
• Learning in a safe environment.  
• Everyone is involved in the learning process.  
• All this, in turn, requires leadership for learning.

"It is the leader of an organisation who must ensure that there is time for learning, that there are structures for sharing knowledge, and that informal learning is made visible. If organisations are slimmed down so that people never meet, or only a few parts of the organisation are involved in thinking about how learning should be organised, then in practice a structure has been created that discourages learning and rationalises away learning opportunities." 

The desire to learn more about the challenges you are already facing 

When RISE is part of an organisation's capability transformation, the first thing that comes to mind is joy and anticipation. Katarina Pietrzak describes a desire to learn more about the challenges they are already facing.

"But then the joy is often extinguished by reality. How are we going to keep up? How are we going to fit it all in? That's when leadership has to make learning a priority. Make sure it takes time and that there are incentives for people to develop."

As a role model, Pietrzak points first to the municipality of Skellefteå, which is a co-researcher with RISE in the Learning by RISE project. The municipality has more than 8,000 employees, and because of all the facilities that are being built as a result of electrification, it has to grow in a way that no municipality has ever done before. It requires a whole new way of thinking about things like skills, housing and school organisation. RISE is working with the local government, the local government office and the pre-schools.

"Another example is the family business Gnosjö Automatsvarvning, which has hired a teacher who is responsible for everyone's learning. During the pandemic, they completed a total of 2,000 hours of skills training and grew from 30 to more than 60 employees. Everyone now has one hour of structured learning a week."  

"For some it's language development, for others it's mechanical engineering. While other companies ask 'how can learning take place when we are in the middle of delivery', they see that there is no alternative to continuous learning." 

Structured learning increases informal learning 

When there are well-designed learning opportunities, informal learning also increases. People move from thinking about when they will have time to learn to actually learning. "When we meet, we force ourselves to think about what we have learned and what we need to learn.  

Katarina Pietrzak understands that it can be difficult to measure the impact of this kind of skills transfer, but says that you can't know what someone has learned just by measuring the courses they have attended. RISE also has expertise in finding measures for what is difficult to measure quantitatively. RISE also works with a variety of methodologies to support organisations in need of strategic competence transfer.

"In many organisations, learning will go through the same journey as digitalisation. From something that was added on top of regular operations and was a matter for a single unit, digital is now a core activity for everyone. Learning is just a little further back on the same journey," concludes Katarina Pietrzak.

There is a plethora of different documents and evidence to prove what we know. Most of them are linked to higher education programmes. But a degree certificate says very little about an individual's knowledge. But micro-credentials do.

"Micro-credentials are about breaking down skills into smaller pieces of Lego and looking at specific competences. One example of a Lego piece might be hair colouring for film and TV production, another might be personal interaction. Breaking it down in this way reflects the individual's real skill base," explains Björn Flintberg, researcher and digital strategist at RISE.  

Micromerits not visible today

Today, Ladok, a database of study records from the country's universities and colleges, is the only national register of qualifications. Grades from adult education programmes are not stored in common systems, but in separate databases under the auspices of the respective principals. Neither here nor in Ladok is it possible to zoom in on micro-credentials.  

And learning that takes place outside our traditional educational arenas – the professional Swedish course run by a study association or the leadership training organised by a scout association – is not visible at all.  

"This means that when you have to compile statistics and work with skills planning in a region, you are to some extent forced to guess at what skills base already exists and where you need to replenish it," says Björn Flintberg.  

"There is a need to define knowledge at a narrower level"

In June 2022, the Council of Europe issued a recommendation on a strategy for micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability. The aim was to help institutions and companies in different countries and sectors to design, implement and recognise micro-credentials.

Already in 2021, RISE joined forces with the Swedish Agency for Higher Vocational Education and the Swedish Public Employment Service to develop a Swedish model. The project, funded by Vinnova, is called Kompetenspasset and will lead to a possible standard for micromerits in Sweden.  

"It is important to stress that what we are developing will not replace anything that already exists in our education system. But there is a need to be able to define knowledge at a narrower and smaller level," says Olle Nyman, project manager at RISE, and continues:  

"There is so much education in society today that is not standardised from a micromerit perspective. In many cases it is also not digitised and portable. This makes it difficult to validate and verify. This is something we looked at when we built this model – the importance of making sure who has a certificate or qualification, who issued it and how.

