On the 22th of April, the III Info-Day of the EDIBO Project took place at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). The event aimed to present the results obtained in the five training editions carried out and to analyze ways to continue the project and take advantage of the synergies generated in the last three years.
Following the welcome, the main researcher of the project EDIBO in Spain and professor of the UPV, Lenin Lemus, presented the project and the results obtained. Next, Miguel Mateo Pla, professor of the UPV and project researcher, outlined possible ways to implement EDIBO-like projects.
The first round table was then held which addressed the current youth labour market and collected inputs from Mr. Roger Cerdà i Boluda, mayor of Xátiva (Valencia, Spain); Mr. Pau Canet Banyuls, Mayor of Almiserà (Valencia, Spain); Mr. Rafael Mossi Peiró, coordinator of the Competitiveness Department of the Valencia Chamber of Commerce; Mrs. Rosalía Giménez Millán, Human Resources Officer at Fermax; and Mr. Ernesto del Valle Blanco, responsible for the direction and management of people for Information Technology and Communications companies of the Alfatec Group.
All the participants agreed that youth unemployment is a drama and that all initiatives that contribute to reducing it should be welcomed. Among other aspects, it is necessary to orient the training of young people towards skills learning, “know-how”, and not just knowledge. Within this training, digital literacy must occupy an essential place.
The second round table was attended by Ms. Lena Baraza Lorente, councilor for Youth, Women and Equality, Education and Participation of the Xàtiva City Council; Mrs. Lucía Barrachina Suanes, Head of People in the Industrial Area at Grupo Choví Alimentación; Mr. Rafael Penades Plá, responsible for the definition and creation of the Millennial Plan 2021-2025 of the Xàtiva City Council; and Mr. Enrique Colomer Alós, director of the BI&GD Business Unit at Alfatec Sistemas.
Participants reflected on the possibilities of shifting the EDIBO project experience to similar projects, for which good communication between the agents involved was essential. In this way the company can indicate what type of professionals it needs and educational institutions can create programs that provide training in this regard. This training can be aimed to develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions towards sectors at risk of exclusion. The closing of the event was handled by Ms. Mabel Bullón Benvenuto, Training Consultant at Alfatec Sistemas, who ended up asking for everyone’s cooperation so that projects like EDIBO, that train young people and help them get a job, continue to exist.