On February 22, 2024, the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Employment, Business, and Self-Employment and the Smart City Cluster held a meeting to discuss talent attraction strategies aimed at driving the growth of smart cities through Employment Training. This session took place at the association’s headquarters in Málaga TechPark, with the participation of Rocío Blanco, the Regional Minister of Employment, Business, and Self-Employment; Carmen Sánchez, the territorial delegate; Miguel Ángel Romero, President of the Smart City Cluster; and Daniel González-Bootello, the General Director.

During the meeting, Minister Blanco highlighted the opportunities offered by Employment Training to design highly specific, short-term training programs “tailored” to meet companies’ needs for qualified professionals swiftly and flexibly. She also mentioned other initiatives that might interest Smart City Cluster members, like the Training with a Hiring Commitment program, which subsidizes the training of future employees with a commitment to hire 40% of the participants.

Miguel Ángel Romero, the cluster’s president, emphasized the importance of this training modality promoted by the Ministry and pointed out the opportunity it represents for boosting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies in Andalusia to find qualified workers in rapidly developing fields. He cited the example of Málaga, a city requiring about 3,000 technology professionals each year.

The Smart City Cluster’s president and general director discussed the national implementation of the association and its ultimate goal of improving citizens’ quality of life through collaboration among its over 200 members. They concluded by explaining how the cluster’s dual role, connecting the industry sector with territories, could act as a swift lever for promoting economic development and employment by generating talent, thereby making towns and cities more attractive.