"For example, if you don't have 100% validation as required by law for university courses, you should show how validation and quality assurance has been done. With this transparency, an employer can decide for himself whether what is shown is a reasonable level of validation," says Björn Flintberg.  

The model covers informal learning 

An important part of the work on the model has been to include and recognise informal learning - something that can benefit people without higher education. It has also been important to make the model responsive to the changing needs of the labour market. Björn Flintberg gives a practical example.

"During the pandemic, the competency maps for flight attendants and nursing assistants were superimposed and it was clear that there was a large overlap in terms of behaviour and service. By adding specific and practical competencies in nursing, the exempted flight crew were ready for a new professional role in a relatively short time," he says.

A standard for the use of micro-credentials would make this kind of reorganisation and skills development easier to implement. And it would make it easier for individuals to reap the benefits of all kinds of knowledge acquisition – building a lifelong legacy – in the labour market.  

"We have put a lot of emphasis on empowering individuals to own and manage their competences. Today, our competence portfolios are largely controlled by trainers. It is important to give individuals more autonomy and the ability to move and view their data," says Olle Nyman.  

Encouragingly, Tynnered is no longer classified as a particularly vulnerable area. However, according to Karin Jaxmark, project manager for Destination Tynnered, there is still much to be done.

Four years ago, when politicians in Gothenburg decided that there should be no particularly vulnerable areas, the initiative in Tynnered gained extra momentum. Even before then, Tynnered had launched an initiative involving measures to increase safety, renovate façades, and develop outdoor environments.

The ORKA initiative is being implemented together with RISE, Stena Fastigheter, Volvo Cars and the Foundation for Building Management Issues. It focuses on four areas: urban development, education, leisure and work.

'The aim is to increase safety in Tynnered, while also boosting pride in growing up and living in the area,' explains Karin Jaxmark. 'No child should have to grow up in a disadvantaged area,' explains Karin Jaxmark. Our other goals include better school results than the Gothenburg average, more people in work and summer jobs, modern mobility solutions, and more new housing.

An important part of our work involves collaborating with tenants, local businesses, the City of Gothenburg and civil society to develop new approaches that support socially sustainable urban development. Our aim is to act as a catalyst for positive change in Tynnered, working alongside other organisations committed to this goal.

Volvo Cars recognises the benefits of this work.

Collaboration with the region's major vehicle manufacturers has been an important part of the positive development in Tynnered. According to Pontus Berger, who works with talent attraction and social inclusion at Volvo Cars, it is quite natural that Volvo Cars is involved in the work to develop Tynnered.

'It's a matter of survival for us. We need to find tomorrow's workforce. By 2027, the automotive industry in the Gothenburg area alone will require 10,000 new employees. When we see large groups of people outside the labour market who are unable to pass primary and secondary school, it is important to actively address these issues," he says.

Pontus Berger continues:

The fantastic thing about working in Tynnered is that we are finding talented people to work for us. In essence, what is good for Gothenburg is good for Volvo Cars. It's really not more complicated than that. However, success takes work.

Create positive development

The initiative has clear goals. For example, the aim is to help 500 people find employment. Pontus Berger acknowledges that this goal is difficult to measure.

One obvious criticism is that if the number of people in work increases in Tynnered, how can you be sure that it is thanks to your work? The truth is that we cannot know. There may be an economic boom or other factors at play. However, the important thing is to create a positive spiral and contribute to the area's development. Who gets the credit is not important, he says.

One of the lessons learned from Pontus Berger's work is that everyone involved in an activity or initiative should be included.

'Commitment is essential, and it can be encouraged in various ways. We recognise that parents play an extremely important role in this work, so we often initiate activities involving the whole family,' he explains.

Housing companies and the business community

Magnus Johansson is a researcher and social sustainability expert at RISE. He and his colleagues support the work in Tynnered. He recognises the benefits of Familjebostäder, Volvo and Stena Fastigheter working closely together.

It is interesting to see how the involvement of the business community can transform a residential area. Volvo recognises the challenge of recruiting the workforce of the future, a problem that affects industrial Sweden as a whole. It is crucial that the region's leading employers address these issues. Another important lesson is the support from management at Familjebostäder, Stena Fastigheter and Volvo Cars,' says Magnus Johansson, continuing:

'At RISE, we identify lessons that can be passed on to other residential areas in Sweden, helping them to get a head start in their work. It's important to build on existing work and start from each area's specific conditions," he says.

