Working together within Europe seems to be a proven way to exchange knowledge and experiences in the branche. Cooperation of any kind will provide a durable network. It will develope and execute an accessible strategy that brings partners in the mobile technology closer together. As has been described in previous articles, a network started thanks to Erasmus+, has been revived. A first online meeting took place in early February with schools and industry associations from Latvia, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. Participants in this network are enthusiastic and see many advantages of this informal network.

Lina Tuvesson Hallman of the trade association MaskinLeverantörerna (ML) in Stockholm, participant from the very start, is joining this network again. She is very keen on this renewed initiative. As in many other European countries, Sweden is also struggling to achieve a sufficient influx of qualified personnel in the sector of mobile tools and vehicles. Everything has been put on hold with the corona crisis. However, Sweden’s enthusiasm to find connections across Europe has not diminished.

“There are now also participating countries that are not members of Climmar. A good opportunity to meet new people from other countries. There is always a lot of administration and reporting to do with an Erasmus project, but not (yet) with this network. I see it mainly as a challenging exploration that is very flexible and effective, particularly because of its informal character,” explains Lina.

Finding solutions together

More countries and partners feel drawn to this network, which is still under construction. Because it is not so tightly organized, it invites participants to contact other partners more easily. There are no barriers for exchanging experiences. All European countries need to deal with the same issues in mobile technology. It’s much more effective to discuss this in a European context and it costs considerably less to find compatible solutions. Bringing together a diversity of thoughts and experiences is key to building a strong and sustainable network.

Student and teacher exchanges

Lina: “We started translating textbooks from the Netherlands. A big step ahead to improve training. I see another great opportunity for this network in organizing exchanges. For students but also for teachers. And more initiatives will be possible thanks to a powerful European network. Sweden is willing to invest in it and we hope, of course, that more countries and partners will follow. I am really looking forward to the next (online or live) meetings. Sharing knowledge undoubtedly promotes the growth of our industry in Europe”.

AGENDA:

• 18^th March: Presentation of European Network, during the members meeting of Climmar – Brussels
• 14^th – 15^th June: next network meeting during the Tampere Smart City Week Conference, in Finland.