The Government of the Generalitat is promoting an institutional campaign to inform everyone, as well as all work and training centers, of the importance of the accreditation of competencies.

It is the opportunity to obtain official accreditation by demonstrating what the user is capable of doing, based on professional experience or training which is not officially recognized.

Users have to participate in a series of interviews, preferably virtual, in which they must demonstrate professional competencies that constitute part of a professional certificate or degree.

If the person demonstrates that he/she has acquired the units of competence, he/she obtains an official certification that allows validating and completing the training of a Professional Certificate or Vocational Training Degree.

Obtaining an accreditation certificate facilitates professional and personal development, improving the curriculum and the chances of finding a job. In addition, when the procedure is completed, the user receives guidance on the training itinerary to follow.

From 2022, accreditation will be a regular and stable service, and citizens will be able to register for free, 365 days a year, for all professional competencies included in professional certificates and vocational training degrees offered in Catalonia.

Updated information on this new service will be posted on https://fp.gencat.cat/ca/acreditacio/em-vull-acreditar. The more people accredit their professional competencies, the stronger the FPCAT System will become.

This year, the Fundació has promoted the FP&Construction 4.0 Roundtable with the aim of understanding the needs and trends of the sector and to train future professionals in Construction 4.0.

The Board has met in four working sessions, and brings together VET centers of the Building and Construction, as well as Wood and Furniture families, professional guilds, experts and agents of the VET ecosystem.

On December 3, we will be visiting a public housing development, pioneer in innovation, sustainability and inclusiveness, promoted by IMPSOL.

• This morning the BCN Formació Professional Foundation presented the study “New trends and training needs in the 3D printing sector” at the headquarters of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona.
• The research has been carried out with the collaboration of the CZFB with the support of AMB and the 3D Incubator.
• 3D printing is a great opportunity to create employment with the emergence of new professional profiles that makes it necessary to add this new way of producing in the training system.

Barcelona, 29 October 2021 – The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) has hosted this morning at its headquarters the presentation of the study “New trends and training needs in the 3D printing sector”, prepared by the BCN Professional Training Foundation with the collaboration of the CZFB and the support of AMB and 3D Incubator. The event was attended by Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona; Sara Berbel, president of the Fundació BCN Formació Professional; Àngel Tarriño, coordinator of the Observatori de l’FP; Pau Alarcón, technician at the Observatori de l’FP; and Pablo Valderrama, director of the 3D Incubator. Likewise, the closing of the act has been in charge of Héctor Santcovsky, director of the area of ​​Social and Economic Development of the AMB, and Pere Navarro.

The study highlights that Catalonia is already one of the main 3D printing poles worldwide, and the Barcelona Metropolitan Area encompasses more than half of its companies. However, most companies suffer significant entry barriers, among which the need to adapt the training offer to the current economic and social reality stands out.

The study also offers updated information on the current and future situation, potential, trends and needs of the sector.

New professional profiles

This recent way of producing has caused the need for new professional profiles such as specialists in design, post-processing and finishings or engineers and technicians specialized in 3D printing.

This means a great opportunity to create employment that involves using 3D printing in the training system. In this sense, it is important, first of all, to have specialized teachers in the field to, later, offer continuous training to acquire knowledge and skills in 3D printing and create a training offer aimed at their companies and staff.

Along these lines, Pau Alarcón, from the Observatori de l’FP of the Fundació BCN Formació Professional, explained that “expanding the training offer (via adaptating training cycles, Dual Professional Training, and so on) would drastically contribute to boosting the sector and reducing the problems to find specialized labor”.

3D printing advantages

In recent years, with the development of the new economy, 3D printing offers several advantages that adjust themselves to new ways of consuming, producing and transporting. Among them must be highlighted production on demand, without the need for stocks, freedom in design and the possibility of large-scale customization, the manufacture of complex geometries without joints, or the possibility of manufacturing closer to the end consumer. Likewise, the main reason why this form of production is becoming consolidating is the rise in environmental sustainability and a greater concern on the circular economy.

