Skill Shift Initiative (“Beredskapslyftet” in Swedish) was founded in the spring of 2020 by Novare in collaboration with the Wallenberg Foundations and Sophiahemmet University. Together, they created a training course to reskill cabin crew from Scandinavian Airlines who were laid off due to the pandemic, with the goal of quickly being able to relieve healthcare during the pandemic. Today, Skilll Shift Initiative is a non-profit organization that functions as a platform for mobilizing resources from the corporate world in order to support society during crises and major events. Founders of the association are Novare, FAM and SAAB. Since its beginning, Skilll Shift Initiative has started several initiatives, among them the Ukrainian Professional Support Center and the crime prevention program Rätt Kurva.
Background:
Skill Shift Initiative grew out of the idea that SAS had furloughed cabin crew with basic medical knowledge and the healthcare sector had a great need for personnel during the corona crisis. After a dialogue between Oscar Stege Unger and Fredrik Hillelson, Fredrik contacted Sophiahemmet University's President Johanna Adami and an hour later, she agreed to create a 3-day intensive fast track healthcare training for SAS laid-off cabin crew. The course was offered to SAS cabin crew and within a few days 300 had expressed interest in attending.
As training was being developed by Sophiahemmet University, Skill Shift Initiative was taking shape through collaboration between parties from both the public and private sectors to create a cost-neutral foundation and enable up-scaling so laid-off employees from other sectors also can alleviate some of the burden on healthcare. Contacts were made with caregivers for the elderly and more collaborators joined in to help. Spotify offered its technical expertise and law firm Roschier its legal knowledge to name two.
Since its beginning, the Skill Shift Initiative has tirelessly worked to resolve urgent situations across a range of different areas. The founders of the Skill Shift Initiative are FAM, Novare and SAAB.
☎ Contact the Skill Shift Initiative
If you would like more information about what we are working on, please contact:
Malin Crona, Secretary-General Skill Shift Initiative, +46(0)72 308 72 94, malin.crona@beredskapslyftet.se
Fredrik Hillelson, CEO and founder of Novare, as well as co-founder of Skill Shift Initiative, +46(0)73 520 00 62, fredrik.hillelson@novare.se
For press:
David Löfvendahl, +46(0)76 114 56 01, david.lofvendahl@roschier.com
Linn Malmgren, linn.malmgren@novare.se
Partners
Axel Johnson
Axel Johnson is a leading Swedish family-owned business with a focus on food and businesses that span areas such as industry, IT solutions, beauty, health and solar energy. The group companies today consist of Axfood (50.1%), Axel Johnson International, AxSol, Dustin (27.3%), KICKS, Martin & Servera, Novax and Åhléns.
FAM AB
FAM AB is owned by the three leading Wallenberg Foundations through the holding company Wallenberg Investments AB, providing a concentration of influence from the Wallenberg family. FAM AB focuses on strategic company holdings and alternative investments with the goal of increasing dividend capacity and value over time. This growth contributes to the capital of the three foundations and their ability to support world-leading research and education.
NOVARE
Novare was founded in 2001 by Fredrik Hillelson and Investor with the purpose of providing HR support to Investor's smaller portfolio companies. Today, Novare is a corporate group that includes various companies that offer specialist expertise in the field of Human Capital.
SAAB
SAAB, also known as Saab Group, is a Swedish defense and security company with broad expertise in areas such as aeronautics, defense systems, electronics, and vehicles. The company was founded in 1937 and has since developed and manufactured various types of aircraft, vehicles, and technological solutions for both civilian and military purposes. With its extensive technical expertise, SAAB is a significant player in several industries.