Jenny chose Northvolt - the career change brought her back to Skellefteå.

When Blåfors girl Jenny Carlsson gave birth to two children, the family decided to move from Oslo to Skellefteå.

At the same time, she made an abrupt career change and joined the adult education program for automation operators.

Today, she is a shift manager at Northvolt and plays an important role in the growth of the new industry.

- 'That's what attracted me the most, I wanted a job that was in line with my values,' says Jenny.

Life in Oslo was something Jenny really enjoyed. The pulse, the people, the proximity to the fjord and the mountains. Her job as a Visual Merchandiser meant that she was involved in decorating stores that were newly opened, renovated or moved to other premises.

- When we had the children, it became more and more clear that we couldn't stay in a fifth-floor apartment without an elevator, and my boyfriend, who is from Skåne, wanted to move to Skellefteå. It was really he and my mother who were behind this," says Jenny, laughing.

They had to buy her mother's partner's townhouse in Ursviken and when her parental leave came to an end, Jenny made a career change.

- 'I was in a fairly narrow industry and in a big city like Oslo it worked. At the same time, the older I have become, the more important it has become for me to work with something that is in line with my values. And being able to contribute to the green transition felt just right," she says.

She applied for the adult education program Automation Operator at Campus Skellefteå and was accepted. The full-time course lasts about five months, covers 600 credits at upper secondary school level and includes both theoretical and practical elements. It includes basic knowledge of machines, compressed air technology, leadership, truck and tractor driving licenses, and an insight into how an industry works, as well as English.

The training is developed in close cooperation with Northvolt and the lab environment is built to be adapted to the wishes of the industry.

After the training, Jenny applied for a job at Northvolt and was accepted as an operator. She then began an internal training program in Västerås at Northvolt Labs, the company's battery research campus.

- "It went well, so I was offered to become a shift manager at Northvolt Ett, which felt like a great challenge. I then became involved in the process of starting to recruit employees, and since then we have worked hard to bring machines into the building, make them reliable, plan, schedule and train staff," explains Jenny.

Now that you've been at it for a year, how do you feel about the job?

- I love my job! It's really exciting and I get to learn a lot of new things. Because I'm trusted to be part of the process, I have the opportunity to influence it from the beginning - and it's great to have colleagues from all over the world. The cultural exchange between us is something I really appreciate," says Jenny.

Would you recommend someone to make a career change?

- Absolutely! I think it's great fun to try something new and have changed jobs every five years or so, but now I'm hoping for a future here. I was a bit worried about whether I was technical enough, but in retrospect it seems more important to be a problem solver, have a positive attitude and a willingness to tackle things, than to be born with a screwdriver in your hand. I also brought with me great things from my previous working life, such as some staff responsibility and the fact that I spoke a lot of English. I didn't expect it to be so valuable. I actually thought I would be more of a beginner," she says.

Jenny works on the factory's 'Formation and Aging' line, which is the last in the production chain. Here, a lot is based on quality assurance of the batteries before they leave the factory. The batteries are charged and discharged in batches, and then go through various formatting cycles to ensure that the batteries have the right specifications.

- I have many different areas of work, things I haven't found in the same job before and I am so grateful for that. I get to work a lot with people and be there when my team needs me," says Jenny.

FACTS

Name: Jenny Carlsson.

Age: 35.

Family: Husband Daniel, children Thure, 4 years and Billie, 2 years.

Living: Townhouse in Ursviken.

Profession: Shift manager at Northvolt Ett.

Previous occupations: Hairdresser, hotel reception manager and visual merchandiser.