Talent Coastline is coordinated by the Ostrobothnia Centre for the Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and is part of the Government's national Talent Boost programme. The aim of Talent Coastline is to boost growth in the Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia regions and enable local companies and organisations to secure skilled workforce for their needs. Talent Coastline focuses on the attraction of international expertise to the region, the connection to the local higher education institutions and vocational schools, the cooperation between private and public sector in order to boost the growth of the regions.
The Centre for the Economic Development, Transport and the Environment is tasked with promoting regional competitiveness, well-being, sustainable development and curbing climate change. The Talent Coastline Ecosystem is coordinated by the ELY-Centre and it involves the Public Employment and Business Services, EURES, Team Finland, the Regional Councils, the Higher Education and Vocational Institutions of Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as Dynamo, Kristiinankaupunki Business Center, Concordia, VASEK, KOSEK, KASE, Rannikkoseudun Yrittäjät, Vaasa Entrepreneurs, Central-Ostrobothnia Entrepreneurs, Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce, Talent Scout and the Talent Hubs in Vaasa, Närpiö, Pietarsaari, Kokkola, Toholampi. The companies that are most committed to the ecosystem are Wärtsilä, Barona, Devatus.
Talent Boost is a cross-administrative programme of the Finnish Government designed to boost the immigration of senior specialists, employees, students and researchers. Its focus is on attracting international talent while targeting the sectors that suffer from labour shortage. The programme is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education and Culture and it bases its measures on close long-term cooperation between the state, cities, educational institutions, businesses and other actors.
The Talent Coastline Ecosystem's goals are to boost the attractiveness of the Ostrobothnian regions for international talent, to retain the talent and enhance the regional competitiveness by shortening the gap between local small and medium sized companies and international skilled workforce.
The regions of Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia compose part of the west coast of Finland. The area has a strong tradition of entrepreneurship and the largest number of companies per capita on the mainland of Finland. The export share of approximately 71 % is also exceptionally high. The energy sector is the strongest one in Ostrobothnia, while agriculture and manufacturing are stronger in the Central Ostrobothnia region.
The area is very international in atmosphere but also when it comes to its population. For instance, the internationals in Ostrobothnia consist of over 7% of the population. Within this number is untapped potential that would fill the talent shortage of the local business and boost the region's growth.
The reason why it is important to take into consideration these human resources is that even though the unemployment rate in the region is lower than in any other Finnish region, there is a consistent number of open positions, which are not filled because of talent/skill shortage.
