Activity Report 2015 BARCELONA ACTIVA Contents 01.   INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 3   02.   MISSION, SCOPE OF ACTION AND FACILITIES .............................................................................. 9   03.   MAIN RESULTS OF 2015 ............................................................................................................. 11   03.1. Employment and Business Services ................................................................................ 11   Professional Skills Acquisition and Employment ............................................................ 12   Entrepreneurship ............................................................................................................ 21   Business ......................................................................................................................... 28   Training .......................................................................................................................... 36   03.2 Promotion ........................................................................................................................ 40   City Promotion ................................................................................................................ 40   Strategic Sectors ............................................................................................................ 42   Tourism and Events ........................................................................................................ 44   Territory and Commerce Promotion ................................................................................ 46   04.   BUILDING A PLURAL ECONOMY. A NEW DIRECTION FOR BARCELONA ACTIVA .......................... 50   05.   FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................................... 55   06.   BOARD OF DIRECTORS ............................................................................................................... 57   07.   ORGANISATION CHART ............................................................................................................... 58   Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 2 01. Introduction 2015 marked the end of a cycle and brought a new direction for Barcelona Activa’s economic development policies for Barcelona. On the one hand, Barcelona City Council’s Strategic Framework 2012-2015 and Barcelona Growth strategies drew to a close; these had been the drivers behind Barcelona Activa’s own activities because of the agency’s role implementing City Council economic development policies. The new municipal government also marked a turning point for new policies and a transition phase that will be carried out in 2016 with the objective of taking the city towards a different type of development model that is more socially and environmentally respectful, whereby the municipal development agency is responsible for promoting the city’s economic development, designing and implementing inclusive employment policies, and fostering the development of a local and plural economy. In Barcelona there are 90,000 unemployed people, a high level of job insecurity, social and regional inequality and social emergency situations that threaten the rights of Barcelona’s citizens. This is due to the economic recession and, above all, an economic model that is unsustainable and unfair. The new government wants to encourage the development of a diversified economy, that is plural and locally orientated to invigorate communities and foreign economic relations, promote sustainability and social innovation, and support economic activities in order to stimulate the creation of quality employment and improve social cohesion, making Barcelona a world benchmark for economic model change. In this context, Barcelona Activa’s new direction started mid-2015 with the following new and dynamic strategic lines: § Recover the importance and centrality of employment policies § Give Barcelona Activa much more presence on the ground to reach more segments of society in terms of locally-oriented economic development § Introduce other dynamic work practices: with more transversality, transparency and horizontality § Provide a new perspective in terms of people (understanding their socio-economic context and based on qualities rather than weaknesses), and incorporate a gender perspective with transversal care § Provide a broader scope for understanding entrepreneurship (collective, social ...) and innovation (not just technology) as well as highlighting the importance of companies’ social and environmental responsibilities § Move towards a vision of a more plural economy, highlighting the cooperative economy, social solidarity and other transformation economies (sharing economies, community economies ...) and the green and circular economy In the second half of the year the first measures started to get implemented, but these were only the first steps in Barcelona Activa’s transition process, amongst which we can highlight the implementation of New Municipal Employment Plans, which were designed to have an immediate impact by creating jobs for over a thousand unemployed people in the city for six months. At the same time, work began on a concerted strategy to promote quality employment and combat job insecurity and inequality with stakeholders from different social fields as part of this new economic policy and local development framework. The first step in this direction was the launch of a consultation process with Barcelona Activa workers to get their proposals to include in the new Municipal Action Programme. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 3 As part of the Directorate of Other Economies and Proximity, Barcelona Activa has started new programmes designed to promote local development in terms of proximity and territorial cohesion, promoting and coordinating stakeholders across the fabric of society in terms of local development strategies. The objective: to develop a plural economy that encourages cooperative, social and solidarity economies and other transformation economies. Related to this, the city launched the Emergency Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Plan, a transversal plan that started in 2015 with a budget of over 650,000 Euros for measures to develop employment, business, entrepreneurship, training and the creation of the Solidarity Economy Municipal Network. It is a plan that will run throughout the whole of the current mandate and which will be agreed on with citizens after a public debate during the Municipal Action Plan process. In line with the development of other types of economy, there has also been a change of direction at the Business Support Office (OAE) which will become a more plural and inclusive space for different types of companies and closer to other types of sharing, cooperative, social, solidarity economies, and worker- run businesses and collective entrepreneurship projects. Barcelona Activa has put out a tender for the Office’s customer services which is based on criteria related to transparency and to being a public space, and also to resize the services to match detected needs. Moreover, regarding tourism and its externalities, there has also been a change of focus with the new mandate in order to change the governance of tourism, redefining priorities and implementing citizen participation mechanisms that improve the fit between tourism in the city and the development of a responsible and sustainable tourism that improves both the quality of life of citizens and visitors’ experiences. Barcelona Activa has been commissioned to develop a Tourism and City Commission, which will be the main instrument to ensure the participation and involvement of multiple stakeholders and business people involved in tourism, and so far the foundations have been laid for a new Strategic Tourism Plan 2016-2020. Along with these first steps in the transition process that will be deployed in 2016, Barcelona City Council -through Barcelona Activa- continued to guarantee its portfolio of services for job seekers and companies during 2015, as well as the promotion of the local area, which has been supplemented by the programmes of other Administrations, and this has led to a better and stronger service offer. An evaluation and revision process was started to answer some of the questions about the reach and coverage of needs and their impact on different groups and geographical areas in the city. The objective: to adapt resources and methodologies in response to a situation that is a social emergency, to fight for fair development and against the inequalities seen between people and areas, collecting suggestions about how to improve by way of a participatory process undertaken for the Municipal Action Plan and carried out amongst Barcelona Activa workers. The following executive summary presents the most significant measures taken by Barcelona Activa in 2015 in different areas: § Barcelona Activa has attended to 54,648 people and 5,966 businesses. Additionally, it has provided academic and professional career advice to 16,077 students. § 26,982 people have been assisted via vocational training and employment services and programmes. § Thanks to Barcelona Activa’s permanent services, 9,395 people were given personalised advisory services offered to the whole population over a wide range of opening hours, while 18,436 people attended group activities aimed at job search and career development. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 4 § New editions of programmes for people at risk of exclusion (PISL and PROPER) were carried out in co-operation with Barcelona City Council’s Department of Social Rights, with 1,912 people at risk of exclusion given assistance, these having been referred by municipal social services. § Grant programmes have been implemented for hiring people with integration issues on long- term contracts. Since 2013, subsidies have been given for the hiring of 1,151 young people and long-term unemployed people through the ‘Barcelona Crea Ocupació’ programme with grants going to companies. Also, since late 2014 there have been 388 employment contracts created through the ‘Barcelona es Compromet’ programme which provides grants to companies that give stable contracts to hire unemployed people over the age of 40 that have been out of work for more than one year, as well as those at risk of exclusion. § There is a wide variety of measures to support youth employment and give careers advice, like the ‘BCN Treball Joves’ service for young people looking for work, or personalised advisory services for young people, along with programmes carried out in collaboration with other Administrations, like the European Union-funded ‘Mobilitza’t Mobile’ programme or co-financed measures by SOC as part of a series of programmes –‘Garantia Juvenil’ –‘Joves per l’Ocupació’, ‘Fem Ocupació per Joves’, and ICT training, advisory services through ‘Xarxa d’Impulsors de Garantia Juvenil’ or the new multi-format programme ‘Garantia d’Èxit Barcelona’ that the city will launch in 2016. 3,628 young people were assisted on these specific services and programmes. Also, the academic and professional advisory service for schools has assisted more than 16,000 students. § In 2015, in addition to the employment plans that are part of the Catalan Government’s SOC employment offers, new municipal employment plans have been launched that have their own resources for innovative activities - the first for school support staff, support for English language classes and nursery schools, among others in co-operation with other departments of the City Council. In total, 919 people have improved their employability through mixed training and work programmes. § Progress has been made on the Emergency Plan for the long-term unemployed, aimed at people who have been unemployed for two or more years, providing orientation activities, training and vocational training in order to improve their employment opportunities. The programme, which started with an initial phase of analysis on the target population and professional opportunities in the market, is expected to be completed in 2016 with 2,500 people getting training and assistance. § The ‘Treball als Barris’ neighbourhood work initiative is designed to boost employment as a complement to the ‘Llei de Barris’ (Neighbourhood Act), with services given to 2,468 residents from city neighbourhoods that need special attention or that have most unemployment. § New editions of professional training programmes to meet current market demand have been carried out. On the one hand, the ‘Actualitza’t’ programme has retrained 566 people in the areas of design, logistics and distribution, ICT, commerce and marketing, electric vehicles, the mobile sector and LED technology. Moreover, vocational training programmes in priority areas, in co- operation with the Catalan Government’s SOC service, have trained 97 people for jobs in the healthcare and logistics sector. § 23,963 people took part in 6,497 training activities of different lengths in areas like business management, entrepreneurship and employment and job search. § 9,659 people, professionals and/or employees of small and medium-sized businesses in the city have been trained in advanced technology skills and 2,526 people got basic training in digital literacy via Cibernàrium branches at public libraries. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 5 § Launched in October 2014, deployment and adjustments were made to the Business Support Office’s services in 2015, and a reorientation process began in order to serve and support different types of businesses, such as those related to the collaborative, cooperative, and social solidarity economies, worker-run businesses and collective entrepreneurship projects. The Office brings together the following services: incorporation of companies, information on municipal procedures, business financing, recruitment of workers, business transfers, location and landing services, internationalisation, business growth, personalised advice. Barcelona Activa services and programmes aimed at supporting companies have attended to 5,966 companies during the year. § Business incorporation services have helped create 542 new businesses in the city, thanks to its time and cost saving, one-stop process, while financing services have helped fund 174 companies and entrepreneurs to the tune of 46.3 million euros. § The job search service, which brings together companies that need to hire workers or students on internships with job seekers, has managed 2,604 job vacancies and internship places allowing more than 768 people to find a job. 25 companies have used the company transmission service to successfully transfer a company to new proprietors. § 55 foreign companies and 18 international entrepreneurs have been given advice about moving to Barcelona, 13 of which set up their businesses here in 2015, creating 108 new jobs. Also, the business location services have helped 90 projects and companies to find spaces suitable to their needs in the city. § The mstartupBarcelona incubation services –designed to boost the mobile sector via business accelerators-, and ESA BIC Barcelona, which aims to promote entrepreneurship in the area of aerospace technologies, together with Barcelona Nord Technology Park and the Glories and Almogàvers Business Factory incubators play host to a total of 213 companies and business projects as of last December 2015. It is estimated that these businesses generate direct employment for over 1,100 workers. § Barcelona Activa’s services and entrepreneurship programmes have accompanied the construction and analysis of 2,813 new projects and attended to 14,850 people interested in creating a company. Estimates show that nearly 1,900 of these projects became new companies and these generated more than 3,300 jobs. § Barcelona Activa reached a record high in terms of tailored business support for projects. 860 people took part in intensive and specific programmes for individual sectors –the creative industry, biotechnology, clean energy, e-commerce, handicrafts, trade, construction, tourism and the Third Sector, and in terms of groups, for women, young people and those over 45 years’ old. § The first support programme for projects in the area of social entrepreneurship took place with 17 people who had developed business projects with a positive social impact. The first edition of ‘FuTurisme’ was also held, which is the first comprehensive programme to promote and support entrepreneurship in the field of tourism in collaboration with several institutions and companies, which had 18 participants. § 28 foreign economic promotion delegations were organised (international workshops, seminars, conferences and missions abroad), which meant that Barcelona was present at key economic and business events, showcasing itself to more than 35,534 entrepreneurs, managers, professionals and international investors. § Thanks to the work of the Air Routes Committee (CDRA) –an organisation that includes the City Council through Barcelona Activa-, in 2015 five new intercontinental routes opened from Barcelona Airport (Sao Paulo, Baku-Azerbaijan- Accra-Ghana-, Toronto and Seoul). Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 6 § To boost the city’s economic and foreign business community, 246 foreign delegations interested in economic development have been attended to, with a total of 3,357 delegates. In addition, throughout the year there have been 34 different kinds of events and initiatives with a direct impact on 1,812 people (including: Barcelona Updates with five consulates, chambers of commerce and overseas business associations; two meetings of municipal representatives with the participation of 49 foreign business leaders, 10 networking events with the business community, among others). § Barcelona Activa organised the second edition of the Barcelona International Community Day in order to develop networks with its foreign business community. 24 activities were on the programme (conferences, workshops, informative sessions, entertainment), including 39 speakers and a fair with 60 exhibitors, which was attended by 2,950 people from 86 different countries § 66 foreign investment projects have been accompanied as they looked to set up facilities in Barcelona. These finalised in different ways, with seven carrying out their investment plans in the city during 2015. § In the framework of the 2015 edition of the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona Activa has promoted the presence of small and medium-sized businesses and/or citizens in areas related to ICTs and it has also promoted city facilities and projects linked to this sector, through the organisation of Barcelona Activa events or via support for third party events. § The LIVE platform is a national and international benchmark organisation made up by more than twenty key public and private sector organisations. It has advised more than 70 companies and project proposals and occupied a variety of advisory and support roles for public sector plans in this sector (Environmental Quality Plans, subsidies for purchasing electric motorcycles or AMB fast-recharging points, among others). § Barcelona City Council has proceeded with the hiring of the winners of a public sector procurement competition called BCN Open Challenge, and currently solutions are being developed to meet the challenges laid down in the initial call. Thanks to this project, Barcelona has positioned itself as a pioneer and leader in public sector innovation, tying an innovation process with the hiring of real municipal services for the first time ever. § Work has continued on projects related to the Biosphere World Class Destination certification, which maintains Barcelona’s position as a destination for sustainable and responsible tourism, with the city’s strengths recognised thanks to its Barcelona+Sustainable programme, urban accessibility, its designation as European Capital of Volunteering, the initiative ‘A view from the Hotel’, the promotion of local products in city markets and shops, the Mobile World Capital, low- consumption water systems, smart irrigation systems and the environmental quality of city beaches. § Support in landing processes in the city for more than 60 projects that are of economic interest, such as the Mobile World Congress, the European Supply Chain & Logistics Summit and the 15th European AIDS Conference, among others. § The Tourism and City Commission is part of a new strategy for tourism management, which is designed as a body for stakeholder participation regarding municipal tourism policies. Barcelona Activa has led the group which is made up by all those public administrations involved in the field of tourist accommodation in order develop better coordination at the technical level. § The 3rd edition of the ‘Obert al Futur’ programme offered 1,235 shop workers the chance to improve professional skills and digital skills across all the city’s districts. § Based on a pilot edition of a municipal support programme for commerce in the city and implemented by the outdoor shopping mall along carretera de Saints, ‘Commerce on the Web’ is now across the whole city with the aim of geo-localising 6,000 local shops, in co-operation with Fundació Barcelona Comerç. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 7 § The first edition of the Business Support Programme for Commerce in Barcelona involved 48 people from 29 trade associations located across the city’s 10 districts. The aim of the programme is to educate and provide tools and resources for the members of commerce associations to develop their roles successfully. Among others, it provides a boost to the association’s strategic and communications plan, as well as providing training to improve the internal management of associations. § Another action related to one of the main drivers of commerce in the city were coordinated by Barcelona Activa, namely the Christmas campaign. The agency also launched the second edition of a competition for ideas for the city’s Christmas lights, called ‘Light up Christmas’, which saw the participation of young artists and professionals in Barcelona. It also led a sponsorship project of the 15 Christmas trees distributed to every district across the city. § Thanks to the Barcelona Social and Solidarity Economy Network (XESB), made up by more than 100 non-profit social companies and entities, there were 61 activities and support projects to promote the Social and Solidarity Economy, including training, forums for dialogue, working commissions on diverse topics, visits to entities, amongst others, with the participation of 2,400 people. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 8 02. Mission, scope of action and facilities Barcelona Activa is the organisation responsible for promoting the economic development of the city, designing and implementing employment policies for all, and fostering the development of a diversified and local economy. It is a limited company financed by municipal capital with a Board of Directors made up of representatives of all municipal political groups. In 2015, the agency maintained the same organisational structure launched in 2012 in compliance with the Strategic Framework 2012-2015, organising itself with two executive directorates for service provision and five corporate directorates with transversal roles to develop the following lines of action: Business and Employment Services Executive Directorate: 1. Business: Providing support to improve the competitiveness of companies in the city of Barcelona, promoting permanent services that foster the creation of wealth and jobs in the city and developing stronger relations with companies driving the economy. 2. Entrepreneurship: Promote entrepreneurship and support entrepreneurs throughout the process, from the development of a business idea to starting up a company. 3. Professional skills acquisition and employment: Increasing the employability of people to help their chances in the labour market and develop professional improvement. 4. Training: Improve the skills of citizens, professionals and companies to make Barcelona a more competitive city. Promotion Executive Directorate: 5. Promotion of the city: Develop Barcelona’s external economic exchanges and economic relations in order to position brand Barcelona, drive the economy and provide business leadership for Barcelona and its Metropolitan Area. 6. Promotion of strategic sectors: Improve the competitiveness of companies and the city to maximise their leadership and positioning at both a local and international level across all sectors considered to be strategic, with a particular emphasis on the ICT and mobile sectors, logistics, agro-foods, sustainable energy-mobility, biotechnology, aerospace and higher education sectors. 7. Promotion of tourism and events: manage tourist activities in Barcelona and facilitate their fit with the wider city needs. Attract events that are interesting economically to the city, help them with landing and build their long-term loyalty. 8. Promotion of the territory and commerce: develop an economic promotion based on proximity by working with district councils to identify and promote new economic opportunities while developing the role of local commerce and helping this sector to modernise. And the following Corporate Directorates: 9. Financial Resources: Optimise management in the areas of Economy and Finance, General Services, Strategic Analysis and Resources Acquisition, and Maintenance, establishing policies and criteria required to achieve the organisation’s objectives. 10. Human Resources: Define policies and strategies related to this area, such as selecting candidates, training, labour relations and health and safety, to optimise human resources management. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 9 11. Information and organisation systems: Co-ordinate telecommunications infrastructure projects carried out to ensure the security and quality of Barcelona Activa's IT systems. Improve the organisation by designing processes and systems that guarantee quality and efficiency in service delivery.. 12. Legal Services: Provide legal advice to all Barcelona Activa departments in accordance with current legislation to ensure the legality of all actions. 13. Communication and Marketing: Participate in the definition and implementation of Barcelona Activa's communication and marketing policy. Barcelona Activa boasts the following network of cutting-edge facilities to drive its economic development: § Head office, which is home to the company’s management team, the central services of the Directorate of Management and Strategy and the team developing promotion initiatives. § Edifici Mèdia TIC, plays host to the Business Support Office, the mStartupBarcelona mobile sector incubator and the Centre of Technology Training for professionals and SMEs-Cibernàrium. § Glòries Entrepreneurship Centre, the city's benchmark facility for business creation. § Glòries Business Incubator, incubation spaces and services for innovative new companies. § Almogàvers Business Incubator, an incubating environment for growing innovative new companies. § Barcelona Nord Technology Park, an incubation environment for innovative technology companies in their growth phase. § Centre for Professional Development (Porta22), the reference centre for professional guidance, training and employment programmes. § Convent de Sant Agustí, a centre also specialising in activities related to employment and a benchmark for entrepreneurship programmes for specific groups and traditional sectors. § Ca n’Andalet, a facility specialising in training activities. These facilities are supplemented by a local network that includes: 11 basic technology training satellite branches in public libraries, 5 employment service points in the Citizen Services Departments in those districts with most unemployment, 9 customer service points for the ‘Treball als Barris’ programme, 5 employment service points for job placements for groups at risk of exclusion, Youth Information Points (PIJ) and Youth Centres which offer the ‘Barcelona Treball Joves’ services to advise young people about job opportunities and job searches, and close to thirty facilities across the city where shop traders from the city can get training in the ‘Obert al Futur’ programme. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 10 03. Main results of 2015 Here are the main activities carried out by the City Council through Barcelona Activa in 2015 in each of its remit areas, in compliance with Barcelona City Council’s Strategic Framework 2012-2015, which in the latter part of the year entered into a period of transition with new policies as part of a new framework model for Barcelona, whose measures will be outlined in the next chapter. 03.1. EMPLOYMENT AND BUSINESS SERVICES Measures to promote employment and support for businesses have been structured in terms of services, programmes, activities and products. Services are stable over time, free and open to all citizens. Most are onsite, but there are also online services. Programmes, however, are complementary to permanent services, and unlike these, they have a fixed term and are designed to offer support to a specific audience, which can be a specific group or sector. Activities are temporary and carried out on a relatively short time frame; they can be of two kinds: first, training activities open to everyone and continuous, complementing services, and on the other hand, those generally carried out in public- private co-operation with a specific target group in mind. Barcelona Activa has attended to about 55,000 people in 2015 on various programmes and services offered to promote employment and professional training in the city, business support and entrepreneurship. The following information shows the most relevant aspects of the municipal agency’s performance in terms of employment and business services during 2015. Summary of Barcelona Activa’s Activities 2015 Total people attended to 54,648 Professional skills acquisition and employment People attended to 26,982 People attended to on programmes for groups at risk of exclusion 5,168 Students offered academic and careers guidance 16,077 Entrepreneurship People attended to 14,850 Projects mentored at start-up 2,813 Business projects set up (as of December 2015) 213 Business Companies attended to 5,966 Financing Service – amount raised 46.3M € Business Incorporation Service – companies set up 542 Training Total number of people on training activities 23,963 Number of training activities 6,497 Total people attended to 11,994 Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 11 PROFESSIONAL SKILLS ACQUISITION AND EMPLOYMENT In 2015 Barcelona Activa’s services and programmes for professional skills acquisition and employment have attended to 26,982 people, nearly 18% more than in 2014. The employment support model that has been in place since 2012 combines permanent, universal and quality services for guidance and job searches and professional improvement, using its own resources, programmes for specific groups, such as people at risk of exclusion and young people, funded by Barcelona Activa and other Administrations, including the Catalan Employment Service (SOC) or the European Union. This model uses a flexible catalogue of complementary services and programmes that are aimed at transforming unemployed people into attractive candidates for companies, increasing their employability and accompanying them as they move into work. This is a model that in recent years has gone from being mainly for groups to one that has a stronger individual focus so that local employment services have more detailed knowledge about the candidate, which is key to finding work for that person. Individual counselling, coaching or a personal login and space on the ‘Barcelona Treball’ website are examples of this individual attention that is used to offer increasingly specific responses to the needs of each user that comes to Barcelona Activa. In addition, in 2015 employment-focused measures were strengthened for those in vulnerable situations such as those at risk of exclusion, the long-term unemployed and young people. New moves in this area include work on an ambitious emergency plan for the long-term unemployed. This provides guidance activities, skills acquisition and professional training to improve employment opportunities. The programme, which started with an initial phase of analysis on the target population and professional opportunities in the market, is expected to be completed in 2016, having attended to 2,500 people. In the last quarter of 2015, new Municipal Employment Plans have been promoted as part of an immediate high-impact employment measure, giving priority attention to groups that have most difficulties to get back into work like those over 40 years old or the long-term unemployed with low levels of qualifications. This measure, which will mean contracts for 1,090 unemployed people in the city for 6 months on collective projects, has already facilitated the hiring of 210 unemployed people. These new plans will strengthen others developed throughout the year in co-operation with SOC, with 1,065 people in total being employed through this kind of policy. Likewise, to encourage the incorporation of the long-term unemployed and people at risk of exclusion into the labour market, new programmes have been developed like subsidies for new hires -programmes like ‘Barcelona es Compromet’ and ‘Barcelona Crea Ocupació’- that have led to grants for the hiring of more than 1,500 people since its launch. Likewise, it’s worth highlighting specific support programmes for people that are referred by social services, such as the social reinsertion programme (PISL), which throughout 2015 attended to 640 people, and the customised job search programme (PROPER) with 1,272 people attended to. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 12 At the same time, actions to develop employment among young people have been rolled out as part of the Emergency Plan against Youth Unemployment, and these were boosted by new Catalan Government SOC programmes, which are part of the framework of the EU Youth Guarantee initiative. Thus, job search services and personalised advice for young people were complemented by programmes carried out in co-operation with other authorities, such as the ‘Mobilitza’t Mobile’ programme funded by the European Union or others co-financed by SOC as part of the Youth Guarantee measure, including ‘Joves per l’Ocupació’, ‘Fem Ocupació per Joves’, ITC training, or guidance via ‘Xarxa d’Impulsors’, which is part of the Youth Guarantee measure, and a new multi-format action called ‘Garantia d’Èxit Barcelona’ which will start in 2016. These services and programmes for young jobseekers have attended to 3,628 young people, while the academic and professional advisory guidance service for students at schools has assisted 16,000 youngsters. Also, the programme of grants for permanent jobs called ‘Barcelona Crea Ocupació’ has brought about contracts for about 990 young people since its launch in 2013. Summary of the Professionl Skills Acquisition and Employment Directorate 2015 People attended to 26,982 People getting Personalised Advice 9,395 People getting Advice, Job Search and Professional Dev. 18,436 Students given academic and professional guidance 16,077 People attended to on collective Programmes at risk of exclusion 5,168 People attended to on other programmes (SOC, EU) 3,639 Contracts ‘Barcelona crea ocupació’ 1,151 Contracts ‘Barcelona es compromet’ 388 Perfil de les persones ateses Gender Female 52.3% Male 47.7% Age <25 13.6% 25-40 36.5% >40 years old 49.9% Work Unemployed 62.0% Situation In work 21.8% Others 16.2% Educational Primary 18.1% Level Secondary 43.0% University 38.9% Origin Foreigners 21.1% EU 22.3% Outside EU 77.7% Spain 78.9% Residence Barcelona 78.9% BCN Province 19.8% Catalonia 0.7% Others 0.6% Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 13 Services Personalised counselling Personalised guidance is a key to Barcelona Activa’s employment support service and this aspect has been steadily built up in 2015. This is individual counselling without a previous appointment and with a wide range of schedules available, and this allows the guidance team to make a careful profiling of the unemployed person in question to provide the most appropriate response to each individual so they can find the job they are looking for. Additionally, there is a service for young people. Thus, Barcelona Activa attended to 9,395 people in 2015 via this service. Guidance, job search and professional development (‘Barcelona Treball’) A wide range of short group training activities for people looking for work and/or professional development so they can get training in key techniques for career guidance and job searches, with complete and updated information on the resources offered at the city level to improve their employability and become more aware of employment opportunities and labour market trends, and develop their work skills. With the premise of strengthening personalised services for those with most difficulties to get into work, this service offers coaching to specific groups of people over 45, women and young people. This develops self-confidence, improves skills, and helps participants to learn how to ‘sell’ their experience as added value and it also helps them to find the most appropriate channels for finding work for these groups. These are the main aspects worked on in these group sessions (courses of 4 to 5 sessions), and 1,361 people have used this service. The talent marketplaces have also been given a boost in 2015. These are recruitment events for specific sectors and networking opportunities that offer direct contact between companies looking for talent and professionals looking for work. 27 marketplaces were organised in 2015, specialising in diverse sectors such as tourism, business services, trade, banking and finance, logistics and the field of smart cities, with the participation of 881 candidates and 59 companies. Running parallel to these general services, there has been a drive to offer distinctive guidance and job search services tailored to the specific needs of young people, with the youth employment service ‘Barcelona Treball Joves’. In total, 2,214 young people have participated in these information sessions at via the ‘Punts d’Informació Juvenil’ and ‘Espais Joves’ network and at Barcelona Activa’s facilities, where these services are offered. In total the job guidance and job search and career development services called ‘Barcelona Treball’ has attended to 18,436 people in job search and/or professional development processes. 55% of these participants were women, 41% between 30 and 44 years old, 27% between 45 and 54 years old and 9% over 55. As for education, 12% had primary education or no basic education, 41% had secondary education and 47% had a university education. 74% of participants were residents in the city, while the remaining 26% were citizens from outside Barcelona. With data from 2014, 52% of participants taking part in these services for career guidance and job searches found work within six months following their participation in the service. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 14 Guidance at education centres Trying to stop school dropouts and motivating young people to continue their formal studies to get a qualification are keys to helping the future professional development of young people in Barcelona. As such, in order to develop young people’s academic success and help them choose their future careers, Barcelona Activa is boosting its academic and professional guidance services at schools, using a methodology called Professional Life Project in co-operation with Barcelona’s Education Consortium, Fundació BCN Vocational Training and ‘FemCat’. The service encourages reflection on the professional future of every youngster, analysing their interests and motivations, as well as their chances in the labour market. They get to know the business world better, while promoting an entrepreneurial culture and work values. The project includes special sessions on job searches, careers, work values and entrepreneurship. The ‘Escola i Empresa’ talks feature business people explaining the importance of businesses in society; the ‘Emprendre amb Valors’ conferences highlight the application of work values and entrepreneurial spirit as keys to the success of professionals; and there have also been visits to companies to see first-hand a working environment and get to know real professional people. Moreover, the project has also become a support tool for schools’ guidance planning, offering advice to teaching faculty so they can develop and/or adapt sessions independently at each centre and take advantage of resources offered on the ‘Barcelona Treball’ website. This group of professional and career guidance sessions for education centres saw the participation of 15,858 secondary and post-compulsory education students. As well, career guidance activities have been organised for 359 students. ‘Barcelona Treball’ Website ‘Barcelona Treball’ is Barcelona City Council’s benchmark website for all those people looking for work, wanting to change jobs, or just wanting to stay informed about the latest trends in the job market. This powerful tool got more than 1.47 million visits in 2015 and it offers a variety of interactive content to work on one’s professional project independently, and it is also a permanent observatory on the labour market with ongoing guidance and updated services on current market demand, thanks to co-operation between a wide range of network partners and key institutions related to the labour market, business and education, such as universities, professional associations of architects, engineers, environmental scientists, surveyors, nurses, Barcelona’s Education Consortium, Pimec, foundations and companies specialised in job placement like Infoempleo, Infofeina, Infojobs and Manpower, among others. The main contents of the 'Barcelona Treball' website include a catalogue with nearly 1,000 jobs described in detail and related to the main economic sectors in Barcelona; reports on employment trends to know about labour markets in different sectors; and interactive multimedia applications to identify career interests and practise job interviews. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 15 'Barcelona es Compromet' 'Barcelona es Compromet' was launched in late 2014. It is a programme that provides financial subsidies to help create stable jobs at companies and organisations in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. Thanks to this incentive measure, 317 companies and Third Sector organisations hired 388 people, namely people that were unemployed and faced difficulty getting into the labour market (long-term unemployed people, over 40 years old and/or people at risk of exclusion). Companies received a fixed grant for the first six months of employment, and an additional incentive is given if the job is maintained beyond this time. 83.5% of workers finding jobs as a result of this measure are people over 40 years old and in situations of long-term unemployment. 61% have a basic level of education and 58% are women. Regarding the type of contract generated, 52% of contracts are permanent and 70% full-time. 'Barcelona Crea Ocupació' Launched in 2013, 'Barcelona Crea Ocupació' is an aid programme to help create permanent jobs for young people under 30 and the long-term unemployed by way of a grant of 3,000 euros. Once the application process finalised in December 2015, the number far exceeded the 1,100 grants of 3,000 euros made available to small and medium-sized enterprises in Barcelona with the aim of helping people to get into work with permanent contracts and full-time employment for the targeted groups mentioned. In terms of applications submitted, young people represent 86% of all grants approved. More than half of the beneficiary companies have a workforce of less than 10 workers. Since its launch, 1,151 new contracts have been created for young unemployed people and the long-term unemployed at 608 different companies. Programmes Emergency action plan for the long-term unemployed This ambitious plan is aimed at people that have been on the dole for more than 2 years, with the objective being to improve their competitiveness in the labour market with careers advice, professional skills acquisition and vocational training. The plan is divided into three phases: the first is an analysis of the profile of the target group and the labour market in order to understand the trends and sectors where participants are likely to find work; the second phase involves the recruitment of users, the development of professional skills acquisition, complemented with a personalised follow-up by a coach. Finally, the last phase of the plan consists of a of an employment phase through the permanent services at Barcelona Activa-Barcelona City Council (worker search service, employment subsidies, support mechanisms for self-employment, social clauses, amongst others). Based on the conclusions taken from the first phase of the plan, the different training typologies and content will depend on the characteristics, needs and gaps that the candidates have, so the type of training is decided once the participants are chosen. The plan, which was devised in 2014, has so far progressed through the analysis and selection of participants phase during 2015, while the period of training and job placement will take place in 2016. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 16 Social insertion programme (PISL) This programme was carried out in conjunction with the Council's Department of Social Rights and it is aimed at people referred by Municipal Social Services who are unemployed and at risk of social exclusion. They are job seekers that need a training plan to get back into work that is highly customised with a high degree of personal attention. Besides intensive career and support guidance throughout the personalised programme, there are also measures to improve skills and vocational skills adapted to the user. During 2015, 640 people have taken part in sessions at five programme service points distributed across the city, so as to offer this service to people that most need it. It is estimated that in a period of 6 months, 30% of participants found work. Custom Job Search Programme (PROPER) Also developed in collaboration with the Department of Social Rights, this programme aims to help those people with restricted autonomy to improve their employability and personal independence through job search guidance. Group training combined with individual participant tracking has allowed 1,272 people to attend the Social Reinsertion Programme at five service points. Six months after completion of the programme, the insertion rate of participants is 35%. Training in Priority Areas This vocational training programme aimed at unemployed people is co-financed by the Catalan Government’s SOC Employment Service in 2015 and it included 15 courses attended by 97 participants that have been trained in high employment potential sectors like healthcare services and logistics. 'Dóna Impuls' This vocational inclusion labour programme for women from the sub-Sahara area, who had been working in the area of prostitution, was promoted by the so-called ABITS agency (Agency for a Comprehensive Approach to Sex Work) with the collaboration of Barcelona Activa. Thanks to a personalised labour insertion programme, 40 women have been helped with job searches, given training in transversal and professional skills for working mainly in kitchens and catering, employment support and a total of 40 hours as part of a company internship. 'Treball als Barris' This programme was part of the so-called 'Llei de Barris' or Neighbourhood Act, which provides special measures for 12 neighbourhoods in Barcelona: Santa Caterina and Sant Pere, Roquetes, Poble-Sec, Torre-Baró-Ciutat Meridiana, Trinitat Vella, La Bordeta, El Coll, Besòs-Maresme, Barceloneta, Bon Pastor-Baró de Viver, Raval Sud, La Vinya, Can Clos and Plus Ultra. Throughout 2015, these neighbourhoods benefited from a series of vocational action programmes offering career guidance, training and employment, with the aim of boosting local commerce to develop these areas economically and socially. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 17 During 2015, 2,468 people have been attended to as part of employment activities carried out in the aforesaid 12 neighbourhoods, including guidance and labour insertion advisory support that assisted 2,255 people. This year a new service was included allowing people to get formal qualifications with training for 326 people to get their forklift truck licenses (according to UNE norms) and food handling qualifications. It also held five so-called 'Cases d’Oficis' –with three starting last December alone- which are practical courses to train 106 young people for jobs in the environmental sector, entertainment, and -for the first time ever- in the digital sector. Experiential work programmes were organised for jobs in the maintenance of natural areas, urban and public facilities, with 146 people benefiting from these, having completed training prior to and during the programme. All the activities that are part of this programme have provided an insertion rate of 38% for participants six months after completing the programme. 'Joves per l’Ocupació' This comprehensive programme including training and placement is funded by the Catalan Government's SOC Employment Service for young, unemployed people between the ages of 16 and 25 and with low qualifications. The aim of the programme is to improve the employability of young people and provide them with the necessary tools to help them find employment at the same time as helping them find a way back into education. The programme includes individualised tutoring activities, activities to learn transversal skills, professional training, and support training to get their secondary (ESO) education college diploma, and grants for companies hiring young people for a minimum of six months. The first edition of the programme ended last December 2015 and the result was the hiring of 74 young people. Overall though, this edition provided 90 unemployed youngsters with career guidance of which 87 trained in occupations like telecommunications installers, assistants in restaurants and bars, room service and shop assistants. 'Fem Ocupació per Joves' Completed in the first quarter of 2015, this innovative programme is funded by the SOC employment service and aims to promote the employment of young people between 18 and 30 years old, primarily with work experience and a high school or ESO diploma or those from mid-range qualification training courses that want to change the direction of their careers to other sectors to meet the staffing needs of companies. Once company staffing needs are identified, candidates are put forward that have been trained in this job with subsidies for hiring companies. This innovative programme, which starts with the identification of companies with vacancies, has helped get 67 youngsters into work. 19 different learning routes have been created for the 14 companies taking part. Training has been related to the hospitality industry and commerce sector, amongst other. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 18 'Mobilitza't Mobile' This initiative was co-financed by the European Union as part of the PROGRESS Programme, whose objective is to promote employment or a return to education for young people aged 18 to 24 holding a high school ESO diploma or similar in the mobile sector, taking advantage of present and future job creation opportunities that might come from currently having the World Mobile Capital in Barcelona, by providing professional training and experimenting with innovative learning methodologies not related to traditional formats. 