SE26 project
Learning centers – a unique learning environment based on research and healthcare experience
Learning centers are a unique learning environment and a strategic investment in the skills development of employees in the municipality's healthcare, care, and support services. Without learning centers, Skellefteå Municipality would have found it even more difficult to meet its skills needs during the extreme social transformation at the beginning of the 2020s.
Good healthcare, care, and support require a skilled and reliable workforce. This is a challenge that Skellefteå Municipality shares with the rest of the country, but with the establishment of the Northvolt battery factory in Skellefteå and unprecedented growth, the conditions became particularly tough. As the proportion of nursing assistants and support assistants in the operations decreased, the need for internal skills development and methodology training increased—especially for employees with Swedish as a second language.
In 2020, Skellefteå was one of the first municipalities in the country to start its own skills development program for existing staff. Since then, the program has expanded and moved into new, larger premises, and now offers thousands of training places each year.
Today, Lärcentra is a learning environment where new employees, experienced staff, and students can develop and deepen their knowledge in everything from basic nursing to specific healthcare and care tasks. The program does not replace formal healthcare education, but rather complements the necessary introduction, continuing education, and methodology training that individual workplaces are unable to provide.
Anna Malm, chef för Lärcentra
The learning opportunities and methodological training offered by Lärcentra are based on scientific principles and proven experience in line with the requirements of the new Social Services Act. The pedagogical basis is that knowledge is built through active participation.
"Lärcentra is a learning environment based on the individual's perspective. Through learning by doing, employees have the opportunity to think, feel, and act together, thereby developing both understanding and skills," says Anna Malm, head of Lärcentra.
All learning opportunities have been created in collaboration with employees from the various operations, who also serve as trainers. The focus is on everyday work skills, routines, and approaches. Here, participants also gain a deeper understanding of working methods, both in their interactions with individuals and in their use of digital systems.
During Society Expo, Lärcentra will be one of the program items in – and also host – the conference From Skellefteå to Sweden – solutions for the future of skills External link., which will be held on May 28–29.
Questions and answers about the project
Learning centers play a key role in meeting the municipality's skills supply needs in healthcare, care, and support.
- The introduction for new employees becomes structured and efficient, making it easier for them to get started with their work tasks.
- Increased job security for both new and experienced employees.
- Employee competence is enhanced and procedures are followed more closely, leading to quality-assured and more efficient work.
- Staff gain a deeper understanding of person-centered care and rehabilitation, which contributes to better care and support.
- Preventive work to address skills gaps and language problems increases staff's ability to deliver at a high level.
- Improved working environment, job satisfaction, and motivation to remain in the job.
- Increased collaboration across organizational boundaries, which improves learning and coordination within the administration.
- Stronger cooperation with schools, universities, and other actors involved in education in healthcare and social care.
The learning environment at the learning center has suitable premises and is based on evidence-based knowledge about learning and on practical professional expertise. This provides long-term stability and anchoring in the business. The training material is reviewed annually by expert quality managers, such as the nurse in charge of medical care and the person in charge of rehabilitation.
The shift in healthcare, which means that more and more individuals in need of advanced medical care are being treated at home, means that we need to expand our collaboration with the region in terms of skills development.
Learning centers are linked to the strategic area of Knowledge and Unique Competence.
With existing resources, learning centers contribute in both scientific and innovative ways to the supply of skills within the welfare sector.
Read more: SE26 project
Sidinformation
- Senast uppdaterad:
- 11 February 2026