“An opportunity to connect with future talent early on”

Euvic Sweden is an IT consulting firm that helps companies—primarily in the private sector—with digital transformation through system development, data, cloud services, and business-oriented IT solutions. Richard Hammarström, Euvic’s Country Manager for Sweden, sees the creation of a concrete bridge between education and the working world as the greatest added value of hosting LIA students.

– For those of us working in the tech industry, it’s important for students to experience the reality of what companies and customers face, such as complex system landscapes, high information security requirements, integrations between different platforms, data quality, AI support, and business-oriented problem-solving.

According to Richard Hammarström, this applies to both technical and commercial roles. Even in commercial roles within the tech sector, there is now a growing need for an understanding of technology’s capabilities and limitations, the customer’s operations, business-critical processes, security, data, and how different solutions create value. The line between technology and business is becoming increasingly blurred, which makes LIA particularly valuable as a practical learning environment.

– LIA students often bring curiosity, energy, and fresh perspectives. At the same time, as a company, we have the opportunity to connect with future talent early on and gain insight into how academic programs are evolving. This is particularly valuable in an era of rapid technological advancement and evolving entry-level roles.

Richard Hammarström believes that the need for IT and tech skills is not decreasing, but that the specific skills required are changing. Employers are increasingly seeking individuals who have a basic understanding of technology but who can also put that technology into context, understand the needs of the business, and work with data, security, integrations, AI support, quality assurance, and commercial problem-solving.

– For us, LIA is therefore both a way to contribute to the industry’s long-term talent supply and a way to strengthen the link between education, technology, business, and the labor market.

At Euvic Sweden, the idea is for LIA students to get as close as possible to real-world operations during their internship. This may involve following projects, participating in internal meetings, working on research, documentation, basic analysis, technical issues, or providing support in customer-facing and commercial work, depending on the student’s field of study and level of experience.

“In IT, it’s important for students to understand the big picture. It’s not just about writing code, testing a function, or working with a specific tool—it’s also about understanding why a solution is needed, the business context, which systems it needs to interact with, what security requirements exist, how data is used, and how the technology creates value for the business and the customer,” says Richard Hammarström.

According to the Euvic CEO, commercial roles are about understanding, in a similar way, how customer needs, business value, and technology are interconnected. In the tech industry, commercial roles are becoming increasingly dependent on the ability to understand solution domains, ask the right questions, navigate complex customer environments, and translate business problems into potential technical and business solutions.

– We’re also seeing that AI and automation are transforming many entry-level tasks. That’s why LIA needs to give students the opportunity to practice skills that will become increasingly important in the future—such as using AI tools wisely, ensuring the quality of results, understanding data flows, considering information security, working systematically with requirements, and being able to apply technology in a business and operational context.

It is often through working on real-world cases that students come to understand the complexity of the tech industry. A technical solution is rarely in isolation; it is influenced by architecture, integrations, users, processes, budget, security requirements, and future business needs.

So how has Euvic Sweden been able to adapt or influence the content of the programs through its collaboration with YH? According to Richard Hammarström, this is one of the major strengths of the YH model. Through dialogue with educational providers and involvement in management teams, employers can provide an up-to-date picture of the skills that are actually in demand in the market.

– In my view, many IT and tech programs need to continue evolving toward more cross-functional and future-oriented skills. A narrow technical or commercial specialization is not always enough. Students also need to understand system integration, data flows, test automation, cloud platforms, information security, AI support, business processes, and how technology impacts the customer’s operations.

The fact that there is high demand for senior expertise in the tech industry does not mean that junior expertise lacks value, but Richard Hammarström believes that junior employees need to enter the workforce with a better understanding of the reality they are about to face. They need to bring with them both foundational skills and the ability to learn, analyze, collaborate, and understand the problems faced by customers or the business.

– Employers can play an important role here by providing concrete input on the content of educational programs and by offering work-study placements where students can apply their knowledge in practice. At the same time, educational programs need to remain responsive to how quickly roles, tools, and work methods are changing in the industry.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention regarding the vocational college and the partnership with your company?

– I believe that higher vocational education (YH) is a very important part of ensuring a skilled workforce in the tech industry. But for the model to work, there needs to be active collaboration between educational institutions, students, and employers. The tech industry is changing rapidly. AI, automation, cybersecurity, data, and systems integration are already influencing how companies operate and what roles are in demand. This applies to both technical and commercial roles in tech, where an understanding of technology, the customer’s business, and operational processes is becoming increasingly important. That’s why educational programs need to be closely aligned with the job market and continuously updated based on real-world needs.

Richard Hammarström calls for an honest discussion about how the bridge between education and the business world has become more challenging. As customers and the market increasingly demand senior-level expertise, rapid results, and experience in complex environments, the demands on employers who take on LIA students are also increasing.

– For companies, LIA represents a significant but tangible investment. It requires time, supervision, structure, and internal resources, while day-to-day operations are often characterized by high demands for efficiency, quality, and delivery capacity. That is why we need to view LIA and the practical supply of skilled workers as a shared responsibility among educational institutions, students, employers, and society at large,” says Richard Hammarström.

He believes that Sweden needs to find ways to share the investment in LIA and the supply of skilled labor among educational providers, students, employers, and society at large. If Sweden is to remain an attractive tech hub and Swedish companies are to meet future workforce needs, a reasonable balance is required—one in which students gain relevant work experience, educational programs remain up-to-date, and companies are given the opportunity to contribute without compromising the quality of their customer and delivery commitments.

– My advice to more tech companies is therefore to get involved with vocational higher education (YH), take on LIA students, and be clear about the skills you see as necessary for the future. This benefits companies, students, and the industry’s long-term competitiveness.