'Mobilitza’t Mobile' is based on the MOB LAB concept, incorporating innovative and practical education to teach programming and mobile application design or to help develop the marketing of mobile devices (MOB ACADEMY), social activities to promote the mobile culture (MOB COMMUNITY), continuous new information about trends and opportunities for professionals in Barcelona’s mobile sector (MOB JOB SEARCH and MOB JOB MARKET), and the figure of a mentor from a mobile company, among other activities. The 'Mobilitza’t Mobile' programme began in April 2014 and ended in July 2015. Throughout 2015, 151 young people have participated on the programme. 'Actualitza’t' This programme is aimed at people who want to update their professional skills to get their careers on track in those sectors with most employment opportunities and to improve their knowledge in a particular field. 566 people have been trained on this programme in 57 separate courses lasting 20 to 120 hours in the areas of design, ICT, commerce and international marketing, electro-mobility/electric vehicles. New courses were offered in 2015 on LED lighting, logistics and commercial distribution and in the mobile sector. 'Plans d’Ocupació' Throughout 2015, 919 people that had been unemployed for a period of six months were placed in different jobs that were collective interest-related work and services in order to get experience providing knowledge and professional skills that could help their position in the labour market. At the end of the year, Barcelona City Council launched a new 'Plans d’Ocupació Municipals' (Employment Plans) as an emergency response to the social needs that many unemployed people in the city are facing. This will allow the hiring of more than a thousand people that have been unemployed for 6 months or more between 2015 and 2016. Thanks to municipal resources, new municipal employment plans have given priority to those groups that have most difficulty getting back into work –over 40s, the long-term unemployed with poor qualifications, those under 30 or people with disabilities- so that they can benefit from skills acquisition or practice their skills in a ‘protected’ work environment and develop job skills necessary to get back into the job market. In 2015 municipal resources were used to employ 210 unemployed people who carried out tasks like offering English language support services at school, projects to improve students’ academic success rates, and support for social rights by improving knowledge about the living conditions of the inhabitants of Barcelona. The project is set to include experiential actions complemented with different kinds of on-the-job training and support with job searches. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 19 At the same time, there have been several Employment Plan projects financed by SOC aimed at those on minimum wages, unemployed and not receiving unemployment benefit and residents in neighbourhoods that need special attention as part of the 'Treball als Barris' programme. 855 people have been hired on these programmes during 2015, and these people have worked in fields related to the environment and urban sustainability, maintenance of facilities and public spaces, promoting economic activity, tourism and commerce, services for the community and ICTs, in collaboration with other municipal agencies and areas. Programme with Social Clauses for Responsible Hiring To promote and contribute to the employment of people with special difficulties getting into work, the City Council of Barcelona published a mayoral decree in December 2013 which promotes responsible hiring practices by City Hall-adjudicated companies. This establishes conditions whereby at least 5% of the new hires should be reserved for people at risk of exclusion or those with particular difficulties getting back into work. The decree also specifies that Barcelona Activa is responsible for finding those workers at risk of exclusion to cover these places when companies require them. As such, in 2015 City Council – adjudicated companies have hired 61 people at risk of exclusion through the Barcelona Activa Programme of Social Clauses. Promotional action to develop contacts in the employment ecosystem In 2015, Barcelona Activa’s professional skills acquisition and employment services have continued working closely with the ecosystem of social organisations and the Third Sector that work with vulnerable groups. Meanwhile, in 2015 there has been a continuation of the Business-Work Commission that has helped align municipal employment policies and demand for workers. On the one hand, group activities have been developed to support job searches for Third Sector organisations, tailored in order to fit the needs of recipients. More than 25 entities have taken part and 540 people participated. The main aim was to promote the social and employment integration of people at risk of exclusion. These actions were carried out across the city as part of the 'Treball als Barris' framework, and there have also been collaborations with other commissions and labour integration networks in the city. Suffice to say that the project has the support and collaboration of fifty social organizations, Third Sector organisations and municipal services. As part of the overall policy of bringing unemployed people into contact with job opportunities, there has been an increase in meetings organised between companies and professionals, facilitating direct contact and contracts. Recruitment events and networking events organised per sector have been held as part of a framework related to trade fairs like B-Travel, Construmat, Saló de la Logística Internacional, Smart City Expo World Congress, Barcelona Biz and the Sónar festival. Besides these activities held at Fira de Barcelona, there have also been other recruitment events organised by Barcelona Activa which saw the participation of companies like Decathlon, Fnac and Gestmusic - as well as SMEs and start-ups from Barcelona. Barcelona Activa has also helped private initiatives like JOBarcelona, which is the main event in Barcelona putting companies looking for workers and young people in contact with each other. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 20 Moreover, in 2015 Barcelona Activa started a collaboration project with the municipal company B:SM and this resulted in 91 unemployed people getting a job. Thanks to this initiative, these two municipal companies have worked together on selection processes, training and recruitment for people in the process of job searches to work in places like Tibidabo attraction park, the Zoo, Park Güell and also as civic agents. In the case of Tibidabo, for the first time priority was given to recruiting unemployed people over 45 years old. Meanwhile, Barcelona Activa has participated as a member in the monitoring and evaluation of various municipal plans, for example, on Barcelona’s inclusion plan and immigration work plan both for the period 2012-2015, and also its Local Strategic Plan for Gypsy People and a Municipal Plan for Lesbians, Homosexuals, Bisexuals and Transsexuals 2010-2015, and the Municipal Equality Plan 2012-2015, and the Commission against the Feminisation of Poverty, or the 2015 Youth and Barcelona Guidance Plan. Lastly, it is worth noting that Barcelona Activa has renewed its agreement with the Government of Catalonia's SOC service for the implementation of Municipal Employment Plans, which is the starting point for the establishment of a deeper and more permanent understanding in the design of employment policies adapted to Barcelona’s situation. ENTREPRENEURSHIP The process of turning a business idea into a company has a higher success rate if the entrepreneur has all the knowledge needed and when it is carried out with the support of a team of experts. Barcelona Activa has been accompanying people as they create firms for 29 years, using a model framed around the entrepreneur. This model has a proven track record, and while it has evolved over time, it has shown its quality and ability to adapt to meet market needs. Last year saw the highest number of people attending intensive entrepreneurship support programmes, either in specific strategic sectors or in traditional sectors or those aimed at specific groups. In total, 860 people took part in these programmes, with an important 32% increase in the number of women participating at the School of Women Entrepreneurs compared to the previous year. The catalogue of entrepreneurship programmes also increased in 2015 with two new additions: one focused on the tourism sector and the other on social entrepreneurship. 2015 was also a year of consolidation for new models of incubation at Barcelona Activa. The two new incubators, which focus on two strategic sectors with high-growth potential -the mobile sector and space technologies area-, are managed in collaboration with specialised partners, along with Barcelona Activa’s expert team in order to guarantee quality support for the business consolidation of incubated companies. Overall, Barcelona Activa’s services and programmes aimed at supporting entrepreneurship have attended to 14,850 people during their journey towards creating a company and from these, 2,813 new business projects have emerged. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 21 Summary of the activity of the Directorate Entrepreneurship in 2015 People attended to 14,850 Projects accompanied 2,813 People attending Information Sessions 9,811 People on business creation training courses 4,852 People on Tailored programmes 860 Companies located in the Glòries Incubator (as of December 2015) 62 Companies and projects pre-incubated at ABF (as of December 2015) 42 mStartupBarcelona companies and projects (as of December 2015) 33 Services Entrepreneurship promotion and orientation Weekly information sessions have been organised throughout the year on how to set up a company, where the session explains the basics to keep in mind when launching a business initiative in Barcelona as well as explaining the services and support programmes for entrepreneurship that Barcelona Activa offers people who want to carry out their business idea. The briefings are held at the Glòries Resource Centre for Entrepreneurship ('Centre de Recursos per Emprendre') and these are also available in English for foreign entrepreneurs who want to start a business in Barcelona, and they can be done by attending classes or online for those foreigners who reside elsewhere. In total, 9,811 entrepreneurs have attended one of the 226 information sessions scheduled throughout 2015. Advice and support services for entrepreneurship Entrepreneurs can find a team of technicians and technical experts at the Resource Centre for Entrepreneurship to help support them as they create their companies. Entrepreneurs do not need an appointment, and they can get advice on the business creation process, support and guidance on the preparation of a business plan, information about financing and firm feasibility studies. During 2015, 2,813 new business projects were accompanied and these were from the sectors that are most representative of the city’s economy, with 21.5% of all projects in the commerce sector, 20.4% in the culture, tourism and leisure sectors, and 12% in both the services for people sector and the creative production sector, and business services accounted for 9.4% of all projects. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 22 Accompanied projects by sector in 2015 Profile of the project promotors of accompained %/total projects Commerce Gender Female 53.9% 21.5% Male 46.1% Culture, tourism and leisure 20.4% Age <25 3.3% Creative production 12.4% 25-40 55.3% Services for people 12.2% >40 years old 41.4% Business Services 9.4% Work On the dole 39.7% ICT 7.1% Situation Active 51.1% Industry/Manufacturing 6.7% Others 9.2% Health and social work 4.0% Educational Primary 2.8% Level Secondary 28.6% Construction 3.1% University 68.6% Environmental services 1.5% Origin Foreigners 23.8% Life sciences 0.9% European Union 52.0% Transport and logistics 0.9% Outside EU 48.0% Spain 76.2% Residence Barcelona 71.7% Province BCN 25.5% Catalonia 1.4% Others 1.4% Training activities to set up a business There is a range of short training courses designed to give entrepreneurs the knowledge and skills they need to deal with the process of starting a business in a satisfactory way while ensuring the best chances of success. Workshops and seminars deal with issues that are essential to the implementation of a business idea, such as legal structures, taxation, licensing procedures and how to do market research, finance, sales and marketing techniques, finding financing, writing a business plan to show the feasibility of the business, and other entrepreneurial skills, as well as specific workshops for freelancers. 4,852 people with business ideas have participated in 1,088 seminars carried out throughout 2015. During 2015, the gateway to all the entrepreneurship services –the information session- has been updated and adapted to the maturity levels of the participants in terms of their business idea and their entrepreneurship skills. The intention is to encourage the proper use of resources and save time for the user, and it also aims to provide a more accurate reading of the status of the business project. That is why two types of sessions have been scheduled for the welcome and presentation of services and these will be available as from January 2016. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 23 Online services The services and support programmes for entrepreneurship offered by Barcelona Activa are completed by a set of tools and resources related to the process of creating a company and which can be found at www.bcn.cat/emprenedoria. This set of resources allows the entrepreneur to analyse, summarise and evaluate their business idea independently. Some of the resources available to entrepreneurs in 2015 include the Test idea, which is designed to evaluate a business idea, and the 'Pla d’Empresa On Line', which helps with the drafting of a business project, as well as 'Les Claus per Empendre' to work on entrepreneurship skills, and the 'Ubica't' service, the first geo-database to analyse markets, the economy and demographics of Barcelona. In addition, during 2015 the portal has brought together a number of reports and dossiers on the current business situation related to the creation of companies. Likewise, one can also find the Barcelona Startup Map, an online tool that identifies and geo-localises resources and stakeholders that make up the entrepreneurship community of Barcelona, with start-ups, investors, accelerators, incubators and professional talent. The objective is make start-ups more visible, and connect them with other stakeholders in the ecosystem and promote the city as a competitive environment to attract investment and talent. Programmes Entrepreneurship programmes across sectors In 2015 new editions of comprehensive programmes to support business creation have been developed in strategically important economic sectors for the city. Specifically, these have been in the areas of creative industries, biotechnology and health sciences, clean energy and environmental sciences and e- commerce, and always in close collaboration with specialised partners. In addition to emerging industries, there are many sectors that are still deeply rooted in the economy of the city such as commerce, the crafts, tourism and the construction sector. To support these economic activities, Barcelona Activa also offers comprehensive programmes to help create companies in these sectors, working with leading public and private sector partners in every sector. A new feature in 2015 was the first edition of the Social Entrepreneurship programme. This offers support for the creation of companies with a positive social impact, and it was attended by 17 people. wIn the fourth quarter, Barcelona Activa launched the first edition of a programme to support the creation of companies in the tourism sector – ‘FuTurisme’-, and 18 entrepreneurs set up projects linked to the tourism sector in different areas: accommodation, tourist activities (sports, culture or health), restaurants and catering, commerce, conferences and events, ICTs and sustainability, among others. During 2015, 235 entrepreneurs have participated in programmes designed to support the creation of businesses in different sectors. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 24 Entrepreneurship programmes for groups New editions have been launched of comprehensive programmes designed for the specific needs of different groups like young people, those older than 45 or women entrepreneurs, including training programmes, networking and mentoring actions tailored to increase the chances that these entrepreneurs can create their companies. 