Launched: May 2025
The challenge
Skåne, a vibrant region in Southern Sweden and part of the cross-border Öresund area, boasts a dynamic Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industry (CCSI) ecosystem. In Sweden, these sectors are deeply rooted in the country’s long-standing support for education through the Scandinavian model of municipal cultural and music schools, as well as the tradition of ‘Folkbildning’ - a form of democratic, accessible, free, and voluntary adult education.
The cultural and creative labour market is driven by innovation and generates new employment opportunities. This dynamic environment requires workers to continuously develop their skills. However, Skåne faces skills shortages in the creative sectors, primarily due to limited access to specialised education and training. To sustain growth and foster innovation, skills development programmes are essential to support the region’s cultural and creative industries.
The ambitions
As working conditions evolve, the Regional Skills Partnership (RSP) for Skåne will develop and test training models for upskilling and reskilling, focussing on building digital, green, innovative and entrepreneurial skills in the creative industry.
The Partnership is also committed to building the CCSI for the future, especially in the context of evolving working conditions, a changing digital landscape and the emergence of AI as a tool for innovation. Thus, the Partnership will enhance synergies between SHAPE (Social Science, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
Furthermore, to achieve societal as well as artistic resilience, collaboration within an RSP is essential for long-term and sustainable development. The Partnership has a clear ambition to share best practices with other RSPs and to establish synergies between Large-Scale Skills Partnerships.
The commitments
The Partnership sets out several key commitments to ensure its impact will enhance inter-regional collaboration, as follows:
- Foster strategic collaboration and alignment by creating collaborative fora which will facilitate interaction between the educational ecosystem and the CCSI.
- Support sustainable transformation by promoting partnerships between universities and CCSI organisations to bridge the gap between academic research and industry needs, developing innovation hubs and creating new training models.
- Advance diversity and inclusion by developing accessible training programmes which target underrepresented communities, thus ensuring they have the skills they need to participate in the labour market.
The impact
The Partnership aims to implement 20 new upskilling and reskilling formats, establish 10 industry-academia partnerships, and engage over 35 organisations, including universities, cultural institutions, and local authorities.
By 2030, it will deliver 5 collaborative grant schemes and 5 inclusion-focused initiatives, and by 2035, support 8 cross-border education and labour market integration projects across the Öresund region.
Interested in learning more?
Download the RSP’s declaration below.
