Background information

In a situation were a record number have been laid off, and some have also lost their jobs, the government and the social partners agreed to use the redundancy period to increase the competence of the employees. To counteract the consequences of the economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic, the government proposed on 3 April 2020 to spend NOK 100 million (approx. €9.3 million) on tripartite industry programs for skills development. It is the employers’ and employees’ organisations that together define which educations and trainings are relevant in their industries.

Content of measure

As part of the government’s competence package to counteract the consequences of the economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic, the government and the social partners agreed to establish six more tripartite industry programs for skills development. The industry programs are tailor-made educational offers that are developed in a collaboration between the social partners and educational institutions. It is a cost-sharing approach where the state pays for the development and operation of relevant offers at vocational schools or universities and colleges, while companies and individual employees invest their time. It is the employers and employees' organizations, that together define which educations and trainings are relevant in their industries. These were the new industry programs:

• The tourism industry
• Retail
• The hairdressing industry
• The food and beverage industry
• The construction industry
• Electrical / automation and renewable energy / power industry

Use of measure

In 2022, Fafo Institute evaluated the tripartite industry programme for competence development. The evaluation revealed that the collaboration between the actors involved in the industry programme was generally effective. The social partnership functioned well as a tool to develop suitable interventions and encourage participation in competence development. The programmes succeeded in recruiting businesses and employees to participate in the competence development projects. Participants generally completed their training and acquired relevant skills. The evaluation highlighted that the programmes were successful in providing employees with the skills required to cope with restructuring and remain employed. The programmes established during the COVID-19 pandemic were designed under tighter time constraints and included additional target groups, such as laid-off or unemployed individuals. Despite these challenges, the programmes managed to adapt and continue their operations.

• Fafo report: Evaluation of the tripartite industry programme for competence development .

Contents

• Training and employability

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment Unemployed	Sector specific set of companies Larger corporations	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Social partners jointly	Employees Employer National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

Through close cooperation over time, the government and the social partners at national level and industry level, has developed tailor-made educational offers to employees in specific industries. These programs are called tripartite industry programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government and the social partners decided to use this concept to offer education to employees and laid off workers in six new industries. In the process of implementing tripartite industry programs, the organisations are usually involved at national and industry level, and unions at local level do often cooperate with employers in the interested companies and the educational institutions.

Views and reactions

The government and the social partners regard the tripartite industry programs a measure that benefit both the individual, business and society as a whole.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 03 April 2020: More educational offers for the laid off and the unemployed (www.regjeringen.no)
• 30 January 2022: Evaluation of the tripartite industry programme (www.fafo.no)