Cluster Insight with shAIRskills

We should all think a bit more like Pippi Longstocking, according to Ida T. Sætersdal who advocates the sharing of employees and know-how through shAIRskills’ new portal Competence Hub.

Cluster Insight is a column where we ask six questions to catch a glimpse into the daily business-lives of the partners and members of GCE Ocean Technology.

This week we spoke with Ida T. Sætersdal to learn more about her and her work in shAIRskills which facilitates the sharing of employees and know-how between companies.

1. What is your role in shAIRskills?

I was one of four founders, and I have been the CEO until recently, when my co-founder and partner Øystein Haukås took over the position as CEO. I am now a project manager, and my main focus is working with proprietary platforms, such as the Competence Hub, developed together with GCE Ocean Technology.

The change in management is a strategic choice as the company has grown and will be moving into new markets, so there is always a focus on sales and marketing.

We are planning a capital raise in the second half of 2021, where I also will be very much involved together with Øystein and the rest of the team. As in every small organization the variety of tasks is practically infinite. This is what makes a startup fun and interesting!

2. Your primary focus at work right now is?

My primary focus is to make the Competence Hub the place to go to for any company looking for personnel or looking to improve their employees’ skills by sharing know-how, knowledge and workforce.

I really believe in the power of sharing knowledge, and the Competence Hub is a unique tool for facilitating sharing. I am simultaneously focusing on further developing shAIRskills as a platform and service for sharing of workforce for all players, not just members of GCE Ocean Technology.

3. Biggest challenges and opportunities for shAIRskills in the future?

Companies have always been sharing employees, just like people have always borrowed cars and houses from one another. The sharing is normally based on established relationships, which can be limiting.

Our platform for sharing opens up the opportunities for all companies, and employees, who are willing to share know-how. Companies are familiar with hiring or using consultants, temporaries and so on, but the idea of sharing their own employees is new to most companies. Once this becomes familiar, I believe it will be a turning point.

4. Best part of being member in a cluster?

Being a member in a cluster is fantastic. We get to meet highly qualified people, and I feel that the members are eager to learn from one another and to share ideas and know-how. We became members during Covid-19, so I have not had the pleasure of meeting people face to face yet, but that will hopefully be changing soon!

5. Your business/life motto

I like this quote from Pippi Longstocking: "I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that". It is fun and exciting to learn new things and work with people who are challenging me and who are willing to be challenged. Still, I am not always as tough and cool as Pippi, so I have to admit that I sometimes feel like I am not able to do stuff that I haven’t done before. But I keep trying!

6. Which cluster member should we interview next?

I think you should talk to Anette Broch M. Tvedt in Adepth Minerals. She is smart and fun. Searching for minerals sounds a bit like what they did in the wild west. I am sure she has never done that before, so she must be a little like Pippi as well!

Thank you for the insight Ida.