Implementing 3D printing in industrial production has enabled companies to increase their competitiveness by reducing time and costs, expanding production capacities and improving service. As Àngel Tarriño, coordinator of l’Observatori de l’FP, has pointed out, “although the 3D printing sector is still in an initial phase, it has enormous potential, it already encompasses very varied fields and its evolution points towards an openness to many other sectors.”.

As Sara Berbel has concluded, “it is necessary to anticipate the talent needs of the new productive sectors that are called to be the drivers of change towards a more sustainable, effective, efficient and productive model that will generate jobs and wealth in our territory”.

3D Incubator and DFactory Barcelona, ​​pioneering initiatives

The special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, ​​Pere Navarro, highlighted that “the entity is committed to the development of the 3D printing industry and was a pioneer in creating the 3D Incubator together with Leitat and the help of FEDER funds: the first high technology 3D printing incubator in Europe, with 75 companies already incubated”. 3D Incubator became a benchmark for public-private collaboration by creating a respirator and a bifurcer in record time during the pandemic.

Likewise, the CZFB will open at the end of the year the first phase of DFactory Barcelona, ​​with Leitat as a technological partner. With 17,000 m2 destined to 4.0 Industry, it will become the main node of the digital industry in southern Europe, where HP has been the first company to become installed to carry out 3D printing research.

The AMB director of the area of ​​social and economic development, Héctor Santcovsky, has highlighted “the will to work within the metropolitan strategy to strengthen the 3D printing industry sector within the framework of the commitment to the reindustrialization of the territory and the reactivation of the economy”.

On Tuesday 13 October 2021, Day of Lovelace, at 19h in the CosmoCaixa, the 7th edition of the Women’s Prizes was held, promoted by the Department of the Vice-Presidency and Digital Policies and Territories, in collaboration with the Catalan Institute of Women, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce Women Observatory and the Tertúlia Digital Association.
These awards have the dual objective of recognising the fundamental role of women in the professional, business and academic world of new technologies, and offering concerning girls and adolescents who doubt whether or not to devote themselves to STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the future.
Eight women and two business initiatives have been awarded the prize for this year. In the category of top FP TIC students the winner 2021 is Sara Puig Cabruja, a student of the double-developing master’s degree. website and media (DAW and DAM) in Jesuits The Clot of Barcelona.
The Foundation participates as a member of the jury of this prize and congratulates students on the awarding of all previous editions.

2021 Sara Puig Cabruja	Jesuïtes El Clot, Barcelona	CFGS DAM and DAW
2020 Agnes Malé	Institut Esteve Terrades and Illa, Cornellà de LL.	ASIX-Ciberse CFGS
2019 Anna Dacosta	Institut Esteve Terrades and Illa, Cornellà de LL.	ASIX-Ciberse CFGS
2018 Cristina Martin Planelle	Coma Forest Institute, Olot	CFGS DAM and DAW
2017 Marina Blasco	Institutn chez Institute of Labour, Barcelona	CFGS Telecommunications and Information Systems

Women registered in VET cycles account for 9%, employment inclusion in this professional family is 98.92%, a sector that has very well resisted the pandemic that has created jobs and will create a lot of jobs over the next few years, therefore work will have to be done to attract more young people and, above all, more girls to these professional studies, a challenge that is challenging us all (families, schools, businesses, institutions, government, etc.).

The AMB (Metropolitan Area of Barcelona) and the BCN Professional Training Foundation have publicly presented this Friday the nine winning projects of the 3rd edition of the MetròpolisFPLab, held during the 2020-2021 academic year.

This year, 9 companies and 27 VET centers from the metropolis of Barcelona have participated. Nine winning projects of the third edition are recognized, among which there is a virtual assistant for patients in hospitals, as well as a smart mat that identifies the passengers of a bus to control the ascents and descents.

