Barcelona Activa continues to focus on improving professional skills in sectors with high demand for qualified personnel with the programme Sectoral Reskilling, an initiative aimed at training people who are preferably unemployed or in the process of professional reorientation.

The programme offers free-of-charge, practical and intensive training in strategic sectors that generate employment in the city, such as food, life sciences and health, commerce, the blue economy, sports, hospitality, the green and circular economy, industry 4.0, logistics, and sustainability and the environment. The aim is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to access quality jobs and meet the real needs of the market.

The itineraries combine technical sessions with job search support, personalised guidance and access to job opportunities. In addition, the programme counts on the collaboration of companies and key agents from each sector, to guarantee training aligned with the most demanded professional skills.

Do you want to make a career change and train in sectors with a future? Check out all the available itineraries and sign up on the website of sectoral Reskilling.

Barcelona City Council, through the Councillor’s Office for Economic Promotion, Work and Feminism and the Councillor’s Office for Health, People with Disabilities and Strategy against Loneliness and Barcelona Activa, has presented the Government Measure of Barcelona towards the right for care (2025-2030), a five-year strategic plan that includes more than 100 actions to move towards a universal, dignified and sustainable system of care. With an allocation of 140.5 million euros, the plan foresees new actions and the consolidation or expansion of existing services.

In a context marked by the ageing of the population and the growing need for care at all stages of life, the measure proposes transforming the current model towards a caring city, putting people at the centre and recognising care as an essential public good.

The measure is deployed through four lines of action:

• Strengthening public services to reduce social and gender inequalities: with actions such as improving the Home Care Service (SAD), unifying the dependency care model and promoting housing with services for the elderly.

• Boosting the care economy: with support for entrepreneurship, training and social and technological innovation to make the sector a strategic economic driver.

• Support for caregivers and promotion of co-responsibility between men and women: with the expansion of the Carer Card and new actions to involve men in care tasks.

• Building feminist alliances and recognition of rights: with actions to position care as an emerging human right and build networks with local and international entities and groups.

One of the most notable new features is the creation of a new economic activity hub at 165 Carrer Almogàvers, promoted by the city council through Barcelona Activa, which will act as a social and technological innovation hub for the care economy. This space will include a training centre, an area for talent development and a setting for the incubation of projects and emerging companies.

With an investment of more than 4 million euros and the aim of reaching nearly 9,000 students, the new facility aims to professionalise the sector, generate quality employment and boost the innovation ecosystem around care.

With this measure, the council is committed to a comprehensive care system that is innovative, co-responsible and feminist. Shared governance and collaboration between councillors’ and services will allow actions to be deployed with a cross-cutting and transformative vision.

Barcelona is thus consolidating itself as an international benchmark in the defence of the right to care, with a model that seeks to guarantee equity, quality and sustainability in the care of people.

Check out all the details of the measure at this link.

Barcelona Activa launches the new Social Economy Directory, a digital platform that has around 100,000 companies and entities in the socio-economic field. The aim is to promote recruitment that, in public and private environments, contributes to sustainable development, inclusive employment, the reduction of inequalities and the promotion of economic ecosystems with social impact.

The tool, currently in beta, brings together constantly updated data from official registers and catalogues promoted by the social economy. This facilitates access to entities such as cooperatives, associations, foundations, mutual societies, labour societies, insertion companies, special work centres and other companies related to the sectors of economic activity.

The search can be performed by keyword, sector, territory, company name or NIF (Tax ID number) among others. It has a specific filter for reserved hiring, with the option to select insertion companies and special social initiative work centers.

It is a tool designed and managed from the Advisory Service on Strategic Public Procurement. This service offers training and advice, both internally in Barcelona City Council units, and externally with the aim of helping small and medium-sized businesses, self-employed people and social and cooperative economy entities to access public tenders. 

In addition, specific support is provided to awarded companies for compliance with the clauses relating to social economy subcontracting, the hiring of unemployed people with difficulties in social integration and the social clause to promote diverse employment.

