More than 70 people from the business sector, academia and the public sector met to discuss how the region can be better prepared for an increasingly digital and automated future.
Industry 4.0, often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, is characterized by automation and data exchange. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and improved communication between machines, are enablers for a more automated world.
Jan Helge Viste, Project Manager Digitalization at GCE NODE, gave an introduction to illustrate how new technology and connectivity disrupt industries and change everyday life.
Digitalization requires a small army of data engineers, people who are already hard to come by.
“The European Union estimates that there is more than half a million vacant positions for data engineers,” said Viste.
See who attended Agder Competence Forum 2020
GCE NODE companies that presented how they work, learn and recruit in a digital world, included Panterra, Red Rock, Young Industrial Innovators and Noroff.
“Our goal is to deliver smart products to the marine, transport and energy industries,” said founder and CEO of Red Rock, Christoffer Jørgenvåg, who is also a board member of the Faculty of Engineering and Science at the University of Agder.
And speaking about the university, 6,000 students participated in the 2019 Candidate Study, which showed that 9 out of 10 students from Agder found a job within a year of completing their education. More than half were signed before they graduated.
“Student find our study courses to be highly relevant,” concluded Ingrid S. Andersen, Senior Advisor at the Division of Student and Academic Affairs at the University of Agder.
Agder Competence Forum was hosted by GCE NODE, Eyde Cluster, ICT cluster Digin and Agder County.
