If we are to close the skills gap, we must invest in the people
Digitalisation is changing working life at a record pace. If we are to keep up, we need better cooperation between education and working life and skills enhancement measures that work.
Debate: By Safina de Klerk, Vice President of NITO. The post was published 03.02.2026 in Khrono.no.
The new report from the Competence Needs Committee states that the need for ICT competence will continue to increase. What constitutes ICT competence will change in line with the introduction of AI and new digital technology. At the same time, the report points out that we do not educate enough people with the right skills – and that we must do more to ensure that those who are educated have a good transition to working life.
At NITO, we have long highlighted the need for better interaction between education and working life. When these people work as a team, we get educations that are more relevant and practice-oriented, and new graduates who have more of the skills that working life needs. The findings from the Competence Needs Committee show that it is urgent to systematise this cooperation.
Digital competence must be included in all studies, and the education sector must equip students for lifelong learning. At the same time, employers must take greater responsibility for recruiting new graduates and facilitating skills development during working hours.
We must make it possible for people to learn throughout their lives. The current support schemes for skills development do not hit highly educated groups well enough. We need new schemes and funding for universities and university colleges that support their role in competence development.
We hope that this will be prioritised in the new competence budget.
Technology has become geopolitics. Competence building is the smartest long-term investment we can make to reduce dependence on foreign actors and prevent them from setting the terms for social development. It is also a prerequisite for competitiveness, value creation and welfare.
It is positive that Norway is in fourth place in public digitalisation among the OECD countries, but if we are to exploit the opportunities that lie in digitalisation, we must make up for the skills gap.
Our members also want to learn more. In NITO's member survey, 93 per cent say that digital competence development is important, and almost three out of four say they need more training. Nevertheless, more than half have not received an introduction to how AI works or how it affects them in their work.
New technology challenges both privacy and trust in the workplace, and makes us more vulnerable to abuse and digital threats. Algorithmic management, with systems that manage work tasks and measure performance in real time, can impair the ability to discuss the job with your manager. The use of AI in recruitment and competence assessment can make it more difficult to question decisions that are perceived as unclear, unfair or discriminatory.
Therefore, digital competence is crucial for a safe, responsible and competitive working life.
We believe in strategic competence management where employees are involved in shaping the direction, and where working hours include learning arenas, interdisciplinary teams and time for exploration, piloting and learning. Competence is an investment, and it must be as natural to set aside time for learning as it is for deliveries and reporting.
The tools for succeeding with digital transformation lie in the cooperation between the parties. I am pleased that the report also shows this.
Digitalisation is change, and is first and foremost about people, culture and competence. Therefore, the cooperation between the parties must be the mainstay of all digital development.
When we develop and use new technology together, we ensure the positive benefits. It is about using technology wisely, and that requires both knowledge and participation.