Barcelona Activa promotes and strengthens entrepreneurial and business initiatives in the Social Economy with advice, programmes, services and training activities. The municipal agency aims to encourage projects with social impact to be increasingly present in the city's economy.

You can find more information about directory or can get in touch with us for consultations through: contractaciosostenible@barcelonactiva.cat.

Barcelona Activa launches new CONNECTIO challenges, the platform to connect companies through open innovation and boost the city's innovative community. This platform is aimed at small, medium-sized and large companies in the local ecosystem that offer differential solutions.

In this new call, CELSA Group, Mercabarna and Familia Torres have launched four strategic challenges: 

• Familia Torres seeks to reduce water consumption during cleaning processes in bottling. 

• CELSA poses two challenges: speeding up access to information for troubleshooting in production plants, and improving biogas generation with recycled iron oxide particles. 

• Mercabarna seeks an innovative solution to digitize the collection of data on product prices, with the aim of offering reliable, useful and real-time information. 

These challenges will remain open until June and will be announced in detail at an information and preparation session to present the solutions on 6th May.

During the session, representatives of start-ups and companies will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the challenges, as well as ask questions and resolve doubts live. In addition, the day will include a CONNECTIO Training, a practical workshop aimed at adapting the proposals to the requirements of each challenge. 

As a new feature of the service, two new types of activity have been incorporated this year. On the one hand, the CONNECTIO conversations, networking sessions to explore possible collaborations and launch synergies with leading companies. On 29th April, for example, one is being organised with Grandvalira Resorts Andorra, which seeks to transform cable cars into immersive experiences. 
 
On the other hand, a type of activity has been presented with the possibility for the participants of the initiative to carry out a tailor-made scouting to identify possible start-up solutions from the Barcelona Activa ecosystem.

These initiatives are added to the already consolidated CONNECTIO Meetings and CONNECTIO Pitch, meeting and networking spaces that encourage interaction between professionals, companies and start-ups. 

You can consult all the information on the website.

Mobile World Congress and 4YFN closed a new edition with a total of 109,000 attendees from 205 countries, matching the figures for 2019. This world-class event counted on more than 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners, as well as more than 1,200 thought leaders and speakers, of whom 41% were women.   

This year, the conference focused on artificial intelligence and the evolution of 5G, technologies that are shaping the future of connectivity and innovation. In this context, 4YFN welcomed more than 1,000 start-ups, 380 speakers and more than 900 investors with collective funds totalling 60 billion euros. 

Once again, Barcelona Activa has reinforced its commitment to the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem at 4YFN, accompanying 35 start-ups linked to the agency and offering its own space to showcase their solutions: 

• AgoraTechAI, Airlingo, Analytics 4 People, BamboleoTalk, Beat Bureaucracy, Beder, ChattyHiring, E-Pitinglish, Feeder, Keybotic, Laia HubAnalytics, Lead2Team, Lernmi, Levelab Technologies, Lizcore, Live FreshBiotech, Metascan, Metly, MyLuno AI, Myalbatross, Nixi for Children, OkClinker, One Solar Energy, Ovianta Technologies, Play YourBrand, RealityTelling, RemoteTechSolutions, SalssaNutrition, Sycai Medical, Techwich, Tracks CO2, Union Avatars, Waital, Wow Technology Barcelona, Zenit Solar Tech. 

In this way, the Barcelona Activa space at the fair has been a key meeting point for start-ups, investors and innovation professionals, where they can generate new business opportunities and do networking. 

MWC and 4YFN will return next year with more innovation and new companies from 2nd to 5th March, 2026. 

Find out about the participation of Barcelona Activa at the trade fair and watch the video summary. 

Within the framework of the MWC, the first edition of the Talent Arena was also held, an initiative promoted by Mobile World Capital Barcelona that brought together more than 20,000 developers from 115 countries at the Fira Montjuïc venue. This event was attended by 53% senior professionals from more than 1,500 companies, who participated in a total of 223 sessions. With a new edition already confirmed for 2nd to 4th March, 2026, Talent Arena aims to consolidate itself as the major European meeting place for digital talent.

