Start your career in Greater Bergen region’s sustainable value chains

Greater Bergen has around half a million inhabitants and offers exciting job opportunities, great educational facilities, diverse nature and a rich culture scene. With future-based industries and an easy access to both a scenic nature and a city life, Bergen and the surrounding areas are an excellent base for a good work-life balance. 

The ocean is the common denominator for the Bergen area key industries:

Seafood and aquaculture

Bergen is the seafood capital of Norway. The region offers a robust aquacultural ecosystem of highly developed end-to-end value chains with both global and smaller companies, leading research institutions and excellent educational institutions. 

Offshore Energy

Renewable offshore energy is a core business for the Western part of Norway. The region has decades of knowledge from its oil and gas activities, having developed several new and ground-breaking subsea solutions. It has a great deal of experience in the operation, maintenance, and modification of offshore equipment. This experience will be essential for developing Norway’s future energy sources and value chains for such as offshore wind, blue hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS), CCU and geothermal energy.  

Green Maritime

Digitalisation and zero-emission solutions for the maritime industry have become increasingly significant in recent years. As the industry moves towards the future, how can it reduce its carbon footprint?

Career opportunities

About to graduate or having a few years of work experience? Or are you an employer in search of young employees? The region offers several trainee programs:

Seafood Trainee

The initiative «Seafood Trainee» was the first Norwegian Seafood Trainee program in the industry and has had more than 210 candidates in their program, organized by NCE Seafood Innovation. Yearly, the program opens for 30 recent graduates with bachelor/master’s degree in biology, technology, fish health, aquaculture, economics, social science, marketing or Law.

The program is a combination of a job in a seafood company, and an academic program of twelve days spread over four modules where one session will take place abroad.

More than 200 graduetes started their career in The Norwegian Seafood Trainee Program. Photo: NCE Seafood Innovation 

- We started the programme in 2016. There is a constant need for attracting the best candidates and talent to support the sustainable development in the seafood value chain. The seafood industry is constantly becoming more knowledge-intensive and has an increased needs for new skills within technology, biology and business, says Lena Bekken, program manager Seafood Trainee in NCE Seafood Innovation.

hey experience is that many of the trainees remain in the seafood industry after finishing their trainee period and continue to keep in touch with their fellow trainees.

More information and current application dates on their website. 

Trainee Vest

A regional trainee program founded in 2008. Since then, the talent attraction project has had 174 trainees. 

The target group is graduates with bachelor/master’s degree. Specifications and employers vary from year to year as Trainee Vest collaborates with various partners. These partnerships ensure a rich and varied experience for trainees as they represent a wide selection of the region’s industries and companies.

More information and current application dates on Trainee Vest’s website. 

I addition to the job, the trainee programs typically offer trainees career support and network activities in the region. Photo: NCE Seafood Innovation. 

Framtidsfylket trainee program:

For nearly 20 years the regional trainee program Framtidsfylket has been offering job opportunities to graduates in Sogn and Fjordane region. Today the program covers Vestland county.

The trainee program offers a one-year contract with a specified employer and access to a network of other graduates in the region. You get a mentor and can participate on an excursion abroad.

More information and current application dates on Framtidsfylket’s website. 

Maritime Trainee

Maritime Trainee is a national management trainee programmes, with partner companies also in our region. The programme lasts for 18 months and combines with an academic program, including five modules in Oslo, Bergen, Ålesund, Singapore and London. Throughout the trainee-period alle candidates are assigned a mentor and at the end of the programme, trainees will be invited to a diploma ceremony follow by an annual dinner with the Maritime Trainee Alumni Network.

The program’s ideal candidate has completed a master’s degree in, for example, technology, economics, marine engineering, IT or law. Candidates with up to five years’ work experience after completing master’s studies are also eligible for the program and are encouraged to apply.

More information on available positions at Martime Tainee’s website.

Other regional recruitment arenas:

Salmon City

Founded in 2022 by students SalmonCity offers events to match employers in the seafood industry and graduates seeking career opportunities in these businesses.

In Bergen in March every year 2000 students meet recruiting companies and get industry updates in seminars, workshops and networking events. A variety of seafood companies in the value chain from all over Norway are represented.  

Salmon City gathers more than 2000 potential employees on a yealy event in March. Photo: Slamon City.

Check details and current year program here.

In addtition to the yearly event Salmon City offers employeers opportunities like employer brading courses and analysis of employee preferences. 

Springbrettet

Springbrettet was founded by students in 2007 and yearly gathers students and employers at Vestlandet on a Career Day in March. Springbrettet also participates in other regional recruiting events.

Check their website for details.

YoungFish

YoungFish is an independent network organization for young employees, under the age of 40, in the seafood industry. YoungFish is a meeting place with a branch in the Western region.

They conduct a yearly conference in addition to several local events. Check website for current program and more information.

Thesis and internships

Several of the educational institutions in the region offer to connect students who are writing their thesis based on company cases.

Whether you are an employer or a student, check institutions own pages here:

Universitetet i Bergen: Oppgavetema for UiB-studenter - Utdanning i Bergen

Norges Handelshøyskole. Masteroppgavesamarbeid for bedrifter | NHH

Høgskulen på Vestlandet: Oppgåvesamarbeid - Høgskulen på Vestlandet (hvl.no)

Several study programs also offer student internships, a valuable experience for students and a great opportunity for companies to carry out projects.

Balanced life/work ratio

Norway is a modern, politically stable and highly developed country. The Norwegian economy is strong, open and mixed, with a combination of private and public ownership.  The Norwegian culture is characterized by a strong focus on work-life balance, egalitarianism, and teamwork. This is also reflected in the wage levels, where employeers pay relatively less for educated personell than in other contries. 

Norwegian working hours and the proximity to nature makes is possible to do kayaking at Herdla on a work day. Photo: Magnus Furuset. 

Norwegian work culture places a high value on work-life balance. While working hours may vary, 8-hour workdays/40-hour workweeks are typical. This contributes to a stable work-life balance for the labour force. 

It also has one of the world’s best gender-related equal opportunity records and is organised to accommodate dual-career families.

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