There are many ways to arrive in Haugalandet.
Some come with a signed contract and a clear start date. Others follow a partner, or arrive with children in tow, carrying more questions than answers. Most arrive with a mix of excitement and uncertainty.
Settling, however, takes more than logistics. It takes orientation, familiarity, and the reassurance that someone knows how things work here.
This is where Welcome Hub Haugalandet enters the picture.
On Tuesday 13 January 2026, Haugesund Public Library became the setting for its official launch. Around 115 people from business, public services, organisations and local communities gathered, filling the room with conversation before the programme had even begun. There were colleagues greeting colleagues, newcomers finding themselves in easy dialogue with strangers, and the particular atmosphere that emerges when people show up not out of obligation, but interest.
The hub that was launched that evening is not a campaign or a short term project. It is a place, both digital and physical, built to support the everyday reality of moving to and living in Haugalandet.
Where settling actually begins
Relocation rarely breaks down because of a lack of opportunity. More often, it falters in the quieter spaces.
The paperwork that feels opaque.
The evenings that stretch a little too long.
The partner whose career stalls.
The language that works on paper, but not yet around the lunch table.
Welcome Hub Haugalandet starts with these moments. It supports both international and Norwegian newcomers and complements employers’ onboarding by focusing on what cannot be solved inside the workplace alone. Social connection, practical orientation, language practice, and access to local networks are all part of the same process: finding a rhythm in a new place.
In doing so, the hub reflects a broader shift in how Haugalandet approaches talent. Recruitment is no longer treated as the final step. Settlement is.
A place to find your footing
Rather than sending newcomers between institutions and websites, Welcome Hub Haugalandet gathers essential information and presents it through the lens of lived experience.
Those planning a move can orient themselves around permits, work and housing. Those who have already arrived can find guidance on the essentials that quickly define everyday life in Norway, such as ID numbers, healthcare, banking and learning Norwegian. Beyond the practical, the hub opens a door into life in Haugalandet, offering insight into local communities, culture, food and nature.
Equally important are the physical meeting places connected to the hub. Regular events and gatherings are designed to be low threshold and informal. You can arrive with a question, a curiosity, or simply the wish to meet someone. Nothing more is required.
Why a library mattered
The choice of Haugesund Public Library as the venue for the launch was deliberate. A library belongs to no single employer or sector. It is a shared space, already familiar to many, and open to all.
During the evening, Welcome Hub Haugalandet was framed as a response to a challenge recognised across the region. Haugalandet needs competence, yet some newly recruited employees leave after only a few years. Often, the job itself works well. It is the social fabric around it that never quite takes hold.
The hub addresses that gap by offering continuity. Something people can return to, whether they are newly arrived, six months in, or simply looking to expand their network later on.
From national perspective to local reality
The programme moved naturally between the wider context and the local.
State Secretary Kjetil Vevle spoke about talent attraction and inclusion as national priorities, emphasising the role of local initiatives in making regions competitive and liveable.
Erik Løland from Sparebankstiftelsen SR-Bank explained why the foundation has supported the initiative with NOK 1.4 million in funding. The emphasis was not only on resources, but on long term value creation through participation and inclusion.
Henning Aarekol then took the room somewhere else entirely, with humour and reflection. His observations on Haugalandet and its people landed on something many recognised: decisions about staying are often shaped by whether people feel welcome in ordinary moments, not by formal structures alone.
How do people choose to stay
The programme concluded with a panel discussion bringing together perspectives from education, health, business, inclusion work and the library.
Siri Vikse, Haugesund Public Library
Vy Baldwin, Vy Strategy
Julie Osteig, Haugesund International School
Tone Indrelid, Sammen om en jobb
Siren Eldøy Hinderaker, Helse Fonna
Rather than circling abstract ideas, the conversation stayed grounded. Language as a gateway to participation. Meeting places that do not require an invitation. Career paths for accompanying partners. Arenas where newcomers and long established residents meet without labels.
None of these insights were new. What felt different was their convergence in a single initiative that is now in operation.
From launch to everyday use
Welcome Hub Haugalandet is already active, with recurring activities anchored at Haugesund Public Library and across the region.
Norwegian language café
A weekly, informal setting to practise Norwegian, open to everyone regardless of level
Coffee Mingel
A drop in meeting place on Tuesdays for conversation, questions and everyday guidance
Mingel
A monthly after work gathering connecting newcomers, locals and the business community
Job helper
Individual guidance for job seekers, including support for accompanying partners, linked to regional employers through Talentsamarbeidet
As part of the launch, the mentoring programme Sammen om en jobb was also introduced to Haugalandet. The programme pairs people with long experience from Norwegian working life with highly skilled international job seekers in a six month mentoring relationship. The focus is on building networks, transferring knowledge about Norwegian work culture, and lowering the barriers that prevent many highly qualified newcomers from entering relevant employment. Learning flows in both directions, strengthening inclusion for individuals and for the labour market as a whole.
Making room for belonging
Welcome Hub Haugalandet does not promise transformation. It supports the small, ordinary moments that make a new place start to feel familiar.
When the programme ended, no one rushed for the door. Small groups formed, contact details were shared, and plans were made to meet again.
That is where Welcome Hub Haugalandet begins its work.
All photos by Torstein Nymoen / Haugaland Vekst