They will deliver close to 40 courses throughout Spain to improve the professional qualifications and employability of about 800 young people

Web page development and mobile applications have become an important labour niche. A lure that could attract young people who have grown up and live their lives surrounded by screens.

In view of this new situation, in which technological jobs are gaining prominence, the Telefónica Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce of Spain have signed an agreement to enhance the employment prospects of young people aged 16 to 29, of unemployed people and of those who are not currently studying or training.

The agreement, which is part of the Training Plan of the Comprehensive Qualification and Employment Programme (PICE), designed within the framework of the Youth Guarantee System and co-funded by the European Social Fund, contemplates providing close to 40 training actions in Spain throughout the year. These face-to-face courses will be delivered under the umbrella of Conecta Empleo, the Telefónica Foundation’s digital employability programme. Madrid, Granada, Zaragoza and Oviedo will host the first courses in March, and Toledo, Ciudad Real, Barcelona and Seville will take over in April.

The study programmes, which will take 215 hours for Front End and Android content, and 270 hours for those related to Mobile Applications and Java, offer specific technical training, as well as cross-cutting training in entrepreneurial skills or ‘soft skills’.

A Changing Labour Market

Through Conecta Empleo, the Telefónica Foundation seeks to connect people with a new situation, “a constantly changing job market that encompasses all those professions in the technology sector that are still being developed today and that will be increasingly demanded in the future”.

With this in mind, a new platform has been launched that will increase employment opportunities in the new digital era for all society. Mapadelempleo.fundaciontelefonica.com provides real-time mapping of the most sought-after digital jobs in Spain and displays the most sought-after positions by province. Secondly, it tells users what knowledge they must acquire for each of those jobs. The Foundation offers more than 30,000 free or paid courses that adapt to every profession.