On Friday 28 June at 09.15 am, the AMB will hold the “Professional Talent” conference to promote talent and publicize the projects in collaboration with the BCN Vocational Training Foundation. It will have the participation of the General Directorate of Vocational Training, the Public Agency for Vocational Training and Qualification, and the Directorate of Active Employment Policies of the SOC.

Registrations are made through this link.

We would like to have your participation to know the lines and jointly assess the contributions and their interest.

On June 20, a group of 12 VET teachers from European partner centers of the Erasmus + KA220 ElectriCars VET Hub, coordinated by Xarxa FP, met virtually to learn about the objectives of the project, the program of activities and weekly visits organized by the Tartu Vocational College reception VET center in Estonia. 

The ElectriCars VET Hub project is based on cooperation between European partners and members of Xarxa FP in Tartu, Rovaniemi, Constanta, Treviso, and Barcelona to detect the needs of the electric and hybrid vehicle sector and jointly develop a virtual pilot course to update content and competencies for VET teachers about the new regulation and safety measures for sustainable vehicles. 

The first training stays for teacher mobility will take place from September 9 to 15 in the city of Tartu (Estonia) and from October 7 to 13 in the city of Constanta (Romania) to know both educational and productive systems of the electric vehicle, and where teachers from the Institut Escola del Treball of Barcelona and the Institut la Guineueta (near the Institute of Security and Mobility of Barcelona) will participate. Later, two additional stays will be carried out in Finland and Italy to develop the foundations of the virtual pilot course.

The foundation recently attended the 10th VET Congress: Conoce. Decide. Actúa. «El desafío de la Orientación para la FP» The Association of VET Business Centers and CaixaBank Dualiza organized the event in collaboration with the Andalusian Government and the participation from the Orange Foundation. The event took place on 25th and 26th April at the Fibes, the Sevilla Conference Centre and Exhibitions.

The congress provided a platform for experts, institutional representatives, and education and business professionals to reflect and discuss the issue of orientation in vocational training.

Link to the program: https://bikubo.com/tickets/fpempresa-congreso2024-A36-28.html

On April 25, the Accelerator workshop of the MetropolisFPLab6 was held at the Citilab of Cornellà.

The workshop was attended by the 45 teams that were selected by the 13 companies and institutions who launched the challenges and collaborated in the 6th edition of the program this year. The participating companies and institutions utilized this workshop to support and motivate their teams in the final stages of the program.

We are extremely grateful for the dedication and hard work of these companies and institutions, and particularly for the effort and commitment of the more than 350 teams who showed interest in participating in this open innovation program. From this large pool of applicants, 45 teams were chosen to participate in the Accelerator workshop, and from there, approximately 26-30 teams will be selected to present and defend their proposals before the jury.

We wish all the participating teams the best of luck in the final stages of the program!

The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector in the province of Barcelona is a significant source of innovation and growth. By combining traditional art with new technologies, CCIs are consistently evolving and producing new markets and opportunities for professionals from various fields.

With over 8,000 companies in the AMB and 115,000 jobs in the province of Barcelona, the CCIs are a crucial sector for the local economy. The growth in employment in this sector has been significant, with a 17.4% increase in the last 22 years, demonstrating its growing importance.

Vocational Training (VET) has a crucial role in developing qualified professionals for the CCIs. In the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, more than 9,000 individuals are currently undergoing training in the VET system, which provides comprehensive preparation in both traditional aspects and the latest emerging technologies.

Despite facing several challenges, such as integrating emerging technologies and the need for generational change, Cultural and Creative Industries still play a vital role in preserving the culture and tradition of the region. To tackle these challenges and keep up with the developments in the sector, initiatives have been taken such as training new professionals in traditional areas. This includes artisans with knowledge of heritage, and digitizing professionals in the sector. New software is also being integrated to aid in the response to these challenges.

Les Tres Xemeneies, the Cultural District of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the Festival Dansa Metropolitana and the Taula de Barcelona Creativa are among the current metropolitan projects that significantly impact the CCI.

On April 22nd, the study was presented with the welcome addressed by Anna Martín, Deputy Mayor of Education, Culture and Community of El Prat City Council. Our president, Sara Berbel, highlighted the dynamics and impact of the cultural sector, emphasizing its constant evolution. With 4% of the business fabric and 8,000 companies in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB), the cultural sector is a key economic engine that generates a significant number of jobs. Furthermore, driven by the latest technologies, this sector is diversifying towards new expressions of creativity in digital formats such as multimedia production, creating new markets and opportunities.

