The opening of the WORKinn Talent Hub employment forum took place this morning, chaired by Alfonso Gurpegui, Deputy Minister of Employment and Inclusion of the Basque Government and Teresa Laespada, Regional Deputy for Employment, Social Cohesion and Equality. Elena Pérez Barredo, Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Security; Francisco Pedraza, General Director of Lanbide (the Basque Employment Service); Lourdes Iscar, General Director of OSALAN; Angel Lapuente, Director of Employment and Social Security; Carlos Fernández, Councillor of the City Council of Barakaldo; and Maialen Gurrutxaga, mayor of Elgoibar, among other representatives, also took part in the event. The institutional delegation was received by Mª Carmen Gorostiza, Event Manager of WORKinn Talent Hub; Xabier Basañez, General Manager of BEC; José Pérez Berdud, President of AFM Cluster; and Xabier Ortueta, General Manager of AFM Cluster.

In her speech, Laespada stressed the need to attract and generate talent, calling for a “diverse and broad concept of youth”. “Women make up half of Bizkaia’s talent. Industry and the technological world hire us less than men. They are simply wasting our talent, (…) and we are not in a position to waste talent”. She also referred to the importance of the migrant population already living in Bizkaia “and who are just as Biscayans as we are”.

Deputy Minister Gurpegui stated that “Lanbide is going to be the spearhead in talent management because all the companies that are looking for talent will go through it, training will be adapted to the needs of the new economy and all the people registered in the service will be connected”. Furthermore, the Deputy Regional Minister for Employment reiterated that all the agents involved in employment are going to work in a network to adapt to the needs of the new economy.

The event also served to pay tribute to the Town Council of Elgoibar, which was presented with a plaque of honour to mark the 125 years that the council has been offering vocational training to the people of Elgoibar. Mayor Maialen Gurrutxaga received the plaque in the name of the City Hall.

Identifying talent and offering companies the most qualified profiles is one of the main objectives of WORKinn, which also emphasises the quality of the jobs on offer and offering career opportunities in the industry to both men and women.

In addition to the employment forum, WORKinn Talent Hub is offering, throughout the five days of the International Machine Tool Biennial, the Inspire Zone, where young people have the opportunity to interact with industry professionals and experiment with the latest technology in machine tools, virtual reality, robotics, metrology, cad-cam or 3D printing, among other areas of the industry.

WORKinn Talent Hub is the only industrial job fair in Spain and this year is celebrating its eighth edition. It is organised by AFM Cluster and Bilbao Exhibition Centre and is sponsored by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Lanbide and the Basque Government.