As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, workers in Norway’s asset-heavy industries have been placed on temporary leave, laid off, or asked to work from home. New solutions to maintain and build on their digital skills to drive them past the current crisis are needed now more than ever.
Amidst unprecedented challenges to asset-heavy industry workers, Cognite, Aker ASA and Digital Norway, supported by Norwegian business and labor organizations, NHO and LO, today announced that they are establishing the Industrial Digital Academy. The academy has been developed to upskill Norway’s industrial workforces, giving them an opportunity to develop digital skills and enhance their handling of industrial data.
“Limited digital knowledge is a bottleneck for value capture in the industry,” said Øyvind Eriksen, President and CEO, Aker ASA, “By developing digital expertise among the industry's workforce, we break down barriers so that digital tools can be used more efficiently and in ways that create value."
Offering relevant self-study courses, facilitated webinars and learning events and digital discussion groups, the Industrial Digital Academy is designed to upskill industrial operators, engineers, analysts, IT and OT data and service managers.
Now expanding from a pilot cohort of about two dozen, the new academy offers a combination of relevant self-study courses for building basic digital skills, and facilitated webinar series with hands- on training on how to use data visualization and analytics tools. An advanced course path for digital leaders and management teams is also in development.
“Our shared goal is to prepare and strengthen our industrial workers, beyond this crisis, for a better and stronger digital future,” said Liv Dingsør, Manager of DigitalNorway. “The Industrial Digital Academy is a good initiative that contributes to real and hands-on competence building for entire industries.”
"This is a situation that requires innovative measures to help build important competences among thousands of Norwegian workers in industrial companies. Giving our workers the opportunity to learn and use advanced technologies will support a crucial renewal of Norwegian industry," says John Markus Lervik, CEO of Cognite.
To register their employees and receive more information, companies are encouraged to browse learning path offerings and discuss the opportunities with their employees. Information is available at Industrial Digital Academy.