The initiative is called Schibsted Academy (“Schibsted Akademi” in Norwegian) and provides courses in several of the company’s expert areas, such as storytelling and podcast production.
Hitting a nerve in the market
Shortly after the first courses were announced, there were many registrations and inquiries. Roger Lian, Project manager for Schibsted Academy comments that interest has been greater than expected in the middle of a pandemic. “It seems we have hit a nerve in the market. Many are still on home office several days a week, and perhaps it’s easier to prioritize time for a course. Some of our courses are already sold out, and we have more registrations than we’d ever expected. It’s clear that our leading expertise in several business areas is attractive both to individuals and companies.”
The courses will be held both online and physically at Spaces in Akersgata.
Roger Lian, Project manager for Schibsted Academy
“We look forward to welcoming the course participants at home and with us in Akersgata. We are following the authorities’ recommendations closely, and have set up small groups of 10 – 20 people in the offices. Those who attend our courses can feel confident that we have taken all precautions to create a safe and sound experience. We have also set up our own digital courses as they seem to be highly sought after these days,” adds Lian.
Leveraging competence and creating new revenue streams
Tor Jacobsen, SVP and Chief Consumer Officer at Schibsted responsible for user payments, says that Schibsted is always looking for new revenue streams and business opportunities. He believes that the course and education market is an area with great potential.
“In recent years, we have received many requests from companies that want to learn from us in areas such as journalism, technology, analysis, sales, and management. We have 5,000 employees in Schibsted, including employees in our media houses with experts in an incredible number of areas. We are constantly looking to develop new products and services that support our core business, journalism. Schibsted Academy is a good example of that,” says Jacobsen.
In addition to in-house experts, a number of external speakers who have collaborated with Schibsted previously and delivered high-quality courses will also contribute.
Strong brand + Strong in-house competence
Through market research, the project group has seen that many people struggle to orientate themselves in a jungle of course providers. Many offers can make it difficult to distinguish between serious and less serious players. Lian believes that this can give Schibsted a competitive advantage.
“It’s a great advantage to be able to put the Schibsted stamp on the product as many are well acquainted with us through our brands. That said, it is the quality of the actual content we provide and how this is received that will show how successful we are in this new business area,” Lian concludes.
The same education concept is also offered by Schibsted Sweden through national newspaper Svenska Dagbladet (SvD). SvD Kurser offers organisations across Sweden a chance to participate in courses led by several of the country’s leading experts in business transformation, behavioural design and customer engagement. SvD Kurser delivers a ‘hands-on’ learning experience, giving participants the tools, framework and strategies to apply immediately and make a difference within their company.