The Labour Rights Defence Points (PDDL), The key advisory service on labour rights and duties in Barcelona, attended 3,783 people in 2024, 6.3% more than the previous year. In total, 4,065 individual sessions were held.

This municipal initiative, which began as a pilot experience in 2017, offers onsite attention in the city's 10 districts, as well as telephone advice and group sessions for organisations and workers who share casuistries such as migrants, people in need of work-life balance, workers who belong to labour groups such as domestic workers, riders, or people who work in the care sector.

The profile of the people served reflects a significant diversity: 68% are women and 63% have Spanish nationality. In addition, 73.8% of the consultations come from the six priority attention districts (Ciutat Vella, Sants-Montjuïc, Sant Andreu, Nou Barris, Horta-Guinardó and Sant Martí), which reaffirms the need for this service as a way to combat job insecurity in areas of socio-economic inequality.

The service also has a specialised space aimed at people aged 16 to 35. This Youth Employment Advisory Service attended a total of 4,854 consultations from 3,158 young people in 2024, to resolve doubts about contracts, agreements, salaries or dismissals.

Regarding the employment situation, 90% of the people served have an indefinite contract, 77% work for others and 72% do so full-time. The main reasons for consultation have been doubts about labour rights, dismissals or contract terminations, issues related to Social Security and claims for amounts.

In addition, in 2024 there was a 26% increase in participation in group training compared to the previous year, a figure that demonstrates the growing interest in knowing and defending labour rights and duties.

Presentation of the follow-up committee of the service

During the PDDL assessment session, it was announced that a follow-up committee would be created with representatives from Barcelona Activa, Barcelona City Council, CCOO, UGT and Labour Inspection, which will aim to strengthen the promotion of labour rights and contribute to higher quality employment in the city. This committee will work within the framework of the Barcelona Agreement for Quality Employment (ABOQ) and will establish indicators to measure its evolution with the aim of disseminating, raising awareness and advising people on their rights and duties as one of the ways to combat job insecurity and promote a quality job market.

Find out more about the Labour Rights Defence Points on the website.

Barcelona Activa is relaunching the Reskilling languages ​​programme with new courses, an initiative free-of-charge that aims to facilitate language learning and improve skills to impact the employability of citizens.

The programme, in collaboration with the Official Schools of Language (EOI) and the Education Consortium of Barcelona, includes online and onsite training in English, French and German for levels from A1 to C1. It also offers specific courses for young people, sectoral training in English for commerce, hospitality and logistics, and preparation for the official exams of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

The modalities are:

• English, French and German (levels A1 to C1). This includes 21 actions of 100 hours in videoconference format. Registrations are now open. The first edition begins at the end of April, while the second is scheduled for September.

• English for young people (levels A1 to C1). Nine 100-hour courses are offered, mostly onsite, for young people up to 29 years old. Registration is now open and the first edition of the course begins in April. The second edition will be organised in September.

• Sectoral English for the fields of logistics, commerce, and hospitality and catering. It includes nine actions of 50 hours by videoconference. Registration opens on 21st April and the first edition of the course begins in May. The second will be in October.

• Preparation for the official UAB English exam for levels B1-C1. This is a training course with nine 30-hour sessions in videoconference mode. Registration will open in September.

• Official certification of English level from levels B1 to C1 from the UAB, onsite. Registrations will open in October and the course will start in December.

Learning and mastering a language not only opens doors to new job opportunities, but is also the key to professional growth and promotion. It is an essential tool for both job seekers and working people who want to advance their careers or access better-paid jobs.

For more information and to register, you can consult the website.

The Saló de l’Ensenyament (Education Fair) is back, the event aimed at students of ESO, Baccalaureate and Vocational training cycles. It took place from 26th to 30th March at Fira Montjuïc to present the entire range of studies for the 2025-2026 academic year with updated data adjusted to the different interests of students. The aim is to advise young people, accompanied by family and teachers, to choose their training to help in their access to the labour market.

Barcelona Activa takes part once again to present its services offered to the youth of the city and specifically the Convent of Barcelona Activa. Personalised advice will be provided, focused on youth guidance, the search for training opportunities and knowledge of the labour market.