642 entrepreneurs have participated in business creation programmes specifically designed for these groups. As mentioned above, it’s worth noting that there was a rise in the number of participants of 32% compared to 2014 at the School of Women Entrepreneurs. This programme is offered by Barcelona Activa to all those women who want to create a company and Barcelona Activa has extensive experience in supporting female entrepreneurship. Rising Stars Programme Promoted in collaboration with Pedralbes Center, a mall, this programme provides entrepreneurial artisans in the city a space in a shopping centre where they can present their creations and promote their businesses, helping to boost the crafts sector in the city. It basically follows the ‘ephemeral shops’ or ‘pop ups' model and in 2015, 12 companies and arts and crafts professionals were selected to have a space to exhibit and sell their goods for a month in a privileged location with favourable conditions. Incubation Following are details on the incubation spaces for new companies and projects that are managed by Barcelona Activa in 2015. Here we can find expert services to promote the creation and growth of innovative companies in the city. These spaces, along with Barcelona Nord Technology Park, had 202 companies and 11 projects installed as of December 2015. Glories incubator This space is dedicated to the business incubation of highly innovative new businesses. Besides being a facility equipped to meet the needs of companies that have set up here, it also has administrative and logistics services that offer a quality service and expert advice for its resident businesses. In addition, business owners can make the most of the services and programmes that form part of the Entrepreneurship and Business services organised by Barcelona Activa and others like networking events, mentoring or those related to funding. At the end of 2015, there were 62 companies installed in the Glòries facility, with nearly 100% occupancy of available space for companies. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 25 Almogàvers Business Factory and co-working space This incubator has a shared management structure between public and private entities which adds innovation to the incubation of new businesses in this environment. This is a new concept of business incubation focused on supporting entrepreneurship by finding complicity well beyond the strict framework of the facility. At the end of 2015 the Almogàvers Business Factory had 38 companies and four business projects related to nine collaborating institutions -UPF, EGI Group, Incubio Fundació Inlea, Bihoop Ventures, Dinamon, Cowocat, Accel&Grow (Ecomgrow) and The Business Nest (Cozentic) –who are responsible for offering technical support to companies that decide to incubate there, taking full advantage of the infrastructure and logistics of the facility and also the possibility that the companies incubated by them can enjoy programmes about strategy, management, international business and financing that are carried out at Barcelona Activa. Apart from the modules that Almogàvers Business Factory has for incubation, it also has a co-working space equipped with all the necessary equipment needed by freelancers and micro companies up to 3 years old. Because of the characteristics of these sorts of businesses, they can develop their activity in an independent but shared workspace, which facilitates relationships with other companies or professionals. In total, the co-working space has hosted 15 companies during 2015, which have occupied all the available 17 work stations. These companies also have the possibility of using a range of services and programmes offered by Barcelona Activa and a series of infrastructure services and added value services that help companies’ growth potential. mStartupBarcelona Promoted by Barcelona Activa and the Mobile World Capital Foundation, the mStartupBarcelona initiative was designed to be an accelerator hub for start-ups in the mobile sector. As part of the initiatives promoted by the Council under the Mobile World Capital, a position the city will hold up to 2023, mstartupBarcelona is designed as an ideal environment for local and international company accelerators to set up business projects related to the sector mobile, helping to strengthen the mobile ecosystem in Barcelona by attracting business and talent to the city and making Barcelona a benchmark in the sector. This space was opened in November 2014 and has four acceleration programmes: Startupbootcamp, GameBCN, IMPACT and Connector. In December there were 33 start-ups already set up here. ESA BIC Barcelona ESA BIC is the first incubator in Spain for newly created businesses that use space technologies to develop their products or services. It is the first Business Incubation Centre (BIC) that the European Space Agency has opened in Spain and it now joins a network of European incubators working in the area of space technologies. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 26 Those companies that have set up in the incubator benefit from expert advice and support from Barcelona Activa while the company is being created and consolidated. They also benefit from the technical and scientific knowledge of the European Agency and the UPC. This metropolitan area incubator is located in the UPC’s RDIT building, in the Mediterranean Technology Park in Castelldefels. It is an agreement between Barcelona Activa, the UPC, Barcelona’s Metropolitan Area, the Provincial Government of Barcelona and ‘Consell Comarcal’ (local authorities) of Baix Llobregat and Caixa Capital Risc. ESA BIC has made Barcelona and its metropolitan area a reference point in Europe in the development of space technologies and their applications to other economic sectors. Opened in November 2014, as of December 2015 there were 15 companies working out of this building. Actions to promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem In recent years, the city has built up an ecosystem of benchmark business schools and top-tier universities, business associations, public institutions and organisations that promote entrepreneurship and economic growth, financial institutions and networks of private investors. In order to promote this entrepreneurial ecosystem in Barcelona and make it more visible, Barcelona Activa has carried out the important task of promoting the entrepreneurship activities that take place in the city and, in some cases, it has participated in the organisation of major events carried out by this ecosystem in the city. This ranges from major events like the celebration of BizBarcelona in July, with more than 12,000 visitors, where Barcelona Activa was a partnering developer in the project and it participated with a stand. It also organised the 'Assessora’t' space, a finance market and conferences and workshops. It also participated in the 2nd edition of 4YFN, a conference for entrepreneurs and start-ups in the mobile sector as part of the Mobile World Congress, where the objective of the agency was to showcase Barcelona’s start-ups, and also giving support to the entrepreneurship-side of festivals like Sónar I+D. At the same time, it has also supported initiatives that have come from actual entrepreneurs themselves and stakeholders in the ecosystem that want to develop the entrepreneurship community of the city, including a new edition of FEST-Up. Activities have also been developed in other areas of the city that support entrepreneurs, and there have been collaborations with other City Council projects such as the Eixample district, where they helped support activities to develop cultural and creative sector entrepreneurism in the framework of Zona 11. It has also continued to support all those entrepreneurship events that are designed to put Barcelona on the map by showcasing its entrepreneurial and innovative events such as Startup Grind, StartupWeek, StartupWeekend, CEO Talks, among others. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 27 BUSINESS 2015 was the first full calendar year for the Business Support Office, and as such the Directorate of Business Services has provided its services, programmes, training activities and business cooperation in this new space with complementary activities carried out at the Technology Park in Nou Barris and with proactive business visits. Barcelona Activa has attended to a total of 5,966 different companies, of which 3,428 were given individualised services and 2,936 were attended to in group training activities, programmes and activities for business cooperation. Summary of the Business Directorate's activities in 2015 Businesses attended to 5,966 Incorporation of Companies 542 companies incorporated 46,3M euros raised for 177 companies Financing service and projects 2,064 vacancies managed, 768 placements, 1,151 contracts via 'BCN Talent Recruitment Search Crea Ocupació' and 388 via 'BCN es compromet' Transmission of 25 companies, 40 jobs, Business Transmission Services 1.5 million € of induced investment Internationalisation Services 160 companies 13 companies landing, Business Landing Service >100 jobs Business Location Service 90 companies and projects Business Advisory Service 229 companies Information and Municipal Permits and 582 companies and 3,157projects Procedures Strategic Programmes and Competitive 393 companies Improvement Programmes Business Training 2,364 companies Companies set up in the Barcelona Nord Tech. 52 companies Park (as of December 2015) Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 28 Sectors of companies attended to Commerce 27.7% Services for companies 12.7% ICT 11.4% Culture, tourism and leisure 11.3% Creative production 6.0% Industry/Manufacturing 6.0% Construction 5.8% Services for people 5.4% Health and social care 2.6% Life sciences 2.1% Transport, logistics and distribution 1.4% Environmental sciences 1.1% Others 6.2% Services Company Incorporation Service This is an easy-to-use information, advisory and telematics service for the company incorporation of limited companies (SLs) and also for businesses and freelancers to get trading permits. Telematics processing helps incorporate companies as a SL or Ltd company easily and within 4 to 10 days, and immediately if it is for a freelance worker. This method also brings about significant reductions in terms of costs and legal procedures. This service is complemented with expert advice on the most appropriate legal forms in each case, depending on the business model and business plan and advice on the sort of documentation needed to constitute a business and how to get these. Thanks to this service, 542 new companies set up in the city in 2015, with 270 SLs (Ltd) and 272 freelancers, which created more than 600 new Social Security members and investments of more than 1.2 million in capital in the case of the SLs. Business financing service An expert team works closely with companies to diagnose and define financing needs, and they offer advice on the best options in terms of existing financial products, both public and private, from banks and otherwise. Likewise, this expert team also offers support throughout the process of obtaining and processing resources. In a complementary way, Barcelona Activa provides training and preparation for investment, and they organise investment forums for different sectors, promoting networking activities and providing advice and individualised matching. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 29 In 2015 the corporate finance service has attended to 538 companies and business projects, 177 of which have already raised € 46,299,102.15 (49% of these through bank financing, 33% from public financing like ENISA, 13% in private investment operations, 4% in micro-credits and 1% in alternative financing transactions. Still pending approval are 167 transactions with a total value of 34 million euros. At the same time, an investment preparation programme called Ready4Growth has enabled 23 companies in the health sector to prepare themselves to start an investment processes and 4 investment forums in healthcare, construction and cleantech sectors. These investment forums, which saw the participation of 23 companies, have been promoted by Barcelona Activa along with other leading entities in the sector and private sector financiers, like Biocat, the College of Physicians of Barcelona, the College of Architects of Catalonia, Repsol Foundation, KIC InnoEnergy, ESADE, ESADE BAN, IESE, among others. Talent search service This is aimed at companies in the area that need to incorporate new workers into their teams and provide support in the identification of vacancies, the recruitment and preselection of candidates who fit required professional profiles. Staffing needs are covered both by labour contracts and through internship agreements or agreements in the FP Dual framework. The ‘Plataforma Empresa-Ocupació’ database has 17,000 candidates that have passed through Barcelona Activa’s services and this can help staff recruitment for companies looking to cover positions. Thus job seekers get a personalised advisory service so they can improve their professional profile and makes contacts with companies. This service also offers access for businesses to grants to encourage recruitment, including those promoted through local resources like the 'Barcelona Crea Ocupació' and 'Barcelona es compromet' programme to develop stable employment. These promote the hiring of people over the age of 40 and the long-term unemployed and people that have special difficulties getting into work. Businesses can also get grants available through comprehensive programmes for training via the SOC service and specific programmes to incorporate talent into companies. In 2015, 2,604 vacancies were managed with the incorporation of more than 760 people into the labour market (550 with a labour contract and 218 via internships). Also, 167 vacancies were identified for students on Vocational Training courses so they could complete their development and professional skills, carrying out their apprenticeships in a real company environment. Since the 'Barcelona Crea Ocupació' programme began in 2013, 1,151 grants have been approved to provide permanent contracts for young people and the long-term unemployed incorporated on permanent contracts at more than 600 companies. In terms of the 'Barcelona es compromet' subsidy programme, 254 grants were approved for people over 40 years old and long-term unemployed and 134 grants for people with special difficulties getting into work. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 30 Business Transmission Service This service aims to promote the transfer of businesses to maintain and develop economic activities and prevent the closure of viable businesses and subsequent job losses. As such, it is aimed at entrepreneurs who want to hand over their business to new entrepreneurs that want to take over and keep the business going. It also offers personalised advice to entrepreneurs at different stages in the assignation process: making a viability diagnosis, preparation of the transfer plan, negotiation and closure of the process. These 're-entrepreneurs' also get expert support to identify business opportunities and receive guidance on the different phases of the transfer plan. 69 companies and 59 're-entrepreneurs' were attended to in 2015 and 25 transfer operations were successfully carried out saving or generating more than 40 jobs and an induced investment of nearly 1.5 € million. Internationalisation service and foreign trade procedures This service is carried out in co-operation with Barcelona’s Chamber of Commerce and it is designed for companies that are in an internationalisation process. At the beginning they offer personalised advice to analyse the best strategy to enter new markets, resolving queries relating to foreign trade and guidance on international business. During 2015, 160 companies have used this service. This service allows exporters to carry out some of the procedures required to sell abroad: certificates showing EU origin, certifying the origin of products exported, and the legalisation of commercial documents that are necessary for some transactions with international markets. Business location and landing Service Choosing a good location for a business is a key to success. Barcelona Activa’s business services include a search service for appropriate spaces –in facilities at Barcelona Activa’s own Glòries Incubator, Almogàvers Business Factory and Barcelona Nord Technology Park, and at other unique locations (industrial buildings, large offices and buildings). 90 companies and projects have been given support in locating their businesses to the city, 16 of which have closed operations in the same year occupying 6,965m2, providing a total of 104 new jobs and more than € 2,226,000 of planned investment. Companies landing in Barcelona and international entrepreneurs living abroad can get personalised advice on key issues such as legal requirements to set up in the city, incorporation procedures, and searches for talent and locating spaces. The agency also facilitates contact with other stakeholders in the city. Thanks to this service, 55 companies and 18 international entrepreneurs were advised and accompanied in 2015 on their business landing processes in Barcelona. 13 of these companies have already landed in the city generating more than 100 jobs during 2015 with an induced investment of 1,765,000 Euro. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 31 Business Advisory Service This service is aimed at SMEs and freelancers who need support to define their improvement plans to gain competitiveness and grow their businesses. In 2015 this service assisted 229 different companies with a team of experts made up by professionals at Barcelona Activa in collaboration with senior manager-volunteers from the VAE and Secot organisations. It also offers a range of programmes aimed at improving business competitiveness to suit the needs of companies, such as growth acceleration processes, how to bolster sales, mentoring, among others. These programmes are described in the section called 'Programmes'. Municipal Information and Procedures Service Companies and entrepreneurs in the city can get information and advice for managing municipal permits and procedures required to develop an economic activity in the city, such as usage plans, technical consultations, processing official notices and communications, queries on processes and information on licenses, among others. In 2015, 582 companies and 3,157 people were attended to. 281 activity commencement statements have been processed (Annex II.2 and III.3) and there were 242 registrations related to business activities. 