MetròpolisFPLab is an innovation project that we promote together with the AMB, with the aim of highlighting the talent of Vocational Training students and bringing them closer to the labor market. It aims to promote the acquisition of key competences and promote the employment of young people, through an open innovation methodology in a real environment.

In this edition, 700 vocational training students from the metropolis of Barcelona have participated, which have been organized into 200 work teams. As in previous editions, students have faced challenges posed by each of the collaborating companies in order to find solutions to their needs.

Creativity and innovation have once again marked this edition, with curious proposals, such as the holding of Olympic Games that bring together the 17 objectives of the 2030 agenda, a virtual assistant for patients in hospitals, a virtual gymkhana through the social networks, or a smart mat that detects the identity of passengers traveling on a bus and automatically opens the doors.

The companies that have proposed challenges to the MetròpolisFPLab3 and the winning teams are:

Company	Challenge	Winning team	Project
2030 Agenda	How can we get young people to better understand the 2030 Agenda and get involved to achieve it?	“DICA Team”, from the Institut Esteve Terrades of Cornellà	Sustainability workshops given in schools to explain what the SDGs are.
Aigües de Barcelona	How can we promote the responsible consumption of water and food to reduce waste?	“Earthfocus”, from Escola del Treball of Barcelona	Water-related awareness workshops for young people
TMB	How can we improve the user experience to reduce the concern generated at bus stops regarding schedules, incidents, etc.?	“Dream Team”, from Institut Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia of Sant Joan Despí	Interactive screen at bus stops
Catalan Institute of Oncology	How can we welcome a patient from the ICO so that they know how to act in the virtual healthcare part?	“Dream Team”, from Escuela Santísima Trinidad of Barcelona, ​​ & “Macacos Team”, from Gimbernat Formación of Sant Cugat del Vallès	Dual function of the project: web page + application and follow-up of the patient
Garcia Faura	What reusable packaging system can we use to protect and truck the windows and facades we manufacture?	“…” from Escola Massana de Barcelona	Modular system for window protection
PEMB	How can we educate young people and make their breakfasts healthier and more sustainable?	“Esteve Terradas  Finances PEMB 1”, from Institut Esteve Terradas i Illa of Cornellà de Llobregat	Mobile app with exclusive recipes and interactive videos so that students can follow routines of healthy habits
Circuit of Catalunya	How can we position Circuit of Catalonia through our communication channels to reach a younger audience?	“Skynet guys”, from Institut Provençana of Hospitalet de Llobregat	Virtual gymkhana through the different spaces of the Circuit
Barcelona’s Port	What technical system can be implemented on the bus that crosses the Port so that users respect the areas for getting on and off at the stops?	“JYL”, from Institut Joan Brossa of Barcelona	Electronic mat that identifies passengers and enables them to get off the vehicle in restricted areas
MB92	How can we effectively collect floating debris in shipyards taking into account that there are usually moored boats?	Desert	Desert

The students of the nine winning teams obtain a scholarship of € 1,000 to develop project ideas within these companies for two months, between September and November 2021.

MetropolisFPLab: business innovation to promote the employment of young people.

It opens the door to entrepreneurship as a professional outlet. It encourages your resilience and develops soft skills such as creativity, trust and assertiveness to face the challenges that are presented to you.Empting is also an option.
Thanks to the collaboration between the BCN Professional Training Foundation, Netmentora Catalunya and the Department of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya, we will select 10 projects that will be able to access the knowledge and networking of the main company leaders of Catalonia. An opportunity to develop your project and promote the economy of territories and job creation.
Load your experience backpack and lead your future into personal and professional success
Access to knowledge and networking of first-class company leaders who, through a networked accompanying methodology, will help you to bring your business to the next level.
At your disposal
: Duration: Up to 4 months
# Cost 0: (assuming network)
primer First level business accompany to increase the viability of your project and your skills as a leader
# Business Leaders connection to expand your network of contacts
# Access to knowledge spaces and netwokring between company leaders
‘ It is eligible to be awarded Netmentora for 2 years and without cost
Selection criteria
Aquesta This courser or have studied Vocational Training
# Businesses with job generation potential: 6-15 jobs at 3-5 years old
# Recent creation: 6 months to 3 years on the market
majoritària Most dedicated members of the project, majority control and active role in the company
1 With the required funding for +/- 1 year of activity
# With Business Plan (in whatever format

It is essential that students have information about the professional prospects of the courses they will take when choosing studies. 

