Conecta Empleo
Conecta Empleo is a free training initiative on digital skills for employment and entrepreneurial attitude (hard and soft skills), promoted by Fundación Telefónica in Europe and Latin America. Set up in 2014, the initiative offers an extensive free training database, with new courses and upskilling initiatives regularly updated. The training activities focus on upskilling jobseekers and unemployed, as well as people interested in gaining new skills and enhancing their career and employability prospects. The training offers are focused around beginner to intermediate level, providing an opportunity for reskilling for those with no prior knowledge of technology - and a chance to upskill for those, who have a bit of understanding, but would benefit from support and an increased understanding.
The initiative provides participants with all required material through the online platform. Once the training finishes and participants have completed the assessment module, participants receive a certificate. For some courses, the training actions conclude with an 'employability phase' where participants can receive coaching and mentoring, preparing them for prospective interviews in their search for employment.
In Spain, the current educational offer covers the following topics: digitalization within the construction sector, communication and digital integration, cybersecurity, creation of digital contents and social entrepreneurship. Trainings provided include:
- The Nanograde Construction 4.0 course, which targets construction sector employees' skills via more than 220 hours of digital training, with the aim of offering insight on the sector's digital needs including the need for adaptation, as well as the type of new professions and roles emerging in the construction sector.
- Cybersecurity in the educational environment: a course which focuses on cybersecurity and its adoption in the classroom, where participants can find out more about the types of risks that already exist, including themes such as personal data protection, network security, digital identity and cyberbullying.
- A wide range of other courses and trainings related to digital skills on many topics.
Since its start in 2014, Conecta Empleo has successfully conducted several rounds of training, with a special focus on programming and development using Java and web analytics. Positive feedback was received by previous graduates of the initiative, and the programme's actions are well known within Spain - both by individuals looking for training, and recruiters. The programme has built upon other initiatives by Telefónica Fundación to enhance employability of younger people, incorporating lessons learned and insight to update continuously training offers and provide an easy-to-use website with relevant information.
