Therefore, digitalisation is clearly a source of competitiveness and prosperity. If I had to think of the two main ingredients needed to promote it, I would certainly pick technology and talent. While the former is increasingly accessible and abundant, digital talent is a scarce resource. Two pieces of data corroborate this. Firstly, between 2017 and 2019 the demand for digital professionals in Barcelona grew by 80%, while the supply increased by only 23%. Secondly, in 2020 the ICT sector in Catalonia grew by 14,700 employees, while the economy as a whole lost 138,000 jobs.
Given this backdrop, there is a clear need to train professionals from the lower end of the K towards digital skills, which are exceedingly necessary in the sectors and companies that are taking advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation. This is the objective pursued in the courses promoted by Barcelona Digital Talent, a programme driven by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and two of the Catalan Government's ministries, namely the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Families and the Ministry of Business and Knowledge.
We started with an analysis based on big data to understand which digital professions were most in demand: software development, big data, the cloud, cybersecurity, etc. The next step was to describe the framework of skills required in these professions (programming languages, software environments, soft skills, etc.), for which we engaged the help of more than 150 technology companies in Barcelona's 22@ district. A group of university experts then converted these skills into six training pathways which, thanks to the role played by AQU Catalunya, have been included for the first time in the training catalogue of the Spanish State Public Employment Service (SEPE) as level 4 and 5 digital vocational training.
By raising the level of training, having it methodologically guaranteed by AQU Catalunya and involving talent-seeking companies in the training design, we are sure to increase the chances of success of these training courses, which, with funding from the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC), will help to provide many professionals with a new opportunity in this new economy, driven by digitalisation and in which talent is the most valuable asset.