The municipal agency's stand, located in space D456 of Hall 2, featured various activities to help young people in their training itinerary:

• Advice and assessment for training and professional guidance.

• Tests to get to know the professional interests, the digital skills, and the employment and training resources available for the young people.

• Virtual reality glasses to experience various trades and professions, such as pilot, surgeon, firefighter or broker, among others.

Find out here about the services and resources for young people offered by Barcelona Activa and all the information on the Saló de l’Ensenyament.

Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Activa have presented the 3rd edition of the Economic Development Plans (PDE), a key element within the municipal strategy to diversify economic activity and attract companies that add talent and offer jobs to the city as a whole. In this new period, the PDEs will see their budget allocation increased by 18% compared to the previous one, reaching 130 million euros. 

The Plans aim to boost the economic development of the 6 priority districts in the city, that is to say, those that present socioeconomic indicators lower than the city average, and which, therefore, have specific needs in relation to the promotion of their socioeconomic fabric.   

Work is being done on 3 strategic axes:  

• Fostering quality employment and the labour market. 

• Promotion of commerce, services, local restaurants and municipal markets. 

• Support for the economic activation of the territory. 

In addition, thematic particularities and singularities are added in order to adapt each plan to the needs and potential of each district: 

• Ciutat Vella and Sants-Montjuïc: addressing the social return to the territory of tourism and events.  

• Sant Martí: developing the neighbourhoods in the Besòs area. 

• Sant Andreu: boosting sectors such as textile and the circular economy. 

• Nou Barris: developing a special plan to reference its assets in the technology sector and cultural events in the district. 

• Horta-Guinardó: detecting ways of collaboration with the health, sports and culture sectors, which are very present in the district. 

Sants-Montjuïc Activa, a proximity facility 

The presentation event took place at the Sants-Montjuïc Activa facility, a space that brings employment, entrepreneurship, job advice and digital literacy services closer to the district's citizens, such as the Cibernàrium satellite. Since its launch in May 2024, 1,700 people have been attended and 2,600 have participated in the different activities of the facility.

For 47% of users it has been the gateway to Barcelona Activa services, confirming the value of local facilities in bringing services and programmes closer to citizens. Furthermore, 60% of people who have visited the space have been women, one of the priority groups in municipal employment policies, and 88% of users have participated in activities to promote employment.

Find more information about the facility and the PDEs for the period 2024-2027 at Proximity website of Barcelona Activa.

Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, is opening the call for applications for the Barcelona Investment Fund, the new municipal fund provided with 30 million euros. The aim is to participate in specialised venture capital entities that will invest in start-ups in strategic sectors for the city's economy, such as the care economy, the economy for sustainability, biotechnologies, creative industries and Deep Tech, among others.

At the same time, it will allow investing in impact funds that prioritise social and environmental impact or that develop sustainable activities, as well as growth funds to boost newly created companies.

Municipal participation in venture capital entities seeks to strengthen the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem, retain companies with high growth potential in Barcelona, diversify the investment portfolio in these sectors and attract foreign investment, in addition to creating quality employment.

To participate, venture capital entities must be regulated by the Comissión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV - The National Securities Market Commission) and other equivalent entities established in other Member States of the European Union. In terms of impact, the funds must fall within Articles 6, 8 or 9 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) or have a statute of the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (ESEF).

The Barcelona Investment Fund is the third fund promoted by the City Council. The first, the Barcelona Accelera fund, is aimed at reactivating private investment in the city after Covid in 2020 and is endowed with 10 million euros. The second, the Barcelona Deep Tech fund, born in 2023, focuses on the field of deep tech and also has a budget of 10 million euros. Between the two, they already have a portfolio of 107 invested start-ups, which contribute nearly 4,000 jobs to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In 2020, with the launch of the Barcelona Accelera fund, Barcelona City Council designed a new public strategy to boost the entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem. The selected financial vehicle is the “fund of funds”, which allows risk sharing with private initiatives and is unique in the entire Spanish State. The strategy prioritises strategic sectors, local companies and projects led by women, consolidating Barcelona as a benchmark in innovation.

