SEIDOR hosts the first class of the Osona ICT Talent programme

10 January 2023, SEIDOR, a multinational consultancy specialising in technology services and solutions, hosted at its offices in Vic many of the students that are part of Osona Tic Talent, a public/private initiative that was created with the aim of promoting training in digital skills among students from schools in the district of Osona that offer vocational training in technological studies.

The project, promoted by SEIDOR in collaboration with the Department of Education of the Government of Catalonia, the district council, the City Council of Vic and Creación, the technology companies of Osona and the institutes that provide advanced vocational training in the technology sector, also has the support of the Chamber of Commerce. This is the first year of the initiative, which seeks to create talent and kindle professional vocations among the more than 40 potential students of the schools involved - Cirviànum, La Salle, Escorial i Centro Teknós – Campus Profesional de la UVic-UCC –.

These students will have a chance to complete their advanced vocational training through a 6-month dual internship programme in different ICT companies in the district, which allows them to acquire knowledge in the technology sector and complete their studies by acquiring real-world job experience, while also combating the shortage of qualified ICT sector staff that businesses in the area are facing.

Welcome session at the SEIDOR offices

The starting point of the initiative, which has taken more than two years of effort and collaboration with all stakeholders, took place on 9 January in the SEIDOR headquarters, when a group of students from the four schools mentioned began their internship in the technology consultancy. To greet them, a welcome session was organised at the company's offices with Eugeni Baqué, Operations Director at SEIDOR, Hector Ortiz, Head of Vocational Studies at the Instituto Cirviànum in Torelló, and Bet Franquesa, adviser on Education, Youth, Harmony and Safety for the City Council of Vic.

Eugeni Baqué stated "we are very excited about this opportunity to host these students at SEIDOR, since the efforts we make to promote ICT talent creation projects in the district of Osona will now be materialised". In this regard, Baqué emphasised that "Osona Tic Talent offers young people the opportunity to learn more about technology through paid, full-time internships that will make it possible for them to gain experience so they can later go on to permanent jobs".

Along these same lines, Hector Ortiz noted that "this project is the result of a months-long effort at both the administration and tech companies, together with universities and institutes in the area, to leverage the current technological environment and turn the district of Osona into a territory with class-leading ICT personnel".

Bet Franquesa explained how "companies in Osona need professionals from the technology sector, especially given the shortage of workers with this knowledge. Therefore, Osona Tic Talent responds to the needs of ICT companies and young people, while also helping to establish a territorial balance in the highly relevant technology sector".

Promoting the ICT sector among women

Beyond offering training in the field of ICT, this initiative also hopes to spark an interest and curiosity for the technology sector among young people in Osona, by letting them know that taking the advanced IT vocational courses in the district's schools can help lead them to a very promising future. This message is especially targeted at women, who tend to go into less male-dominated professions and often lose out on the opportunity to work in the constantly changing ICT sector, which is always looking for skilled professionals.

The project also offers students with no specific training in technology, or who did not finish high school, the opportunity to join the labour market, provided they have the right digital skills. This encourages the social integration of young people who may not be able to access the ICT sector without the opportunity offered by this initiative.