Invest in Pomerania turns 10 this year with 135 successful projects and creating more than 19000 jobs. The first research conducted by PwC and Instytut Badań nad Gospodarką Rynkową in 2010, titled Analysis of investment attractiveness of Pomorskie Voivodeship, became the basis for the strategy of FDI attraction and development of Invest in Pomerania. Now The Pomorskie Voivodeship has started a collaboration with the World Bank to assess how foreign direct investment (FDI) attracted by Invest in Pomerania supports local development and to formulate a new strategy for economic promotion and FDI attraction for the region for the years 2021-2027. 

So, we spoke to them and here’s how do they do what they do so well;

Dynamically evolving solutions

Invest in Pomerania (IiP) has always believed that the success of Pomerania as a region is possible only if businesses active here are successful. That’s why we offer support from the pre-investment stage all the way to post investment and reinvestment. Our support and solutions grow and evolve as per the needs of our investors. Changes in demand for talent, gave rise to the “Live more. Pomerania” initiative in 2018, as a place branding and employer branding tool that showcased the best of the region as a place to do business, work, study and live. Now “Live more. Pomerania” is a vibrant and engaged community that not only encompasses the Pomeranian employers but the students and citizens too.

Talent attraction

One of their latest initiative is Jobs@Pomerania, Poland’s first, market driven, profile led recruitment platform targeted at everyone currently not working in Pomerania. IiP conducts two recruitment needs analyses per year  and highlights the profiles and skills on the portal. This is supplemented by recruitment campaigns that provide qualified, pre-screened resumes to partners on the platform. This platform is available free of charge for all Pomeranian employers. Currently, it is used by more than 90 companies recruiting from 3000 active resumes. They also run tailored employer branding and recruitment campaigns for select partners via this platform.

Reskilling support

Another latest initiative is the reskilling program where IiP will provide access to training for individuals who would like to reskill and start a career in IT. The program will offer training in Java, Data science and Frontend technologies and will be provided via training companies chosen in an open contest. Half of the program fee will be refunded to candidates who will successfully complete it. They will start running this as a pilot with around 100 candidates and scale it up in 2022. 

Knowledge Sharing

IiP has successfully created and adapted to digital tools quite effortlessly and now offer a variety of webinars on relocating, legalizing and localising in the Tricity (#New2Tricity), law webinars for the HR Community (O prawie przy kawie).

They are also curating the spirit of collaboration and knowledge sharing via the AI Pomerania hub and the Aviation Hub with a vibrant community of experts from different companies and organize knowledge sharing sessions, webinars and conferences. The first edition of the Aviation Hub Conference in 2020 saw more than 200 participants attending virtually. The next edition is planned for November 2021

Other than this, IiP offer pre-investment reports, site visits, data reports, media launches, marketing and employer branding support, networking and community opportunities via regular meetings and an in-depth investors spokesperson who is in charge of helping corporates with paperwork and legalization issues. 

#Wecaremore

In 2017, Pomerania was ranked 4. on the Milken Institute’s 2017 index of the Best-Performing Cities in Europe – next to London, Stockholm and Budapest. It was also no.1 in Europe and no. 5. in the world in TripAdvisor’s ranking of the Top Destinations on the Rise in 2017.  The region boasts one of the highest numbers of happy residents in Poland (according to the Social Diagnosis 2015), making it one of the most desired destinations in Poland and Europe to live and work in. Gdansk itself has also been named People Friendly City by Forbes ranking 2020 and ranked as one of the safest destinations during COVID, Best Destinations in Europe 2020.

Not only that, The Tricity features in the top 5 global cities of the future 2020/2021 and has been ranked in the top 20 Tech cities of the Future (a ranking by fDi Intelligence and TNW) twice in a row.

Excellent opportunities for professional and personal development, quality of nature, clean air, rich cultural offer – all this attracts a growing number of people who want to settle in the region. Invest in Pomerania – together with the regional authorities – have launched a number of efforts to use these assets in order to attract and retain talents from Poland and beyond.