Karin Jaxmark also mentions RISE's role in the work as important for moving forward:

- The collaboration with RISE is important to us and has developed very positively during the course of the work. It gives us moments for reflection and we are challenged and supported in our work, which is useful, she says.

Pontus Berger agrees:  

- We are doing this together and gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience. It is important that Magnus and his colleagues from RISE not only follow the work but also contribute their knowledge and experience, he explains.

Magnus Johansson sums up:

- It's all about strengthening individuals and building collective capacity in residential areas. People should feel that they have the freedom to choose their own direction in life. Secure neighbourhoods and a sense of belonging are important here. Back to Volvo's reason for getting involved in this work: it doesn't matter how well companies are doing if there aren't people who can work there. We need a strong civil society that acts together. Our work at RISE is about finding ways of working, examples and models to reverse the negative trend in areas where things have gone wrong, but also to prevent problems from arising in the first place.

"We face a major demographic challenge in Europe. In Sweden, the municipality of Höganäs is experiencing a steeper curve than the rest of the country. We have fewer and fewer residents of working age and more and more who need our support. We talk about this and work on the issue all the time," says Viweca Thoresson, CEO of Höganäs Omsorg.

The Skåne municipal care company is one of 14 project partners in the North Sea region participating in a project that addresses precisely this issue – meeting the challenges facing the care sector. The aim is to enable more elderly people to continue living at home for as long as possible. The ACE project, Accelerating the Home Care Innovation Ecosystem, brings together the public sector, business, civil society and academia in the various countries.

"What we do is bring together all stakeholders so that they can be more successful in introducing digital solutions and services in elderly care," says Mona Jonsson, responsible for communication regarding ACE at RISE, which is the lead partner for the project.

“A great learning journey”

Höganäs Omsorg sees the international aspect of ACE as absolutely essential. The challenge they face is not an isolated Swedish problem, nor can it be solved by Swedish municipalities on their own.

“The ACE project is an opportunity for us to look beyond Sweden. What are others doing? What solutions are others working with that we can also use? What working methods can we adopt? This is a learning journey for us, but also an opportunity to establish contact with other municipalities and companies. Even researchers, who can help us work in an evidence-based way", says Linda Macke, investigation strategist and coordinator for the ACE project at Höganäs Omsorg, continuing:  

"We must change, work in different ways and think differently in order to keep up with developments. That is why it is very interesting to look at how other countries are tackling this issue, because it is challenging. Not least when it comes to making decisions about new ways of working."

The goal: scaling up smart solutions

Today, there are many digital solutions that can increase security and independence among older people that are not being utilised, according to Camilla Evensson, RISE's project manager for ACE. She explains that Swedish municipalities are good at testing innovations, but in many cases this does not result in upscaling and actual use in operations. The hope is that the ACE project's user-driven approach will change this.

By listening to staff, elderly people and their relatives, as well as pensioners' organisations, we can identify the most pressing needs. We then match these with companies that sell various types of digital solutions for home care and nursing. The technology must meet the needs that exist, says Camilla Evensson.

– Working methods and adaptation are also important aspects of this project. When implementing new technology, it will be necessary to change the working methods of care staff. It is also important to remember that seniors and their relatives need support and guidance in adapting to digital solutions, says Mona Jonsson.

It was the user-driven perspective and needs identification that attracted Höganäs Omsorg to participate in ACE. It felt important to take the opportunity to work with companies that can create solutions based on a real starting point.

"We want to base our decisions on the needs of our municipality. And we don't believe that the needs of our residents differ significantly from those of residents in Denmark or Germany," says Viweca Thoresson.

Solutions in the individual's living environment

So, what digital solutions could be rolled out in connection with the project? One example is so-called empathetic homes, which means that the home "takes over" some of the tasks of the care provider and supports older people in their everyday lives through aids such as light and sound signals. Project partners in the Netherlands are working on this.

“There is also an idea to better coordinate efforts from civil society. Today, actors such as pensioner organisations, family organisations and the Church of Sweden take on a great deal of responsibility for the elderly population. Technology could facilitate cooperation between these parties. Then, of course, it is a matter of matching existing digital solutions with actors such as Höganäs Omsorg", points out Mona Jonsson.

"Through this project, we can remove many obstacles and make it easier for companies to sell their solutions in more countries. At the same time, we are making it easier for municipalities and other care providers to access smart solutions that are available in countries other than their own," she says.

"What we have learned so far is that we need to collaborate. Working together with other organisations and companies is a necessity. We want to learn more and at the same time contribute with what we can," says Viweca Thoresson.