The period for submitting applications is now open and will close on 31st December, 2026 or until the budget is exhausted. Consult all the information about the call through the website.

In this context, Barcelona Activa works throughout the year to accompany and offer resources to working women, entrepreneurs and businesswomen and, within the framework of 8th March is organising the following activities: 

Employment: 

• 12/03 at 9.30am in the Sala Món: Working group for gender equality in the workplace - ABOQ. 

An activity to define priority lines of action for the promotion and improvement of women's employment processes and propose new actions based on the identification of existing gaps. 

• 10/03 – 25/03 morning and afternoon schedules (Porta 22): Women on the rise: professional promotion in male-dominated sectors (LIDERA)

• 10/03 from 11am to 2pm (Porta 22): Support for the professional improvement of women in the masculinised occupation of driving urban cleaning vehicles.

Motivational job coaching of between 21 and 25 hours aimed at 16 women workers of the Municipal Waste Collection and Public Space Cleaning Service. More training actions will be held throughout the year: 7th April, 5th May, 2nd June, 7th July, 15th and 29th September, 13th October, 17th November  and 1st December  (times to be confirmed).

• 11/03 from 3.30 to 5.30 pm in the Sala Emprèn (Porta 22):  Grow professionally or find the job you want! Discover how to break barriers, on the occasion of the 8th March! 

From the Labour Rights Defence Point, these activities are organised in different centres and spaces in the city:

• 6/3/2025 from 10h to 11.30h (CC Barceloneta) - PIOL BARCELONETA: Labour rights for women in precarious professions. 

• 6/3/2025 - Migrastudium Ciutat Vella: Labour rights for migrant women.

• 11/3/2025 - FUNDACIÓ SURT: Labour rights for women.

Technological training: 

Activities in the city’s libraries: 

• 01/03 – 07/03 - Workshop EstàsON: Science and women (9-12 years old). 

•  03/03 – 07/03 -  Women in action: design your poster for 8th March with Canva.

Activities about AI at the Cibernàrium with women who are referents in technology: 

• 27/02 at 6.00pm - Masterclass: what they don’t tell us about AI, with Esther Paniagua.

• 13/03 at 6.00pm - Ethical Hacking. How to build a conscious future between Humans and AI, with Liliana Acosta.

• 20/03 at 6.00pm -Dialogue - Generative AI in action: how to take advantage of the best tools in your day to day life, with Ana Galindo and Beatriz Martin. 

In the field of Entrepreneurship

• 04/03 at 12 noon – Meetings of LIDERA: Women Invest Day between companies led by women and investors with benchmark networks such as WA4STEAM and Impulse4Women. 

• 04/03 at 1 pm - Presentation of the Women TechEU programme, a European initiative to support women-led start-ups.

• 05/03 at 11 am - Roundtable within the framework of the BWAW “Egalitarian Entrepreneurship: Fostering Female Leadership” with the participation of Cristina Pacheco, Head of LIDERA. 

In addition, on 7th and 8th March, you can visit the Floral Decoration for International Women's Day in the lobby of Barcelona Activa's headquarters. This action is part of the training monograph "Floral decoration techniques for shop windows" of the Floral Art and Design specialty of the Trades workshop of Barcelona for Nature. 

At Barcelona Activa, we continue to work throughout the year to promote gender equality in all sectors. The advisory service for equality and time organisation allows for improved business management and operation in relation to equality between women and men. 

Find out more about women's support activities on the website of LIDERA. 

La Clota Cotreball, The co-working space promoted by the Horta-Guinardó district and Barcelona Activa is now five years old, consolidating itself as a model of entrepreneurship and socio-economic revitalisation with an impact on the community. Since its inauguration in 2019, it has received 221 people and 86 companies, fostering collaboration and support for 112 entities in the district through its model of social return model.   

