Omega 365 Solutions named Apprentice Company of the Year

Omega 365 Solutions in Haugesund has been named "Apprentice Company of the Year" 2023 by the Rogaland County Municipality in Norway.

Published: 15 February 2024

The management and apprentices at Omega 365 Solutions received the award. From the left: Dennis Magnussen; Systems engineer and Instructor, Roger Torkelsen; Benjamin Kulshamar Osnes; Øyvind Stensland Haugen; Tobias Emberland Stokkenes; County Mayor, Svein Erik Indbjo; Aleksander Vaage; Tor Inge Mokleiv; Arvid Wedtstein; William Eriksen Ingebrigtsen; Department Manager and subject coordinator, Vidar Nordnes; Communications Manager, Lauren McPherson Simonsen. Photo: Rogaland County Municipality.

Department Manager Vidar Nordnes and Systems Engineer Roger Torkelsen received the award along with IT developer apprentices from Haugesund and Ølensvåg on Thursday evening.

“I am pleased and honored that we have received this award. The apprenticeship program plays a significant role for our company, and in the wider community,” says Sigmund Lunde, Chairman of Omega AS.

The award was presented by the Vocational Training Board of Rogaland, which includes both politicians and representatives from the professional sector. In their rationale, they emphasized that the department in Haugesund had a unique approach to recruiting skilled workers in the new IT developer program.

“When we first heard that an IT developer program was being launched in Haugaland upper secondary school, we were eager to collaborate as soon as we could. Young people eager to learn are incredibly valuable,” shares Nordnes.

Gaining valuable skills

In collaboration with the Haugaland upper secondary school, Omega 365 Solutions incorporates more than half of the students and apprentices in Vocational Specialization (YFF) with ongoing contracts in IT development in Rogaland. The demand for IT expertise is increasing, as evidenced by the Norwegian competency report produced last year. However, there are fewer IT developers being educated than are expected to be needed in the coming years.

At Omega 365, team members have actively contributed to the creation of an examination board for the subject, by both volunteering as coordinators and recruiting suitable members for the board.

“We have taken an active role in further developing IT education by collaborating closely with both schools and students. This benefits the apprentice program subject and us as a company,” says Nordnes, who serves as the coordinator for the examination board.

Read the jury's reasoning here

This company has been at the forefront of launching and enhancing the IT developer subject, a new area of vocational education. The company has been instrumental in ensuring the subject gets off to a solid start. In partnership with Haugaland upper secondary school, they welcome a significant number of YFF students and apprentices.

Of the 21 ongoing contracts in the IT developer subject in Rogaland, Omega 365 Solutions holds 11. The company actively participates in recruitment efforts across various platforms. Omega brings in apprentices with the goal of hiring them after their apprenticeship. The company recognizes the apprenticeship scheme as a valuable recruitment tool for the industry and invests substantial efforts to make the subject attractive and the apprentices well-prepared for future job roles.

Furthermore, the jury highlights the company's unique approach to recruiting skilled workers in this new subject. Company staff have taken the initiative to establish an examination board for the subject, by stepping up as coordinators and recruiting other suitable members for the board.