That there is a great struggle for talent in Valencian companies is commented by businessmen and human resources professionals in all the huddles. The implementation of SEAT-Volkswagen and its already begun search for professionals in the Valencian Community for the Sagunt gigafactory pushes a sector that is already hectic, with new projects on the horizon to nurture professionals, especially from the university technological field .
And this is precisely where the Valencian companies that innovate successfully are mainly set, explains José María Mateu, who has coordinated a study with almost 40 companies on innovative behavior in the Valencian productive fabric. “They are very aware of the importance of advanced talent. And if we are at the forefront of many things, we need cutting-edge talent, so the conclusion we have found is that they are really betting heavily, putting a lot of creativity into identifying and incorporating top-level talent,” explains Mateu, co-author of the INNpresa Project report. : Observatory of Innovation in the Company, a project of the Fundació Parc Científic Universitat de València.
To attract professionals, these companies seek, mainly, to create good relations with universities in order to gain preferential access to the “brightest” students, give talks and specialized training in which the company is made known or establish agreements to carry out final projects. degree or master’s degree, as well as promote doctoral theses in collaboration.
They also give out prizes, hold hackathons and other events at universities, as well as try to create an innovative company brand and have “motivational projects”. There are proposals of all kinds, but it should be remembered that the multinational Power Electronics launched last summer to attract talent during the Les Arts festival, with the company logo on the reusable glasses that were served in the bars. Anything goes.
But there are more examples: in the report signed by Mateu, they mention the company Multiscan Technologies, from Cocentaina and specialized in the detection of dense contaminants using X-rays. It promotes and actively collaborates in the Master’s Degree in Artificial Vision and Robotics on the Alcoi campus, giving training new graduates tailored to the needs of technology companies.
Also, the specialist in robotics based in Elx Bumerania has created prizes for undergraduate and master’s students related to their field, rewarding the best technological or robotics project carried out by a student from each university with which it collaborates.
Mateu points out that these companies, which work “at the edge of technology”, need to make significant efforts, which is why they even opt to invest in startups or startup financing funds to see what projects come up with new technologies that they can use. .
In addition to reflections on the search for talent, the study -prepared with funding from the Valencian Innovation Agency- lists another 14 conclusions and points to a “Valencian way” towards innovation, with certain peculiarities that make this innovative fabric different with respect to others. Mateu explains that in this case “the entire organization is oriented towards innovation”, a severe trait that is observed “with complete clarity” and that has become evident in recent years. “Now innovation is more aligned with the company’s strategy. Until recently it was a more cornered area and it did not play such an important role in the company’s strategy”, reflects Mateu.
