Work Packages

WP 1 Diagnosis and readiness mapping

The work package activities generate evidence-based knowledge and shared understanding of the skills needs and existing talent attraction and retainment practices in the Aurora region. Skill shortages and educational and training needs are region specific, depending on business structure and labor market dynamics. There is a shortage of cross-border knowledge regarding region and sector-specific needs and opportunities in the Aurora region. This UOulu led baseline study regarding regional and sector-specific needs, capacities and successful and failed practices of talent attraction guides and supports the design of activities in the other work packages (WP2-4). The work package activities including desk work, focus groups, a cross-border survey and workshops will be conducted systematically in each country by UOulu, LTU and Nord with contribution from other partners and associate partners (City of Rovaniemi and City of Joensuu).

UOulu leads and coordinates WP1 activities. UOulu will arrange regular meetings with WP1 lead partners LTU and Nord and a monthly meeting with all partners and associate partners. The activity ensures coherent and systematic baseline study and timely organization of the focus groups, cross-border survey and workshops. UOulu will ensure timely reporting and communication of WP1 together with LTU and UmU.

WP1 communication outputs will include a Working Paper, information sheets (PowerPoints), workshops, follow-up summaries, presentations in events, and scientific publications. Moreover, the focus groups and cross-border survey support the communication of the project and its objectives among stakeholders. The findings will be communicated and disseminated to stakeholders and a wider public by using various channels with help of UmU and other partners. WP1 includes final analysis of the key findings form WP2-4. The results of the final analysis be reported and communicated in scientific meetings and open access articles in late 2028.

WP 2 Living labs: Co-design and implementation of talent system innovations

This work package is focused on innovation and pilots. During this work package, we collaborate in living labs between all partners to jointly develop, pilot, and adapt cross-border talent attraction/retention/mobility strategies and tools that respond to identified gaps and shared challenges regarding rapid market changes. The activities in this work package build on WP 1 and feeds directly into WP 3 and WP 4.

Luleå University of Technology leads the work package, in close collaboration with Activity leaders (Nord University, UOulu, City of Luleå). The proceedings of the WP will be planned and followed up in monthly online meetings with the project team. Activities in connection with pilots in this WP support the communication, involvement and dissemination of the project objectives among different stakeholder groups. The partners have strong expertise in stakeholder engagement in knowledge creation and development activities. TalentNorth is committed to inclusiveness, knowledge transparency and co-learning. The outputs of this WP include a narratives evaluation report for campaign development, an established Arctic Six crossborder internship and courses programme and Arctic International House transfer of best practices.

WP 3 Learning, evaluation, and systematization

The work package ensures systemic learning across the project by synthesizing findings from WP1 and WP2 and transforming them into transferable models, tools, and educational outputs. Nord University leads the evaluation of pilots and diagnostics supported by the University of Lapland and other partners, to document lessons learned and anchor successful practices in policy briefs, roadmaps, and toolkits. Structured reflection workshops and cross-border dialogues will engage universities, municipalities, and practitioners to jointly assess outcomes and co-design sustainable solutions. A key focus is to embed results into long-term learning formats through micro-courses and cross-border training, thereby strengthening employability and institutional capacities in the AURORA region. Outputs will be widely communicated to stakeholders and the public, ensuring the knowledge generated supports strategic policy and practice beyond the project duration.

WP 4 Strategic Talent Attraction and Internal Mobility Promotion

The aim is to promote the Arctic region for potential talents outside the region (i.e. Talent Attraction) as well as promote internal talent mobility within the Aurora region. The long-term goal is to find permanent forms of collaboration.

Building on benchmarking, previous experiences and activities in WP1 and WP2, cross-border talent attraction activities and marketing concept is further developed. Actions will include multichannel marketing as well as participation in talent attraction events outside the Aurora region. Piloting well-planned and efficient marketing communication activities is crucial to enable finding the best ways to cope in the global competition for talents. Sharing information to promote mobility within the region is an important part of retention when considering the whole Aurora region. Actions will include cross-participation in regional recruitment events. In this way, existing event platforms (such as MegaMatchmaking in Oulu, Finland) can be utilized, at the same time ensuring that the target group is reached as efficiently as possible.

Activities of the work package are project management and communication; familiarization and benchmarking; concept design; pilot campaign planning and implementation; evaluation and long-term planning.

As the lead partner of WP4, City of Oulu takes the main responsibility for defining objectives of each activity in more detail, planning the activities, implementing them, and evaluating the results. Other TalentNorth partners (Luleå, Umeå, Tromso, Bodo, LTU, UOulu, AMF) as well as associate partners (Rovaniemi and Joensuu) will participate especially in familiarization and benchmarking as well as evaluation and long-term planning but some partners also in the other activities. The main output of this work package is a new long-term plan for future measures to attract talent and promote internal mobility in TalentNorth. Another output is a session at an international conference.