Located in the Horta-Guinardó district, this 352 m² space currently hosts 36 projects led by 45 professionals from various sectors, such as communication, graphic design, textiles, audiovisual, technology, food and culture. Its differential value is its commitment to the territory: the co-workers dedicate part of their time to projects of public interest, generating a direct impact on the community

Over the five years, more than 8,400 hours have been dedicated to social return actions in areas such as the social and solidarity economy, health and well-being training, sustainable fashion and the digitalisation of small businesses. The co-working programme has a maximum duration of three years, with an initial phase dedicated to social return and a subsequent economic contribution depending on the project. 

In this context, various activities are organised, to celebrate the five years, among others: 

• Friday, 21st March (from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): 'The values ​​of community entrepreneurship'. Debate day on community entrepreneurship, with the participation of co-workers and representatives of Barcelona Activa. Registrations here.

• Friday, 21st March (from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.): 'The energy of the culture of exchange'. Meeting on social return and its impact on the territory, with institutional representatives and members of the entrepreneurial community. Registrations here.

• Saturday, 22nd March (10am): Open House. Workshops aimed at the neighbourhood and families to publicise the initiatives being developed in the space. 

With five years of experience, Clota Cotreball has established itself as a driving force for local transformation and a meeting point for entrepreneurs and organisations. Together with Sinèrgics, in the Sant Andreu district, it represents Barcelona's commitment to a new model of coworking with a social return.

The Mobile World Congress is back in Barcelona along with 4YFN, the benchmark event for technology start-ups. This new edition, which will be held from 3rd to 6th March at Fira Barcelona Gran Vía, is expected to receive more than 100,000 visitors and 930 exhibitors.

This year's edition will focus especially on the potential of Artificial Intelligence and discovering its unlimited possibilities, while exploring its revolutionary effects on society and the global economy.

The Barcelona Activa stand, under the slogan “Barcelona, ​​where start-ups flourish”, will have a 200m2 space where networking sessions, talks and presentations will be organised. Among the main points of interest will be the Barcelona International Welcome Desk, which offers information on services for companies and entrepreneurs, and specialised areas such as the DeepTech Corner, the Investment Corner and the UXLab.

There will also be tastings of products from agri-food start-ups during the Coffee Break, with Associació Cava Women, Cupcakemoka Bakery, Incapto, Garage Beer, The Buttery Group, Salssa and Segundo Plato.

In addition, you can visit a showroom with live demonstrations of the start-ups Nixi for Children, Union Avatars and Keybotic. From the Village Space, located in front of the Barcelona Activa stand, support will be provided to 32 local technology start-ups:

• 3rd - 4th March: AgoraTechAI, Airlingo, ChattyHiring, E-Pitinglish, Feeder, Laia Hub Analytics, Lernmi, Live Fresh Biotech, Lizcore, Metly, My Luno AI, Ok Clínker, One Hub Energía, Play Your Brand, Remote Tech Solutions, Cenit Solar Tech. 

• 5th – 6th March: Analytics 4 People, Bamboleo Talk, Beato Bureaucracy,  Beder,  Lead2Team,  Levelab Technologies, Metascan, Myalbatross, Ovianta Technologies, Reality Telling, Salssa Enterprises, Sycai Medical, Techwiich, Tracks CO₂, Waital, Wow Technology Barcelona.

Barcelona Activa is also organising activities in the fourth edition of Beat Barcelona, located in the GG6 and GG7 gardens of Fira Gran Vía, the activities will tackle innovation and talent in the music sector, business opportunities for the blue economy and a meeting of the local ecosystem.

Furthermore, during the trade fair, the Talent Arena will be held, the event on digital talent organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona located in Hall 8 of Fira Barcelona Montjuic, where Barcelona Activa will be present with different activities.

Find out more information and registration options at: https://www.4yfn.com/

A new edition has started of Creamedia, an initiative by Barcelona Activa to support the creation of entrepreneurial projects in the creative and cultural industries sector. The aim of the programme is to transform projects into viable companies that can prosper in one of the city's strategic economic sectors.

With a history of 21 editions and 320 incubated projects, the programme has 3 different phases. During the first phase, in bootcamp format, the main aim is to work on defining the business model and its presentation, with a reinforcement focused on improving the entrepreneurial skills of the participants.

