The Balearic employment agency SOIB collaborates with AENIB and Balearic Marine Cluster in numerous ways to boost the training and employment of qualified personnel in the nautical sector.
The Councillor of Economy, Tourism and Employment, Iago Negueruela, participated on Tuesday in virtual round table talks titled “The Balearic nautical sector, a sea of opportunities for vocational training and employment”. The meeting was held as a part of the virtual Balearic Yacht Show, organized by Mallorca Chamber of Commerce and Balearic Marine Cluster in the framework of the Palma International Boat Show.
In the meeting, the purpose of which was to introduce the services of SOIB to the companies in the nautical sector, Negueruela stressed the “strategic role of the nautical sector in deseasonalising the Balearic economy, which is a key for overcoming the current crisis”. In addition, Negueruela reminded about “the need for qualified manpower in this sector” and therefore championed the “synergy between the public and private sectors” through initiatives like for example the dual vocational training. During his presentation, he showcased the various educational initiatives carried out in the past years, such as the Centre de la Mar in Mahon, the different schools in Ibiza and Palma and the one planned to open in 2022 in Son Castello for dual vocational training. “The schools have collaborated directly with the companies, offering access to manpower according to the companies´ needs, providing training and making sure it is adapted to the new technologies. We have to take on the challenge of preparing the infrastructure so that the sector can grow and improve, with an aim to make the Balearic Islands a global benchmark in nautical vocational training”, he summarized.
Margarita Dahlberg, the person responsible for training at the Association of Nautical Companies in the Balearics (AENIB), participated also in the meeting. She reminded that “the nautical sector has understood since its constitution as a syndicated sector that vocational training is essential for its development and has worked tirelessly towards it. It has been a long battle, as we have worked already for 15 years on an educational project that would be suited for the needs of sector, although at the same time it has been a good experience”, she assured.
During her speech, Dahlberg described the educational projects that AENIB has participated in together with the different public administrations. “We send technological experts to work in collaboration with the National Institution of Qualifications (Incual) for the development of training in refit and maintenance of boats, and in collaboration with ANEN we have created an Intermediate Level Educational Cycle for Technician in Recreational Boat Maintenance”, she explained. At a regional level, AENIB has collaborated with the local government by providing reviewers for the Institute of Professional Qualifications of the Balearic Islands (IPQIB), an entity in charge of administration and coordination of recognition procedures related to professional qualifications acquired through work experience and other ways of informal training. More than 300 employees in the sector with excellent skills in their area of expertise, but previously not able to be endorsed with a formal qualification, have been able to benefit from this scheme. Besides that, in 2016 we started the Professional Dual Training programme in collaboration with SOIB” she explained.
“Furthermore, in 2017 the local government requested us to collaborate in the creation of Centre del Mar, a wonderful project we continue supporting and which is set out to become a national benchmark for nautical vocational training. This is where the innovation of the future training of the sector will take place and what the Balearic Islands can take great pride in” she stated.
To conclude, she highlighted since 2019 AENIB collaborates with the secondary school Juniper Serra, a pioneering college which started to offer the above-mentioned Intermediate Level Educational Cycle and also Professional Dual Training for Technician of Recreational Boat Maintenance. This format combines a practical, paid apprenticeship in a company with a theoretical training in a school. AENIB collaborates by providing companies that are willing to take on pupils for the practical part of the training.
For her part Pilar Ortiz, the director of SOIB, explained how the public entity can be of assistance to the companies of the sector. “We need the connection to the companies in order to develop our employment actions, to make progress and to be competitive and pioneering in an area as strategic as the nautical sector. This is an important part of our discussions with AENIB and ANEN”, she emphasized. She further explained the details and benefits for companies in taking part in the subsidization processes for Dual Vocational Training and training with commitment to employ.
Pedro Suasi, the manager of the Balearic Marine Cluster talked about the start of a pilot project together with SOIB regarding the Professional Certificate Level 2 for painting and repairing recreational vessels, still at a trial stage. “It will consist of 400 hours of painting and repair training, to which is added a module of 100 hours of English, as the sector is very international. The employees of the sector itself will teach the trade to the pupils. We are currently certifying four middle level managers from the companies in the sector to give the training in August and September 2022”, he explained.
To conclude, the sales director of S´Algar Formació, Maria Luisa Bennássar, shared her successful experiences with the dual training.
In the round of questions, Yolanda González, from the Nautical Association of Ibiza and Formentera, pointed out the lack of qualified personnel in the Pitiusa Islands, due to limited access to housing for non-islanders and shortage of certified training schools for residents, and therefore requested accelerating the collaboration with SOIB also on the Pitiusas.