More partners welcome

The ACE project will run until June 2026, and Camilla Evensson would like to see more stakeholders join in to share their own experiences, but also to benefit from the knowledge and solutions developed and tested within the project.

"Healthcare and care providers, older people, researchers, civil society and suppliers of digital solutions – everyone is welcome to participate in events and online discussions to jointly develop the digital solutions of the future for healthcare and care in the home."

Totech from Billingsfors in Dalsland, Sweden, is a provider of technical solutions in production engineering, manufacturing, and automation. For many years, the majority of their activities have been in the offshore sector. One of their products is a 6.8-kilogram aluminium hydraulic block, which we will return to. 

We have spoken to two of the key figures at Totech, who have been with the company since it was founded in the 1990s, Tommy Tveter, CEO, and Robert Aronsson, Construction Manager. These inquisitive individuals, deeply passionate about technology, quickly embraced the concept of 3D printing as it gained momentum. The idea of incorporating the technology into their work was not foreign to them when they first heard about the 3D-Action project through IUC Väst. The question was: How would they take on this endeavor? 

Better, smaller, and more agile

Following conversations with IUC Väst and RISE, along with a visit to the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing, Tommy Tveter and Robert Aronsson were certain about two things: their desire to engage in the project and their interest in experimenting with printing a hydraulic block. 

"In a typical hydraulic block, drilling is necessary, and some of the channels pose challenges. Drills tend to be straight – or at least they begin that way when you start drilling," Tommy Tveter says, with a smile.   

This was certainly one of the factors making the hydraulic block well-suited for 3D printing. But there were several other reasons behind the choice. The hydraulic block needs to withstand a harsh environment, exposed to both saltwater and corrosive drilling fluid. Enhanced corrosion resistance would therefore be desirable. But crafting the block using traditional methods, with anything other than surface-treated aluminium, would be far too heavy and costly. Yet another incentive for adopting a new manufacturing method was Totech’s challenge with extreme delivery times for components, occasionally reaching up to 400 working days.  

"We have now had the opportunity to carefully consider the design of the block and eliminate quite a few components, making it better, smaller, and more agile. Printing it in stainless steel provides a significant advantage due to its heightened resistance. If we had produced the old block in stainless steel, it likely would have weighed approximately 15 kilograms. However, the newly printed block weighs only 2.4 kilograms, just a third of the weight of the current block," says Tommy Tveter. 

Seeing multiple applications

During the final stages of the project, the hydraulic block was successfully printed at Chalmers University of Technology. Totech’s involvement in 3D-Action has opened up a new chapter for the company. They've received a research and development grant from the Västra Götaland Region to extend their exploration into additive manufacturing. Tommy Tveter and Robert Aronsson are optimistic and aspire to print additional components in the future, surpassing the qualities of their conventionally manufactured counterparts. 

"While the printed block is associated with hydraulics, we're also involved in pneumatics. Pneumatics doesn't entail lengthy lead times, but it demands a considerable amount of assembly time. Currently, we have to machine an aluminium box to house everything, as pneumatic components aren't designed for corrosive environments. The production of the box comes with costs, including hoses and other materials. I believe we could potentially 3D print a significant portion of this instead," says Robert Aronsson and continues: 

"This marks our path forward. By 3D printing components, we gain increased flexibility and the capability to produce items that would be challenging to make using conventional manufacturing methods. It might even open avenues for accomplishing things that would otherwise be deemed impossible."

The project was an enabler

According to Tommy Tveter and Robert Aronsson, participation in 3D-Action has been crucial for the progress they have made in 3D printing.  

"If not for the project, we wouldn't have undertaken this. The chance to collaborate on ideas with IUC Väst and RISE, along with visiting the AM facility in Mölndal, has been indispensable. Surveying the various printing methods and examining the produced parts as we walked around allowed us to grasp the realm of possibilities," states Tommy Tveter. 

For other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with products that might be suitable for 3D printing, Tommy Tveter and Robert Aronsson offer the following advice: 

"Courage is essential. Success isn't guaranteed, but without trying, you'll never find out. Paying a visit to the Application Center of Additive Manufacturing is highly beneficial for gaining insights into the techniques, possibilities, and available resources. As you explore and observe, you can connect everything to your own business, that's when innovative ideas emerge. While many may associate 3D printing with hobby use, its capabilities extend far beyond that perception."