In the second phase of the programme, projects will be able to use a free incubation space for 5 months, where they will receive personalised advice and participate in workshops and networking activities. The aim is to strengthen and encourage cooperation by actively participating within an entrepreneurial community in the city.

Finally, the programme concludes with a third phase, the Demo Day, where a specialised jury will choose the best project, which will receive an award of 5,000 euros.

For more information two information sessions will be offered to rsolve doubts about the programme.

Registration will be open until 28th February and to participate, you must register the project in this form.

This spring a new edition of the Camí de la Solidesa has returned, a programme for women that aims to help strengthen and consolidate companies and entities in the Social and Solidarity Economy of Barcelona and its metropolitan area.

The programme, which is celebrating its tenth edition this year, lasts 7 months and includes 60 hours of training. Through workshops and training sessions, knowledge and resources are provided regarding the sustainability of organisations, marketing strategies and techniques, and the development of management and leadership skills.

In addition, each participating project has up to 7 hours of expert and individualised advice and spaces for participants to share experiences, receive advice and support from the expert team.

The training combines a hybrid format of online and onsite sessions at BLOC4BCN in the mornings (10am to 1pm) and, once the programme is finished, a meeting can be scheduled with the technical staff of the tailor-made programmes, the SAESS and the participants of the programme.

To take part, send an email to innovaciosocioeconomica@barcelonactiva.cat.

Barcelona Activa is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Cibernàrium, the reference centre for technological training that has helped more than 180,000 people improve their digital skills. To commemorate this milestone, 500 students from the IT Academy of Barcelona Activa, 42 Barcelona project of Fundación Telefónica and XTalento Digital of Fundación ONCE, will have free access to the Mobile World Congress 2025 and the Talent Arena.   

The Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, and the CEO of GSMA, John Hoffman, have participated in a meeting with students to highlight the importance of generating opportunities in the digital sector. Also present were the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism, Jordi Valls; the Councilor for Economic Promotion and President of Barcelona Activa, Raquel Gil; the Managing Director of Barcelona Activa, Lorenzo Di Pietro; the Director General of Fundación Telefónica, Luis Prendes; and the General Manager of Fundación ONCE, José Luis Martínez Donoso.  

“We must value all the work that has been done at Cibernàrium over the last 25 years to break down digital divides in all areas," said Raquel Gil. "Take advantage of the opportunity of the Talent Arena and the resources that Barcelona Activa puts at your disposal to be curious, grow and lose your fear of technology”.

The event officially launched the Talent Arena, which will be held from 3rd to 5th March at the Fira de Barcelona's Montjuïc venue, within the framework of MWC25. Organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona in collaboration with GSMA, Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Service, this event will bring together developers, technology companies and educational centres to promote learning, networking and professional growth in the digital sector.  

Since its creation, Cibernàrium has continued to move towards the future with a strategy of proximity. With a presence in all districts of the city, it makes digital training accessible to the entire population, facilitating access to strategic sectors and promoting quality employment.  

Check out all the training offers in technological training by clicking on this link. 

Talent Arena has arrived, the leading event in technological innovation and digital talent organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona. From 3rd to 5th March, at the Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona, ​​where companies, start-ups, educational institutions and professionals from the sector will meet to discuss current and future trends in the digital job market.

Barcelona Activa will be present, on the one hand, in Espai Barcelona, ​​to promote the Talent map, offering the Talent management service to  companies and candidates, and welcome international talent through the Barcelona International Welcome Desk.

On the other hand, in the stand area, where it will count on the presence of the IT Academy and two innovative start-ups: Biel Glasses and Muse Scene Lab. There will be an extensive programme of workshops and roundtables aimed at programming, data analysis, reskilling and upskilling, and the impact of artificial intelligence in these areas.

• Monday, 3rd March

1 pm - The world of data in the age of AI, with Joan Gasull and Alana Olivieri, in the Workshop space.

4.30 pm – The profile of the data analyst, with Martí Rodríguez.

4.45 pm – Workshop 1 of 90’: Cyber heroes with CISCO –Cybersecurity for all, with Humbert Ruiz, Digital Talent Promotion Director, to publicise the next IT Academy offer.

