Asecam warns in Sagunto of a shortage of skilled staff: over 200 attend event at Mas Les Lloses
More than 200 people met in Sagunto on 27 October to discuss how local workers can fill the jobs created by industrial expansion.
Having orders, projects and money to invest but no staff to deliver them: that is the problem businesses in the Camp de Morvedre district raised on Tuesday 27 October. They did so at the Mas Les Lloses farmhouse in Sagunto, during an event run by Asecam, the district's business association, which brought together more than 200 company and institutional representatives under the banner "Camp de Morvedre: Territorio de Talento" (Territory of Talent).
Asecam president Cristina Plumed opened the event by describing companies that could grow but do not, because they lack a workforce. In her view, the challenge is not limited to attracting professionals from elsewhere: the jobs that new investments bring must also be filled by people from the district and by local firms. To achieve that, she added, employers need to work out in advance which profiles will be requested and train the future workers now.
The programme covered artificial intelligence, emerging professions and changes in the labour market, with speakers from Randstad, Adecco, Improven and Grupo Noa's. Sonepar, Cosmos 3D and PowerCo Spain shared their experience as companies based in the area. Ricardo Guerrero, head of Human Resources at PowerCo, described aspects of the future Campus Battery Sagunto, a centre designed to train professionals for the battery sector.
That campus has a history. According to valenciaplaza.com in July 2024, PowerCo announced at the time that the Battery Campus in Sagunto would train up to 200 students per course, would hire 20 of them each year from vocational training (FP), and would take on as many again as trainees, with a planned investment of more than 35 million euros. For a young person in the district, what counts is the ratio: 20 hires a year against 200 places per course.
One of the most closely followed debates was the link between the education system and business. Heads of La Laboral and CIPFP Eduardo Merello (vocational training centres), together with representatives of Mas Camarena and the Universitat Politècnica de València, discussed how to adjust the courses on offer to the jobs now being created.
Vicente Lafuente, president of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV), pointed to a paradox: although unemployment has improved, companies still have thousands of vacancies they cannot fill. For job seekers in the district, the employers' message is that work exists but demands a preparation they currently cannot find.
The mayor of Sagunto, Darío Moreno, agreed that training must respond to what companies ask for, but warned that industrial growth has to be sustainable and come with better infrastructure and public services, with effects on residents' quality of life.
The closing session was led by the first vice-president of the Valencian Government (Generalitat), Susana Camarero, who highlighted Asecam's role as a bridge between companies and administrations. Representatives of the Generalitat, the Diputación de València (provincial council), the district's municipal associations (mancomunidades) and other business organisations also attended.
According to the published account, the event did not close any measures with a timetable. It remains open when the district's training offer, including the battery campus, will be able to supply the profiles companies are asking for. According to El Periódico de Aquí. Complementary data: valenciaplaza.com.