Update of the Pielinen Karelia business programme

Pielinen Karelia Development Centre, Oy PIKES, responsible for the development of Nurmes, expanded through municipal consolidation, ordered an update of its business programme from MDI. The programme will not change radically, with forest bioeconomy, agriculture, the food industry and nature tourism continuing to be reflected in the future strategy. In addition, during the strategy process, solutions will be sought with various actors to improve the region’s attractiveness, particularly as regards young people, new employees and new entrepreneurs. Recognised development themes for the business programme include growth and capacity building in respect of existing businesses, small business renewal and business relocation, improving the profitability of agriculture and increasing sales in the tourism industry. In addition, one of the key themes is local vocational education, namely, improving the skills and knowledge of the workforce, where it is important to be able to influence the educational content. The strategy was prepared using material already produced, such as the Tourism Development Plan 2019–2024, the contents of agricultural development based on the thesis and the results of surveys identifying the development needs of operating companies. The workshop was held in February and the project completed in March 2020.