The professions with the highest demand in the labor market and the highest salary are those related to Computer Science and Technology (IT), either with vocational training or university studies. 

Women are still highly underrepresented in technology studies, which are the ones with the highest demand and the best salary prospects. 

 The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Infojobs, a job search web portal, jointly present for the second consecutive year “The professions most in demand and with the highest remuneration in Catalonia”, coinciding with the period of choice of secondary and undergraduate studies university of Catalan students.  

The objective of this report is to make available to students, their families and people who are looking for a job, objective data on the job vacancies offered in the labor market according to field and educational level, and the salaries associated with these vacancies. This information should be used so that young people can choose their future training with more knowledge about the real demand of the Labor Market for the chosen option and its salary expectations. The objective is not to direct the students to study towards what they do not want, but rather that those doubting have all the information available to make the best decision. 

The information that has been used to make this report are the vacancies managed by Infojobs in Catalonia during 2019 and 2020, so the impact of the Covid-19 crisis only affects partially the data presented. Despite the fact that the health crisis is having an important effect on the demands of work in some occupations, it is also true that it is driving demand in others, therefore, it could be indicative of the trends that can characterize the Labor Market in a post-pandemic world. In fact, we observe how some of the mismatches between supply and demand are worsening due to Covid-19, especially in the case of professionals with training in ICT studies, whether they are VET or university, due to the increase in vacancies in this area . A gap that cannot be corrected without a greater participation of women in these formations. For this reason, this report is complemented with a specific analysis of female participation in technology-related studies, which are the ones with the highest demand and best salary prospects today. 

The Foundation BCN Professional Training, together with the European Mesh of FP, UPC and the address and some companies of the Port of Barcelona took part in the “Congress of the Americas on International Nurture” (CAEI), celebrated in Bogota of the 23 at the October 25, 2019, where presented the educational Hub of the Port of Barcelona as a example of good practices at superior nurture. This event gave us the opportunity to deepen at the internationalisation of the FP further of Europa, so much for the mobility of students and professorship, how for the conjoint development of projects of ken and innovation.

At this sense it is necessary to excel a possible road of collaboration with SENATI, the technical institution of more professional training big of the Peru that achieves three levels of training: operative technician, technical professional and technological professional and fosters the dual learning. This institution forms in addition to 90,000 students by the year at more of 70 technical careers endorsed by a National Committee composed by representatives of the most important industries of the country. Our contacts with this organism have permitted us establish the guidelines to sign a Memorandum of Entente with distinct lines of collaboration.

The virtualitat as a ongoing strategic line and future of collaboration that the new requirements of work created by the Covid 19 have speeded makes that projects like Metropoles FP Lab, companies simulated (together with Foundation Inform) or the good practices of the Hubs of ken have at this context an opportunity renewed

Catalonia’s VET Council has commissioned BCN Vocational Training Foundation to prepare a document or resources bank of VET good practices. This document seeks to become a guide for the VET sector and will be implemented by the Catalan VET Council throughout Catalonia.

For preparing this guide or prospecting report model within the framework of the priorities for the promotion of the Vocational Education and Training and Qualification System – VETCAT System- we wish to highlight the following main objectives: a) establish a quality control of the resources for prospecting professional training and qualification needs, b) define quality, methodological and formal standards, c) collect opinions from experts and recipients to optimize the design and development of the guide.

Likewise, we will carry out a wide dissemination task to publicize the guide and the prospecting report model.