• Tuesday, 4th March

10 am – Boosting >45 talent in the digital sector: reskilling and opportunities, with Aida Nicolàs. The aim is to raise awareness among companies and inspire people to take the step of digital reskilling. It will count on the collaboration of the IT Academy, with companies such as NTT Data, Lura Care and Evotic. Register now.

1pm - Workshop 3 of 90’: 42 Barcelona. Programming workshop for non-programmers.

3 pm –The world of web programming in the AI era, with Ruben Alcalde and Juan Carlo Castillo, in the Workshop space.

4.30 pm – The profile of a web programmer seen from a professional reskilling perspective, with Martí Rodríguez.

• Wednesday, 5th March

12.30 pm - Jesús Camas will present recruitment testimonials within the framework of Crea Feina.

3.00 pm - Programming workshop for people with disabilities, a unique initiative by X Talento Digital with Fundació ONCE.

Register free of charge through the website.

The Barcelona Activa Social and Solidarity Economy Advisory Service consolidated its role as a key tool for promoting this sector, achieving an increase of nearly 10% in the number of services provided to companies and projects in the field of SSE. With more than 1,000 services provided annually, this service reaffirms its commitment to promoting initiatives that prioritise people and collective values.

The service is designed to support SSE organisations and projects with positive social impact that put people's needs as a priority, working with participatory values ​​and that are, or want to become, legal entities with collective governance.

Specifically, there was a 15% increase in services to established SSE organisations and a 35% increase in entrepreneurial projects. In this regard, 7% more personalised in-depth sessions were held, allowing organisations to work with specialists in strategic areas such as digitalisation, or organisational care and well-being, to strengthen the cohesion of work teams.

As a new feature, last year the contact channels were adapted to receive advice in a more agile way. More specialised SSE advisors and tutors also joined the team to provide an advisory itinerary to achieve the goals.

Currently, the service has a team of more than 14 professionals specialised in multiple areas: marketing and digital communication, governance and internal organisation, organisational changes and team management, legal issues, taxation and financing and digitalisation.

If you have an entrepreneurial idea and you are in the initial phase of the project, you can make an appointment here. And if you already have an established organisation, you can request the service here.

For any other questions, please contact us at innovaciosocioeconomica@barcelonactiva.cat. 

Integrated Systems Europe 2025 has closed a new edition with record attendance. In total, 85,350 people from 168 countries attended the largest trade fair in the audiovisual sector from 4th to 7th February. A sector that has grown by 15% since 2021, that has boosted employment and that attracts entrepreneurial talent in Catalonia with more than 4,100 companies, 41,840 jobs and an annual turnover of €8.6M, according to the study The audiovisual sector in Catalonia, carried out by ACCIÓ.

The event was the setting for the presentation of the city's first Pole of Economic Activity, Palo Alto BCN XRLAB, which will become a reality in May to bring together initiatives, companies and professional people specialised in extended reality (XR) technologies. The space, with more than 2,000m2, will have the aim of boosting the growth and competitiveness of the audiovisual sector, generating new economic activity, creative talent and quality employment.

This year, Barcelona Activa participated in ISE with a joint stand with the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB), Barcelona City Council, and the Audiovisual Cluster of Catalonia. The space offered an immersive experience to attendees, with a tour to test first-hand the solutions of 6 companies in the Barcelona Creativity Showroom: blit.studio, Fede Switch & Light, Flop Work,Glassy Films, IT'S ON and Seeds XR.

As a new feature, there was also an Innovation Park, a space dedicated to presenting the solutions of new emerging companies in the audiovisual sector, such as Estudio Gurugú, Into Reality, NeuralTrust,Play Your Brand, Process Talks, Royal Renders and Wildbytes.

Finally, Barcelona Activa announced the different programmes and services to promote talent in the creative industries, such as IT Academy, the challenges CONNECTIO or the Trade skills workshop. In addition, new networking opportunities were generated, company pitching was carried out and talks on investment in the sector were held.

You can find out about the most important moments of the trade fair in this video summary and start preparing for next year's edition, which will be held between 3rd and 6th February.