KesTech Competence Needs Survey 2026: Current and future competence needs of industrial companies in Upper Savo
KesTech’s competence needs interviews provide an up-to-date, practice-oriented overview of the competence needs and future development directions of industrial companies in Upper Savo.
Introduction
Industrial companies in Upper Savo operate in a rapidly changing environment shaped by technological development, tightening sustainability requirements and intensifying competition for skilled labour. For companies in the region to grow and renew their operations, up-to-date information is needed on the skills that will be required in the future. The region’s age structure adds a further challenge.
The KesTech Sustainable Technology Competence Centre has strengthened cooperation between companies, education providers and business development organisations in Upper Savo. The KesTech Competence Needs Survey published in spring 2026. Its purpose was to identify skills bottlenecks in companies and to help direct education, development measures and cooperation towards the issues that matter most for the region’s vitality. The information collected supports the development of education and working life in the region and helps target measures more effectively to the changing needs of the business community.
The survey based on 82 company interviews
The data for the KesTech Competence Needs Survey was collected between January 2024 and May 2026. KesTech specialists from Iisalmi Industrial Park and Ylä-Savo Vocational College interviewed a total of 82 companies in Upper Savo, mainly small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.
The interviews examined companies’ current and anticipated competence needs, challenges related to the availability of labour, and their operational development priorities over the medium term. They created an overall picture of the professionals needed in production, design and development, the areas in which companies intend to invest, and the changes expected to affect their operations in the coming years.
Expertise and quality are key strengths
According to the interviews, the most important strengths of industrial companies in Upper Savo are technical expertise, extensive experience and a high level of quality. Many companies have a strong market position, long-standing customer relationships and a good reputation as reliable partners. The largest companies also have a strong presence in international markets, while local subcontracting networks support growth.
Companies’ competitiveness is often built on their ability to respond flexibly to demanding customer needs. The provision of design, manufacturing and assembly services by the same operators streamlines supply chains and increases the value delivered to customers. Modern machinery, automation and robotics also support production efficiency, quality and reliability of delivery.
Availability of skilled workers challenge growth
One of the clearest findings of the survey is that access to skilled labour is becoming more difficult, although economic cycles can rapidly affect labour demand. Companies reported needs for electrical and automation professionals, machinists, welders, industrial painters, surface treatment specialists and technical designers. Design expertise is required in areas such as automation, hydraulics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and technical documentation. Broad-based competence is especially valued. For example, understanding of electrical engineering and practical skills are increasingly needed as electrification advances.
Companies noted that the competence of new recruits does not always directly match the changing requirements of the job. Comprehensive induction, internal training, apprenticeships and tailored short courses are therefore increasingly important ways to address skills gaps flexibly. In many industrial companies, a candidate’s attitude, motivation and willingness to learn carry considerable weight in recruitment.
Automation, robotics and AI are reshaping competence needs
Companies reported plans to invest in production facilities, robotic cells, CNC machines, lasers and automated production lines. Automation is seen as a way to improve productivity and quality, and to some extent it can also help address challenges caused by labour shortages. New investments are reflected in the related competence needs. Expertise in robotics, PLC programming, 3D modelling, CAM software and modern production methods features prominently.
Companies see opportunities to use artificial intelligence in areas such as design, production management and process optimisation.
Alongside technical expertise, digital business skills are becoming more important. Companies want to develop e-commerce, digital marketing and other digital services to reach new customers and strengthen their sales internationally.
The results help target education and development
The findings of the Competence Needs Survey are valuable to technical education in the region. Results can be used in planning the education and training portfolio, as the survey identifies the themes that are currently relevant to companies. Competence needs are constantly evolving, which makes continuous dialogue with companies essential.
Identifying future competence needs is important because expertise cannot be developed overnight. When needs are recognised early, education, recruitment, investment and cooperation can be developed systematically over the long term, and resources can be targeted more precisely.
The KesTech Competence Needs Survey demonstrated that industry in Upper Savo has strong expertise and a forward-looking ambition to grow. To make even better use of this potential, cooperation between companies, education providers and other relevant stakeholders should continue to be developed.
KesTech Sustainable Technology Competence Centre
The KesTech Sustainable Technology Competence Centre has been a collaborative network operating in Upper Savo. It has brought together industrial companies, education providers and research organisations for joint development. Since 2022, KesTech has provided companies with practical support for growth and renewal, including foresight information, roundtable networking events on current topics, and support for competence development and innovation.
KesTech’s core team consisted of four organisations: Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Ylä-Savo Vocational College (YSAO), the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and Iisalmi Industrial Park Ltd. The project ends on 30 September 2026 and has been funded by the Just Transition Fund (JTF).
KesTech’s foresight- and roundtable-work to kick off in autumn 2024
The first process to start is foresight work. Like in the previous KesTech’s operating season, this involves examining selected themes to identify the phenomena they encompass. The goal of foresight activities s to look into the near future and, with this vision, understand what actions we should take now.
The second process called roundtable discussions involves turning the insights and results from foresight work and other information gathering into concrete actions. The aim is to form working groups, consisting of companies and KesTech participants, around the chosen themes. By working together, we aim to create a target vision and then take actions to achieve it. This could mean starting new R&D projects, smaller initiatives, or developing new methods to make better use of existing resources.
Upper Savo region is not isolated from the rest of the world. Industry evolves and faces challenges here just as it does elsewhere. Therefore, we don’t need to, nor should we, start addressing the situation and challenges from scratch. In KesTech’s new operating season, our goal is to leverage the work done by Sustainable Industry X (SIX), an industry-led national consortium.
In the Smart Manufacturing cluster, a national roadmap has been developed outlining what future products will look like and what requirements they will place on the future manufacturing supply chain. These development areas are divided into six themes:
1. Manufacturing smartness, which includes collecting and using data and product-related information to develop design and manufacturing processes.
2. Green Manufacturing, which involves measuring, calculating, and reporting emissions data, as well as implementing circular economy solutions and improving energy efficiency.
3. Leveraging supply network, which includes developing platforms and principles for data sharing within networks, optimizing network logistics, and improving situational awareness.
4. New work, which includes creating socially sustainable and attractive technology sector jobs, managing a global workforce, enhancing human capabilities, and utilizing assisted systems (XR).
5. Novel manufacturing technologies and paradigms, which includes developing and utilizing simulation models from the design process onwards, integrating additive and subtractive manufacturing, and finding efficient ways to organize production.
6. Autonomous Operations and Automation, which includes production agility, collaborative robotics, and predictive maintenance.
While these themes are designed from the perspective of future products and the manufacturing industry’s supply chain, they also address broader industrial topics. Our goal at KesTech is to use this established framework but adapt and apply it to the industry in the Upper Savo region. However, we cannot address all themes at once, so we need to prioritize and identify the most critical and challenging ones to address right now. For this, we need and value the insights of the local industry.