Did you know there are 75 million unemployed young people around the world? Plus, there are almost 3 times that figure underemployed. What about the fact 40% of employers around the world say there is a skills shortage is driving entry level job vacancies?
In Spain, the figure was around 36% youth unemployment in January of this year, a figure which has dropped from the high of preceding years but is still a factor which impedes innovation, creativity, career-planning and business opportunities.
Enter Generation. This is a worldwide company program based in 5 countries around the world: India, the USA, Kenya, Mexico, and Spain. Their mission is to bridge the skills gap for young people and find them work. Opinno has been involved in organizing a training programme in digital marketing and branding for its Spanish division, Generation Spain, so the potential of the youth workforce can be stimulated by the very real prospect of gainful and stimulating employment by national and international companies and businesses.
This is an initiative funded by Fundación INCYDE, Fundación UnitedWay and the McKinsey Social Initiative, the objective of which is to follow the ethos of Generation in organizing and providing training for the development of the kind of skills young people urgently need to gain access to job markets of today.
Opinno was on hand to organize the entire training program. This included a course of 7 different modules promoting business learning concepts like: Brand Positioning – where and how a product develops a market identity, how to organize media campaigns to promote a product, Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing and brand creation. All exciting and essential state-of-the-art business skills.
There were a number of Spanish companies, well-known for their commitment to sustainability, involved for the final pitch from trainees. Companies like Ecoalf, Cervezas La Virgen, Sheedo, Aguaencajamejor and Waynabox were the recipient brands students pitched their ideas to in the closing event of the training program.
Students were given a mere 30 minutes to prepare their pitch and 20 minutes to present it to the judges. After that trainees were subject to a 10-minute question time from the panel of judges who then gave the trainees structured feedback on their pitches. The closing event was followed by a networking breakfast which also gave course participants the chance to meet and reflect on the event, as well as to discuss potential job opportunities.
The panel of judges included Laura Romera for INCYDE; Mila represented Opinno;
Carlos Beltran – the CEO of Generation Spain was also there along with four other representatives from Generation. Marina Fuentes was present from United Way, Helena Llopis Florez, the Marketing Strategist for Orange, Adolfo Berraquero from Unstop, Gloria Gubianas from Sheedo and Mariana de Castro from Agua en caja major.