Gemma Badia, CEO of social and equality policy, emphasizes the importance of Vocational Training as essential preparation for the cultural sector’s future.

Angel Tarriño, Javier Gracia, and Victoria Sanjuan, who are the authors of the study and technicians of the VET Observatory, have provided some revealing data. The study shows that VET has a significant presence in the cultural field, and it is adapting to the trends in the sector, including digitalization, audiovisual, artificial intelligence, and 3D production. In Barcelona, it represents 7% of all companies, while in the AMB, it reaches 4%.

Javier Gracia analyzes the current trends and conditions of the industry, while Victoria Sanjuan identifies the most in-demand professional profiles in various fields. They suggest several actionable steps, including promoting vocational training that combines both theory and practice, supporting artisanal crafts by integrating digital skills, and incorporating technological advancements in teaching and professional practices.

Then, Neus Pons Pena, our manager-director moderated a round table where Mr. Juan Pedroche, Director of the Institute of Audiovisual Techniques and Spectacle of Barcelona, Mr. Ricardo González, Professor at the Institut La Mercè, Ms. Pia Bosch, Director of Administration and Human Resources at Teatre Lliure, and Mr. Eduard Gil, Director of the Audiovisual Cluster of Catalonia, will offer their perspectives and reflections on the challenges and opportunities presented in their respective fields.

We close the event with Ester Pujol, the Director of Social and Economic Development of the AMB, who offers us a comprehensive vision of the different challenges facing the sector: social, human, economic capital, the adoption of new technologies and the recognition of professionals.

The study:

El sector Indústries Culturals i Creatives en clau d’FP

In April, Intercultural Workshops for the PFI/FP Basic Project took place in Madrid, Alcoy, and Barcelona. These workshops are designed for participants who will be leaving next month to go to France, Germany, and Denmark.

Additionally, Danish teachers from the Vejle delegation, who are members of Xarxa, will be visiting the education consortium, Second Chance school, and Bonanova Institute. They will be learning about the educational system and some reference institutes.

On April 19th, a training session titled “What the world of work requires today” was held at the Singuerlin Salvador Cabré Library. The session aimed to inform VET students about the needs of the labor market. The workshop was specifically designed for students from centers in the Besòs area and was carried out in partnership with ASENCAT.

During the session, participants learned about the current demands of the labor market. In addition, they were presented with the opportunity for international mobility in Germany through the Singular project managed by the BCN VET Foundation.

Between April 18th and 19th, the partners in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, held the third meeting of the project organized by the Danish center Mercantec.

During the meeting, the results of the prototyping workshop called Prototype VET Lab were presented. The workshop took place in February and involved participating groups who specified their ideas in a real prototype to provide solutions to the Agbar challenge on how to improve water management in the Metropolis robot city. Furthermore, the details of the next acceleration workshop and the awards ceremony on May 16th were discussed.

A group of vocational education and training (VET) teachers from various specialties and centers in the metropolitan area of Barcelona participated in the innovation project called “Innovation Plan in VET: Peer to peer at Omnia, Finland, from April 8th to 12th.

This innovation and mobility project was carried out for the second consecutive year by the BCN Vocational Training Foundation with the collaboration of the Erasmus+ Program.

The project aims to highlight the innovation projects developed by VET centers that have been awarded in the calls for the Innovation Measures Plan in VET in the past 12 editions. The goal is to promote the transfer of knowledge between vocational training centers in different EU countries that are committed to active innovation methodologies to ensure the improvement of the quality of VET.

The participating teachers came from various areas, such as Clinical and Biomedical Laboratory, Chemistry, Mechatronics, Additive Manufacturing and Intelligent Manufacturing, Kitchen, Gastronomy, and Sociocultural Services. They found the experience to be very positive and enriching.

The Foundation recently participated in the 8th edition of Advanced Factories from April 9th to 11th, 2024 at Fira Barcelona Gran Via. This event is recognized as the largest robotics and industrial automation fair in southern Europe. This year’s focus was on Artificial Intelligence and Greentech.

One of the highlights of the event was the Awards for innovative VET projects, which aim to promote innovation in industrial automation and Industry 4.0. The awards recognize VET centres that develop industrial talent.

During the Talent Marketplace on Thursday, April 11th at 4:30 p.m., students presented their excellent projects. This year the winning centres were:

• Escola del Treball from Barcelona
• Institute of Vic

On the same day, the Foundation collaborated with Eurecat, BitMetrics, Girbau, and Suris, moderated by Barcelona Activa, in the sectorial and networking day called “Working Panorama of the sector”.