Future skilled workforce visiting where it happens

Bohuslän – the heart of the Swedish fishing industry. Here, Swedish fishing history coexists with the latest research and innovation companies.

During two days, so-called Industry Days, two Polytechnics, Sustainable Food Intrapreneurs and Business Developers Blue Food, from Folkuniversitetet Syd were visiting Bohuslän.

Knowledge-hungry students are best off meeting experienced professionals

Day one began with a visit to Sweden Pelagic in Ellös on Orust. Freshly caught herring from the North Sea arrives at the factory in Ellös, where it is sorted, filleted, seasoned, marinated, and packaged according to preference. It is then sent to producers and retailers, ready to create exceptional taste experiences. It was a very rewarding visit where we got to see the entire production chain from the fresh fish arriving at the quay to the fact that after processing it is stored in their own cold rooms which are located in underground rock cavities.

The next company to visit was the neighbor in Ellös, Musselfeed.
Musselfeed is a food-tech company within the food industry reducing climate footprint. They use blue mussels to create a unique powder and flour which can be processed into food and feed. Mussels are among the most sustainable seafood products on the market. Of course, the shell is also taken care of for use in, for example, soil improvement in agriculture.

The next stop is an hour north from Orust – Sotenäs Symbioscentrum. For several years, Sotenäs municipality has focused on working with the business community to create infrastructure and conditions to be able to benefit from and share each other’s resources. This creates sustainable development and an attractive environment for the establishment of new innovative businesses. In an industrial symbiosis and circular bioeconomy, both large companies and research and development in smaller innovative companies thrive and develop.

During an intensive day we visited and received information from Rena hav – a biogas plant and biological treatment plant, Smögen Lax – which has now finally, after eight years of waiting, received an environmental permit for a land-based salmon farm of 6,000 tons, Orkla – which produces, among other things, Kalle’s caviar and anchovy fillets in Kungshamn, Marenor – which produces seafood for Foodservice, including Jansson’s frestelse and Laxpudding, Leröy – smoke & pickle fish according to old tradition with the same fine recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. In their range you will find both pickled, cold and hot smoked fish.
A very interesting visit was to Smögen Nät – the Nordic Fishermen’s Association. Here we got a captivating story about the history of fishing on the west coast, as well as getting to know the very latest in sustainable fishing gear. At Smögen Nät, a large part of the craftsmanship is the same as when the trawler was founded more than 80 years ago. Nowadays, they also develop selective gear for sustainable fishing with a focus on the ocean and stocks in balance. In other words, it is possible to select the fish in the shrimp trawls so that the stocks are not depleted. Their largest products are trawls for shrimp and crayfish fishing, among other things.
The Industry Days in Bohuslän ended at the Sotenäs Marina recycling center – Here they deal with waste that has been collected in the sea. Among other things, they collect so-called ghost nets that are sorted and can be recycled. Tons of plastic are recycled and come into use again – truly a circular and sustainable business.

We also had the privilege of taking part in a poster exhibition where students talk about and report on their internships. Sustainability work has been carried out at around twenty internships around Sweden. LIA – Learning at Work, which is a mandatory course component, gives students great opportunities to showcase themselves to employers, while employers get the opportunity to get to know a future employee.

The key to a future skilled workforce lies in close cooperation between schools and the real industry.

The Folkuniversitet’s Vocational College programs aimed at the Food Industry work with a structure where Industry Days are a permanent feature. These visits to reality are invaluable for both students and for a future industry in great need of being able to hire competent employees. It is together that we look forward with confidence to a sustainable future.