'Espai Barcelona' This innovative space is specifically designed to showcase Barcelona in economic terms in order to highlight its main assets and make it a favourable environment for businesses, attracting investment and talent. Thanks to a series of audio-visual resources, companies have access to financial data and information relating to the city’s strategic sectors. Besides this, one can organise presentations and hold meetings and corporate meetings. Programms 'Axelera' Business acceleration programmes based on support to define action plans for 30 small businesses in a variety of sectors in the metropolitan area. The programme is organised in co-operation with PwC and it focuses on companies with a turnover of approximately 2 million Euros and between 20-50 employees. The 2015 edition started with 30 industrial companies, 70% of which are from this sector. The programme ends in 2016. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 32 Learning to Grow This programme is aimed at entrepreneurs and/or managers of companies that are looking to grow their businesses in co-operation with IESE. The programme is based on case studies, specific training and a space to promote work and a reflection that develops learning through the experience of other employers. It is divided into three training modules: strategy and stages of growth; management and business management; and access to different sources of funding. During 2015 there have been two editions: one for industrial companies and another for women entrepreneurs, which have featured 57 participating companies. Sales Organised by Barcelona Activa in co-operation with Dale Carnegie Training, this sales programme is based on seminars to improve the skills and commercial abilities of enterprises, accompanying them and advising them on management and sales management processes via two methods: the sales process and the development of sales arguments, with the aim of increasing the sales of a business. The 2015 edition was held in the Sales team building with 14 participating companies, with the objective being to provide advice about the management and approaches to sales management of the participating companies and how to boost sales team performance. Barcelona Mentoring Programme This is a support and advisory programme for small and medium-sized firms thanks to the voluntary contributions of recognised executives that offer advice and their know-how to participating companies. As such, 28 companies have been able to get a critical view of their business strategies, with guidance on decision-making and helping them to identify and visualise the strong points of their projects. This programme uses a mentoring methodology transferred from MIT and adapted to the Barcelona area. These 28 companies taking part in the 2nd edition are planning to increase their workforces by 134 jobs and turnover by 12%. Generational handover programme This programme is developed in co-operation with PIMEC and aims to work on family successions thanks to expert and individualised consultancy. The latest edition during 2015 allowed 20 small businesses located in the metropolitan area to get professional planning to help the process of family succession. The companies in this programme are small family firms and mainly from the industrial sector. The programme aims to prevent a lack of planning which traditionally takes place in this handover process with these sorts of companies. This can interfere with business strategies and also in the firm’s management, endangering its survival and jobs created by previous generations. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 33 Trade fairs These help micro firms and start-ups take part in the most important trade fairs in Barcelona via a Barcelona City Council – Barcelona Activa stand in the Innovation Zone, and/or at the SynergyS connectivity event to get to know the real needs of large companies and to generate business. 369 companies have participated in these connectivity events, fostering new business opportunities during the following fairs: BTravel (formerly the International Tourism Fair of Catalonia), the eShow, the SmartCity World Congress, BizBarcelona, IoT and the Mobile World Congress or Sónar. Programme of visits to companies This programme aims to develop an awareness of existing programmes and services available to companies in Barcelona in order to promote and improve businesses’ management, competitiveness and foster innovation and growth, while also getting a better idea of the needs that they might have in terms of employment and business cooperation. Throughout 2015 there have been 223 visits to 206 companies. This section includes visits made by the Directorate of Territory and Commerce. Training activities for business management To complement services offered by the Business Support Office, this programme of seminars and short courses offers a highly-practical approach to help companies improve their daily management and foster growth and competitiveness. These include specific training activities to help prepare companies to get access to new sources of funding, for internationalisation and to boost sales, and also to grow through business cooperation, to innovate or to update and expand their knowledge so that they can optimise their company’s management and strategies. A total of 2,364 companies have participated throughout 2015 in 586 short training activities as part of this programme. This section also includes visits made by the Directorate of Employment and Skills Acquisition and the Directorate of Territory and Commerce. Networking and activities to strengthen the business ecosystem Barcelona Activa has collaborated with various activities to support and foster a business ecosystem to help city-based companies that are promoted by public and private stakeholders via fairs like 4YFN, MWC, BTravel, BizBarcelona, Primavera Sound, EShow, IoT, SmartCity, Sónar, Construmat, and SIL. The various directorates of Barcelona Activa have jointly promoted activities at these fairs, not to mention the agency’s facilities, business cooperation activities, meetings between companies and candidates to fill vacancies, as well as participation in special talks and stands for innovative micro firms. It has also supported activities like the ‘Business with Social Value’ fair, the 'Setmana de la Fusta' with the Guild of Woodworkers and Carpenters of Barcelona, and the first OUISHARE Fest Barcelona for the collaborative economy. Other events include ‘This Way Up’ with company CEOs and the first ‘Grow up Spain’ meeting with investors, and the ‘Scaling Up Business Growth’ seminar with Verne Harnish. These are activities that help strengthen the support ecosystem for companies to position Barcelona as a leader in entrepreneurship and business support. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 34 A new feature developed in 2015 was the creation of meetings between international business school students and innovative micro-firms with internships in different environments to those found in large companies. There have been meetings for students at ESADE and IESE to benefit both students and innovative micro firms. We should also mention joint projects carried out from the Directorate of Employment for coordinating company employment programmes like 'Mobilitza’t Mobile' and 'Enganxa’t al Mòbil' and other activities where companies form part of programmes and give a real and inspiring vision of career opportunities for the young and/or unemployed. The 'Empresa busca Empresa' social network on LinkedIn complements these activities with a permanent resource to promote business cooperation, facilitating contact between companies that have a real business need with those who can provide solutions. A total of 1,589 members had joined by the end of 2015, with 185 ads from 160 companies. A weekly newsletter is sent on Mondays for companies to a total of 32,000 emails, reporting on the latest Barcelona Activa services, training and programmes of interest to the business community like ads for the 'Empresa busca Empresa' group, prizes, grants and an agenda with the most outstanding business events in the city. Barcelona Nord Technology Park The Technology Park is a municipal facility located in the Nou Barris district, which is managed by Barcelona Activa and designed for industrial and technology companies. Its objective is to contribute in a personalised and permanent way to the development of advanced industries through the Centre for Technology Companies, and the Industrial Promotion Centre and Auditorium. At the same time it aims to become a reference centre for the promotion of science and technology vocations for the educational community in the District and the rest of the city. As a centre for technology companies, the Park played host to 52 companies in December 2015, most of these in advanced engineering and which generated 530 jobs. The sectors most represented were computer and industrial engineering, followed by telecommunications, electronics, renewable energy and aerospace engineering. The Technology Park works with partners, organisations and institutions in the ecosystem to offer support services for SMEs, and which have the common objective of promoting innovation, knowledge in applied engineering and technology and the overall development of the industrial sector. As an industrial promotion centre, the Park also boasts the Makerspace and 'Espai Tech'. Makerspace is the first municipal support space for industrial prototyping activities in the city of Barcelona. It comprises a workshop with tools and machines for prototyping, making changes to products and small production runs; a digital workshop with technologies to facilitate digital prototyping; and a collaborative workspace to carry out team projects. On the other hand, 'Espai Tech' is an exhibition area for technology projects developed by companies that are set up in the Business Technology Centre, the 'partners' of the Technology Park and industrial ecosystem. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 35 In the Technology Park there are specific activities open to entrepreneurs and businesses in the city, like introductory courses to 3D printing for professionals and SMEs, or an Introductory course to the prototyping of electronic systems with Arduino. Finally, the Park has hosted the first ever collective economy event in Barcelona called OUISHARE Fest Barcelona, the 1st conference on electric vehicles, different editions of investment forums organised by Ship2B, and the 'Enganxa’t al mòbil' workshop designed to connect young people with mobile sector companies. TRAINING The Directorate of Training is a Barcelona Activa transversal area that designs and manages the training activities of services and programmes to support entrepreneurship, companies and employment, as well as carrying out a comprehensive programme of technology training courses, with the overall objective of improving the skills of citizens, professionals and businesses to make Barcelona a more competitive city, increasing efficiency and quality in the educational processes of Barcelona Activa. Two training packages have been developed: on the one hand, stable or permanent training financed with municipal resources that go to make up a permanent portfolio of complementary activities and services offered by Barcelona Activa (training for business management, knowledge and skills for entrepreneurship, employment training and job search training and technology training (Cibernàrium), and also training related to programme calls funded by third parties, typically the Catalan Government SOC services and the European Union, among others, mainly aimed at employment both in terms of training programmes as well as comprehensive programmes with access to employment, including vocational training. Barcelona Activa’s Directorate of Training has run 6,497 training activities in the aforesaid areas for a total of 23,963 people. Summary of the activities of the Directorate of Training in 2015 People trained 23,963 Number of training activities 6,497 People trained on regular courses complementary to services People on business management training 1,450 People training in entrepreneurship 3,834 People on employment and job search training 18,436 Technology trainees at the Cibernàrium 11,994 Professionals and SMEs on advanced technology training 9,659 People on basic technology training 2,526 Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 36 Regular training courses complementary to company, entrepreneurship and employment services and programmes From the point of view of regular or permanent training courses, 2015 saw a consolidation of changes that had taken place the previous year designed to adjust to the training needs of the labour market and services offered at the new Business Support Office. At the same time, a new model to homologate training providers was developed, which resulted in a tender bidding process that is to be implemented during 2016. On the other hand, an ambitious project was launched to provide Barcelona Activa with an on-line MOOC training format (Massive Open Online Courses) and to develop a LMS platform (Learning Management System) integrated with existing systems managed by Barcelona Activa. This project represents a qualitative leap in terms of the means and resources used to provide training, as well as a major step forward in facilitating the accessibility and availability of training available to users of Barcelona Activa. The training activities forming part of the services and support programmes for companies, entrepreneurship and employment are set out below (the detailed results of each action are set out in the following chapter). The following explains each of the different stable course portfolios: Training for business management This is a series of short training cycles focused on key parts of the company. It is organised as part of a quarterly programme aimed at companies and professionals in the city with the aim of facilitating tools, knowledge and skills to increase the possibility of business success. During 2015, seminars and training workshops have addressed various aspects of business management such as how to set up a company, find workers, develop business innovation, manage and develop a growth strategy, find financing, internationalise and related procedures, marketing, promoting sales, business transmission and new technologies for companies. 1,450 people have taken part. Training in skills and knowledge for entrepreneurship These are additional training services and programmes to support entrepreneurship at Barcelona Activa in the form of short seminars and activities that offer knowledge and skills acquisition to develop the professional capacity of entrepreneurs, while at the same time providing the knowledge and tools necessary to start a business and as such increasing its possibilities of success. This quarterly programme of training activities for people who want to create their own company, with the participation of 3,834 people, included key aspects related to the entrepreneurship process, including support for drafting a business plan, tools and resources for business marketing, customer loyalty, legal forms and procedures, tax, financing and business management, analysis tools for the viability of a business and entrepreneurial skills. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 37 Employment and job search training (‘Barcelona Treball’) A wide range of group activities has been developed for job search and career development to empower people throughout their professional careers, according to the realities of the labour market and the demand for professional profiles by companies in the city. Providing people with better professional skills helps them to increase their level of employability and competitiveness in the labour market. 18,434 people have taken part in these group activities. Training and technology skills (Cibernàrium) In 2015, 11,994 people managed to improve their technology skills and knowledge thanks to training programmes to improve the technology skills of professionals, SMEs and citizens in general. With regard to this objective, 2,969 short training seminars and workshops were offered in two blocks differentiated by levels of technology knowledge and skills to develop. Profile of people on technology training 2015 Gender Male 44.2% Female 55.8% Age <25 5.2% 25-40 41.5% >40 years old 53.3% Work Situation Unemployed 37.9% Active 42.1% Other 20.0% Educational Level Primary 7.3% Secondary 28.0% University 64.7% Origin Foreigners 9.3% EU 45.9% Outside EU 54.1% Spain 90.7% Residence Barcelona 71.4% Province of BCN 26.9% Catalonia 1.4% Other 0.4% The 'Antenes Cibernàrium' programme is designed to help develop the digital literacy of those people in the city with low levels of knowledge about such tools and digital content. This programme has helped 2,526 people take part in activities related to learning how to use a computer, Internet browsing, the use of smartphones, digital photography techniques, creating blogs and websites, eGovernment, social networks and on-line commerce, among others. In total, 1,497 activities were carried out at 11 so-called 'antenna' branches set up in the network of public libraries in the city, with the idea of making these courses more accessible and available to all citizens. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 38 Cibernàrium –located in the MediaTIC building- has developed a range of advanced technology training for people in search of work, professionals and SMEs with the aim of increasing the competitiveness and revenues of companies and professionals in the city and by improving and developing their digital skills and competences. Advanced technology training activities are structured according to thematic areas (Internet and business, Marketing and communication, Technology Solutions, Web creation, Digital image and multimedia tools) and professional sectors (Mobility, Education, Computers and Programming, Design, Security, Commerce, Tourism and Eateries). During 2015, we have organised 1,472 seminars, workshops, courses, seminars and lectures which have developed the technology skills of 9,659 people. Training related to official tenders and calls The Directorate of Training has run vocational and/or professional training programmes, including various programmes aimed at promoting employment, like programmes for youth employment ('Joves per l’Ocupació', 'FEM ocupació per joves'), mixed training and work programmes ('Plans d’Ocupació'), and others specific to certain areas of the city ('Formació per als districtes', 'Treball als Barris'), which are all explained in detail in the part called Professional Skills Acquisition and Employment, and others like 'Formació d’Oferta en Àrees Prioritàries' (FOAP) and 'Actualitza’t'. Regarding the Catalan Government SOC service-funded FOAP programme for vocational training, in 2015 there were in total 97 participants training in sectors with real employment opportunities like social and health services and logistics. In terms of the 'Actualitza’t' programme, it is worth noting that this programme, which began in 2013, is aimed at people who need to adapt their profiles and skills to sectors with higher employment demand. Importantly, the new range of training courses in 2015 included one on LED lighting, which was new to the city’s educational programme and proved very popular and highly valued. Measures to promote the city’s training ecosystem The Directorate of Training is a catalyst in the city’s education sector either by contracting training activities or by collaborating with private sector stakeholders. In this sense, we have worked with over 350 different suppliers to develop Barcelona Activa’s training offer. This supply of training often has an influencing effect on the rest of the training market, opening up knowledge for citizens who want to go on and develop their training later. Furthermore, this area also established agreements and partnerships with other organisations in the area of local economic development, employment, ICTs, etc... This has led to participation in programmes that improve the skills of citizens, making them more competitive in the professional and labour market. Notable examples of the promotion of this ecosystem and collaboration include training in the mobile sector, with the mTalent programme, which has been developed with the Mobile World Capital Foundation, the Directorate of Telecommunications of the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona Activa’s Cibernàrium, as well as the training programme 'Obert al Futur' for the commerce sector in the city, organised with business associations and the City Council’s Department of Trade and Commerce. As well, the Directorate of Training has collaborated with other municipalities to improve the capacities of municipal technical teams. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 39 03.2 PROMOTION Barcelona Activa is also developing and creating the right conditions to attract, retain and generate economic activity in the city of Barcelona and its hinterland. The measures developed by Barcelona Activa in these areas have again been marked by the completion of Barcelona City Council’s Strategic Framework and the start of a process towards a new development model and a new model for Barcelona Activa to use in the promotion of local development. As such, Barcelona Activa maintained its commitment in 2015 to make Barcelona a world benchmark in new strategic economic sectors linked to innovation, technology and knowledge, focusing on the development and growth of companies in these high added-value sectors. At the same time, it has re- affirmed its support for traditional and consolidated sectors like commerce, which is a key sector in the city in terms of its impact on employment, economic activity and social cohesion. There has also been a concerted effort to revitalise the economic development of different districts, laying the foundations for the development of a new line of priority measures to promote other economies and the territory. CITY PROMOTION Its mission is to promote Barcelona’s economic relations abroad to boost the local economy and attract business and generate prosperity and quality jobs, turning the city into a world benchmark for a new economic model. During 2015 it has been working in foreign markets and in the city itself, especially through the following actions: City Promotion 28 trade missions and actions were carried out abroad in 2015, allowing Barcelona to showcase its economy and business opportunities to more than 35,534 business people and executives, professionals and international investors. In 2015 Barcelona was the first city to be invited to present at Asia's largest design sector event, the Business of Design Week (BODW) in Hong Kong -until now only countries had been invited. Barcelona had a large stand and two exhibitions, and it organised 27 conferences, seminars and networking events and a trade mission with 20 Catalan companies from the design sector. Barcelona has promoted itself internationally in co-operation with the Government of Catalonia under the Barcelona-Catalonia name. Examples of this include some of the most important European urban development fairs like MIPIM and Expo Real, in co-operation with Incasòl, while in the technology sector the city participated in co-operation with ACCIÓ at the China Hi-Tech Fair in Shenzhen, the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai and Shared Services in Cologne and Amsterdam; as well as other multi-sector events in the food industry and gastronomy business at Milan’s Expo. On the other hand, the Air Route Development Committee’s work (CDRA) helped establish five new intercontinental regular routes to Barcelona Airport (Sao Paulo, Azerbaijan-Baku, Ghana-Accra, Toronto, and Seoul). This agency has participated in major trade fairs such as World Routes in Durban and Routes Asia in Kunming (China). Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 40 Two events called Barcelona Talks and Business & Sónar were launched thanks to an agreement between the City of Barcelona and music festival Sónar. The idea of these was to take advantage of cultural events that have strong links to the city and its values of innovation and creativity. As such, a group of business people interested in investing or setting up in the city were invited to an informal meeting and afterwards they were invited to Sónar as VIPs. Three other actions were carried out in parallel at Sónar Copenhagen, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. City Promotion took part in three Working Groups in the Economic Development Forum organised as part of the EUROCITIES framework, a European network of large cities. Barcelona participated in the groups dealing with Entrepreneurship and SMEs, City Marketing & Attractiveness, and International Economic Relations outside the European Union. These meetings meant Barcelona could showcase six best practices or city projects to European partners. In-city Promotion In-city Promotion carries out the economic promotion of Barcelona in the city itself, leveraging the potential of Barcelona’s burgeoning international economic community, the numerous economic delegations that come here and the fact that it is home to many congresses, fairs and conferences. Numerous events and initiatives are organised throughout the year to help boost international economic community activity in the area of Barcelona. In 2015 there were a total of 34 events aimed at different segments that had a direct impact on 1,812 people. Of these, some of the most important were the 5 Barcelona Updates organised for consulates, chambers of commerce and foreign business associations; 2 meetings between municipal representatives and 49 foreign business leaders; the organisation and participation in 10 community business networking events for foreign companies; support or co-organisation of six seminars and workshops and the organisation of three welcome sessions for families at international schools. In this area it is worth highlighting the organisation of the second edition of the Barcelona International Community Day held at Les Drassanes, which was attended by 2,950 people from 86 different countries. 24 activities were organised (conferences, workshops, information sessions, activities) with 39 speakers and a fair with 60 exhibitors. This event was carried out in co-operation with many private stakeholders and non-profit entities. Regarding international delegations that visit the city on trade prospecting missions to research or find commercial or business opportunities, in 2015 there were visits by 246 foreign delegations with a total of 3,357 delegates. 39% of these came from Europe, while 29% came from America and 29% from Asia, with some of the most notable being 33 delegations from the United States and 29 from China. Finally, considering that the city is home to lots of trade fairs, congresses and conferences that have a many participants with very interesting profiles in terms of promotion and attracting investments and projects, City Promotion has participated in 25 of these events, among them the eShow, the Mobile World Congress, Sónar+D or the Smart Cities Expo & World Congress, and conferences and conventions, as well as other small format activities. In total, these activities had a direct impact on more than 1,112 delegates. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 41 Accompanying projects One of City Promotion’s main objectives is to attract foreign investment projects to Barcelona, whether they are businesses, professionals or entrepreneurs. To achieve this, Barcelona Activa offers guidance regarding the city’s strategy, advice and support in co-operation with the Business Landing Service at Barcelona Activa or sometimes just putting the interested parties in contact with the most suitable partners in each case. During 2015, 66 projects were accompanied, each developing in different ways. Seven consolidated their installation in the city, while 25 projects remain ‘live’ or on track with 34 having been rejected. Of those projects setting up in the city, perhaps one of the most notable is the Spanish headquarters of the first branch of the China Construction Bank, the development centre for the online British-Russian gaming company Zeptolab and the communication and marketing office of Japanese company Uncover Truth (UX-Uxer Experience Consultancy). STRATEGIC SECTORS Various initiatives were undertaken to promote the development of competitive companies in the city’s key strategic economic sectors, including coordinating industry clusters and public-private platforms in areas like mobility (Mobile) and ICTs, sustainable mobility, energy, logistics, food and biotechnology. In 2015 the most notable initiatives developed according to each strategic sector were: Sector ICT-Mobile Barcelona became the host city of the Mobile World Capital in 2013, and it will remain so until 2023. This role drives dynamism in many other sectors that are linked vertically, offering a unique opportunity to increase business competitiveness, create skilled jobs, and attract investments and position Barcelona in the world. In 2015 the Mobile World Congress received more than 93,000 visitors, generating an estimated economic impact of more than 436 million euros for Barcelona and its hinterland. The City Council has participated in virtually all the activity areas of the Mobile World Congress and also 4YFN, an event for the start-up mobile community, and their main objective is to maximise the involvement of the local business community in these two reference events and maximise the impact of their legacy on the city. On the other hand, measures to generate knowledge have also been put in place like the Barometer of the ICT sector in Catalonia, a study of the economic and social impact of Sónar and the Mapping of training in the field of cultural industries in Barcelona. In order to promote the ICT sector, trade fairs and events are usually used for networking and promotional activities, as well as spaces for international promotion. As well, by organising their own events or supporting third party events, Barcelona Activa’s Directorate of Strategic Sectors has developed and/or coordinated programmes to facilitate the presence of SMEs and/or citizens, to provide spaces for small and large businesses to come together and in a more general way, to communicate the facilities and projects related to the ICT sector. Some examples include the Breakfasts Sector Meetings Cycle for the ICT sector and other economic sectors (pharma, gamification, industrial systems, green technologies etc.) - and support for international events such as IT World Edu – education and ICTs, Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 42 eShow -E-Commerce, Online Marketing, Hosting & Cloud and Social Media and Mobile-, the Tourist Forum on the application of ICTs in the tourism sector, Sónar-International Festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art, IoT Solutions World Congress 2015 (for the sector of the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Big Data Congress. Sustainable Mobility Sector, Logistics and Energy For the public-private LIVE platform, 2015 was a year of growth and consolidation in terms of its promotion of electric and sustainable mobility. The City Council is an executive director member of this platform, with Barcelona Activa being its management and executive organisation. The LIVE platform has been very active in 2015, offering services and developing key measures for the sector in Barcelona and Catalonia, creating multi-format activities to promote, support and develop the sector at the economic/business and public level. In 2015, the LIVE Platform was recognised widely as being an essential tool for the development of this sector. LIVE has positioned itself as a benchmark at both the national and international level for its internal organisation and the type of activities carried out and its achievements. The LIVE Platform brings together more than 23 public and private entities, all benchmarks in the sector, such as: Barcelona City Council, the Metropolitan Area, the Government of Catalonia, SEAT, NISSAN, Gas Natural Fenosa, AUDI-VW, Renault, ACS, TMB, RACC, CIRCUTOR, URBASER, BSM, etc. In 2015, the LIVE platform has been able to develop a number of its own activities that were very important for the sector to encourage demand and in terms of studies on the economic and technical viability of the development of recharging infrastructure and the conversion of fleets, or carrying out seminars for fleets, municipalities and professional sectors, and potential users of these new technologies. The platform has provided advice to more than 70 companies and project proposals and it has carried out a number of support and advisory tasks related to public sector plans, such as the new Environmental Quality Plan, the Free Toll initiative, subsidies for the purchase of electric motorcycles, or fast-recharging points for the AMB. On the other hand, it has promoted and collaborated with different events that have helped position and promote the sector and to boost demand for sustainable mobility, such as the Smart Moto Challenge, Formula Student, Expoelèctric (over 15,000 visitors and more than 1,500 test drives) or the Smart City World Congress. Finally, there has been a significant amount of work done with Barcelona Activa’s Directorate of Training to start training courses on electric mobility as part of the 'Actualitza’t' programme. As for the logistics sector, Barcelona Activa is an active member of Barcelona Centre Logístic (BCL), and 2015 was mainly marked by the celebration of two benchmark conferences: the Logistics and Material Handling Exhibition (SIL) and the Supply Chain and Logistics European Summit, which Barcelona hosted for a second time, with the presence and participation of Barcelona City Council, who organised activities to promote entrepreneurship and employment. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 43 The energy sector has experienced a new boost given the fact it offers high added value and because it is essential for the development of local strategies and actions framed in the Smart City municipal policy and also because of the city’s self-sufficiency objectives. As such, a series of workshops were developed together with Barcelona’s Energy Agency and ICAEN to promote the application of energy efficiency measures. The objective was to encourage consumers to implement these measures and to facilitate contact with local companies that specialise in providing this contact with the final customer and potential consumers of this service. It has also carried out a strategic workshop for stakeholders in this sector to identify the main drivers of innovation in Barcelona in the energy field. Innovation During 2015 Barcelona Activa has actively participated in the City Council’s Innovation Commission, taking the lead in the BCN Open Challenge project, which this year was the prelude to the hiring of the project’s six winners, companies which are now developing their solutions to meet real city needs. The BCN Open Challenge project positions Barcelona as a pioneer and leader in public sector innovation, linking an innovation process to the contracting of municipal services and this has made Barcelona a reference point for internationally-renowned institutions like Nesta, Bloomberg or municipalities like Moscow and Santiago de Chile, among others. TOURISM AND EVENTS The Directorate of Tourism’s main priorities are to promote and coordinate actions to help tourism’s fit with the city to maximise the positive effects of tourism and minimise its negative externalities, developing a responsible and sustainable tourism that improves both the quality of life of citizens and the experience of visitors. Promotion of tourism By using interdepartmental coordination, Barcelona Activa is able to see that the effects of tourism are managed correctly, along with its regulation and overall planning, as well as the promotion of the development of economic activities linked to tourism, and encouraging the decentralisation of tourism across the neighbourhoods and districts of the city, and as such providing direction for destination Barcelona. Coordination is carried out through the Tourism Commission via the creation of a TGT tourism management board, which meets at set points throughout the year. Participants include Barcelona Activa’s Directorate of Employment, Business and Tourism and the Directorate of Coordination and Strategy, the Department of Ecology, Urbanism and Mobility, the local police force, B:SM and those districts that receive most tourists. The TGT management board regularly evaluates tourism and coordinates measures for all municipal services that aim to minimise the externalities that tourism creates. In terms of tourist accommodation, it is leading a Working Group with the participation of all the public authorities involved in order to establish technical coordination in this area. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 44 The City Council’s commitment to promote sustainable tourism continues with the annual Biosphere certification process, which means Barcelona has to meet specific commitments to move forward in the process of becoming a sustainable destination. In September 2015, ITR delivered its annual audit report with the main strengths of the destination being: the Barcelona+Sustainable programme, urban accessibility, the city’s designation as the European Capital of Volunteering, an initiative called ‘Views from the hotel’, the promotion of local products in markets and local shops, the Mobile World Capital, low water consumption, smart irrigation systems and the environmental quality of city beaches. Last November, Barcelona was actively involved in drafting the new Sustainable Tourism +20 Charter at a summit held in Vitoria. In relation to managing the effects of tourism and its management across the territory, the City Council has used proceeds raised from a tax on overnight stays in tourist establishments to finance a series of projects that aim to promote decentralisation and local identity such as the creation of a new tourism product, tourism signage for pedestrians and the use of new technologies to improve tourism experiences and its management. A new project called ‘FuTurisme’ began as part of the development of measures aimed at boosting business activities. This project is a comprehensive programme to develop and accompany start-ups in the area of tourism, with the collaboration of other institutions and companies. ‘FuTurisme’ includes training activities and an award for best entrepreneurship initiative, as well as actions to support the implementation of these new companies. From a regional perspective which goes beyond municipal boundaries, an agreement called ‘Barcelona is much more’ was set up between the Provincial Government of Barcelona and Turisme de Barcelona, the city’s tourism board, which has brought about a new reflection on the overall strategic ‘Destination Barcelona’ concept. Work has continued with the municipal department of studies on the perception of tourism and related habits among Barcelona’s residents with a wider sample size that can provide more significant territorial data. The survey included not only tourists staying in tourist hotels, but all tourism staying overnight in the city. Support, attraction and the landing of events Regarding support for events, attracting them and helping them land, Barcelona Activa has accompanied more than 60 projects of different typologies that all needed a different treatment depending on their scope, impact and motivation. Among the main events worth noting we find, according to its level of importance, the Mobile World Congress, which brought together more than 93,000 participants from over 200 countries and involved more than 2,000 exhibitors and more than 3,800 international media and industry analysts. In 2015 the organisers announced Barcelona will remain the host of this Congress until 2023. Other important events in 2015 were: The Tissue World fair, the second edition of the European Supply Chain & Logistics Summit, the 15th European AIDS Conference, the United European Gastroenterology Week Barcelona, Cinepòsium, which took place at DHUB -being held for the first time in Barcelona by the International Association of Film Commissions-, Harley Days, Sónar+D, and in the field of tourism, B-Travel and the IBTM MICE professional meeting, and finally the New Year’s celebration. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 45 On the other hand, a new process of reflection has begun under the name ‘Barcelona, city and tourism’ which is a participatory process to identify the key challenges that the city needs to address. This debate was summarised in a document called Bases for a Local Agreement on the Management and Promotion of Responsible and Sustainable Tourism that was presented on 9 April, 2015. New impetus for a participatory process A measure called the Promotion of a participatory process regarding Barcelona's tourism model was presented at the Council’s Plenary Session of 24 July, 2015, and this led to the creation of the Tourism and City Commission, which is an entity for stakeholder participation in this sector in terms of municipal tourism management policies, and it provides an update on the Strategic Tourism Plan for the period 2016-2020. On 9 September 2015, the Council Government’s Commission passed a measure giving Barcelona Activa responsibility for technical assistance in the implementation of the Tourism and City Commission and the Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2020, with coordination undertaken by the Directorate of Tourism at the municipal political level. The importance of the impact of tourism on our city means that there is a need for the construction of a space for permanent dialogue and work with all citizens, as the development of structures for citizen participation is one of the most immediate challenges for policies related to the planning and management of tourism. The Tourism and City Commission will be a participatory body to discuss and agree on any future tourism model, incorporating citizens in the governance of tourism and collaboration with Government action on policies, strategies and initiatives in the field of tourism. TERRITORY AND COMMERCE PROMOTION In 2015, the City Council has continued to promote economic development across all districts of the city, adapting the Directorate of Employment, Business and Tourism's strategies, while supporting initiatives to promote economic development across districts. Territorial and Economic Promotion Measures have been diversified in order to support the creation and promotion of economic development strategies at the district level. In the first place, protocols and spaces have been established for a permanent and systematic dialogue with district councils through participation at territorial co-responsibility commissions. Secondly, work has been developed to highlight and distribute the resources of Barcelona Activa related to employment, entrepreneurship and business services across districts by way of internal systems that keep districts updated. Thirdly, specific requests by district councils have been answered by linking these to the appropriate Barcelona Activa services available, and this has led to the design of specific training for young unemployed people, and professionalising the support for cultural associations, social entities and the Zona 11 project, etc. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 46 As well, Barcelona Activa has coordinated activities with the five districts involved in its employment and economic revitalisation project called ‘Treball als Barris’. Work plans were developed for local economy support roles in the districts in question, and these were focused on promoting the economy of the local area and especially in terms of local commerce and shops. As requested by the Commission for Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Markets, in the last quarter of the year we designed and implemented a set of concrete measures (22) to provide emergency support for local retailers in these neighbourhoods that have specific needs due to the socioeconomic situation produced in recent years. This emergency plan budgeted at € 150,000 is complementary to other measures already planned in these neighbourhoods as part of the ‘Treball als Barris’ programme, as well as economic development activities in the retail sector that are being carried out by Barcelona Activa across the city. These 22 measures have two main action lines: to boost local trade and to encourage the opening of new shops. Examples of these initiatives include the Christmas shop window competition, the revitalisation of empty premises, the production and distribution of reusable bags, an exhibition of old photos and current photos of the same shops today, the launch of websites for shops and the development of a new range of services translated into different languages to include shops that have a foreign origin. Part of this programme, which counts on the co-operation of the city’s municipal markets, includes the promotion of tapas routes, street markets and other revitalisation activities and shows to attract the public. Commerce The 3rd edition of ‘Obert al Futur’ took place in 2015 in Barcelona’s 10 districts. This programme is focused on improving professional and digital skills and also the service orientation of the retail and commerce sector. This training programme consists of 38 thematic areas such as innovation in small retail businesses, customer loyalty, techniques for improving service and boosting trade through social networks, among others. Development of the programme was carried out in co-operation with all the city’s districts, the Municipal Institute of Markets of Barcelona and 60 local retail associations, who are all key players in promoting and helping to channel users. The 288 training sessions in 2015 were given at 32 facilities distributed throughout the city, with the participation of 1,235 traders from 1,125 shops and services in the city. This edition included: on the one hand, ad hoc adaptation and delivery of the programme to shop traders in the neighbourhoods of La Marina, Roquetes, Zona Nord, Trinitat Vella, Bon Pastor-Baró de Viver and Besòs-Maresme; on the other hand, sessions have been adapted to create new formats to meet the specific needs of the districts of Eixample and Gràcia. The Directorate of Commerce and Consumer Affairs asked Barcelona Activa to lead a Digitalisation of Commerce Working Group included as part of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Commission. The result was a first activity related to municipal support for the city’s shop traders on the web. The project was called ‘Comerç a la Xarxa’ and at a first stage it was implemented in the open air shopping centre along carretara de Sants along with the Associations of retailers of Creu Coberta and Sants- Establiments Units. And afterwards this ‘Comerç a la Xarxa’ project was launched across the city in order to be able to geotag 6,000 local shops in the city with the co-operation of Fundació Barcelona Comerç. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 47 Another programme that was launched in 2015 the ‘Support programme for Barcelona’s Commerce’, which involved 48 participants from 29 retail associations in 10 districts of the city. In the last quarter of 2015, Barcelona Activa also started a project to update and study retail in Barcelona, with the aim of having an updated commercial diagnosis which would be of interest for the district councils and citizens. Barcelona Activa continued coordinating the Christmas Technical Commission as part of its remit from the Area of Culture and Commerce at Barcelona City Council. This is a meeting place for all the local stakeholders involved in the organization of the Christmas festivities in the city. In terms of Barcelona Activa projects: we can highlight the second edition of the Christmas lights ideas competition called ‘Encén la llum’, with the participation of young artists and professionals in Barcelona. Also, the sponsorship of 15 Christmas trees for all the city’s districts. Textile-Fashion industry Besides these two responsibilities, we need to add in the promotion of the textile-fashion sector, which is important because of its weight in the Catalan economy in terms of number of employees and exports, and these are undeniably key assets for the city of Barcelona. Barcelona Activa has supported various events to promote this sector, developing its impact at the city level and also connecting them at the retail and territorial level. We can highlight the promotion and revitalisation of different areas of the city as part of the two editions of the 080 Barcelona Fashion event in 2015, the first in co-operation with Raval Cultural and the Raval Open Air Shopping Centre, and the second was with different retail associations in the district Sants- Montjuïc (Creu Coberta, Sants, La Marina, Poble Sec and Paral·lel). Also worth mentioning is a co-operation project with Barcelona Bridal Week, the leading international bridal fashion event and the professional trade fair Denim by Premiere Vision, which has two editions annually. Other fairs that have been staged included a return for the Ethical Fashion Fest Barcelona (BEEF), aimed at promoting sustainable fashion, the African Fashion Week, a catwalk for African fashion or the Vintage Fair, in co-operation with the Municipal Institute of Markets of Barcelona. Finally, we should give a special mention to the Roquetas Fashion Week, a social initiative promoted as part of the Roquetas Community Plan, which this year counted on the co-operation of renowned fashion companies via Barcelona Activa. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 48 Barcelona Social Economy Network (XESB) Led by Barcelona Activa, XESB managed to integrate more than 100 companies from the social and non- profit sector -co-operatives, companies placing workers, special employment centres, SAL's and federations that represent these groups. XESB highlights the value of the social economy and the role of labour integration for groups at risk of exclusion in our city. The idea is to increase awareness about this sector in the economy and to expand their business opportunities with other companies. At the same time, this network offers instruments to improve the employability of its members and the productivity and competitiveness of its entities. According to this objective, in 2015 XESB participated in conferences and trade fairs like the 5th Disability and Employment Fair in Catalonia, the 6th Week of Social Responsibility and it has also participated in several activities to transfer methodology, knowledge and exchange best practices. XESB carried out 61 actions and projects, including training, commissions for dialogue, working committees on various topics, visits to organisations, among others, with nearly 2,400 participations. It has supported various events to promote the social economy across the city’s districts. Most notable was the organisation of the 1st Economy of Responsible Consumption at Christmas Fair, with the participation of XESB’s social economy companies. In 2015 Barcelona Activa continued to comply with the Decree of the office of the Mayoress of Barcelona which includes social clauses in council procurement processes as well as a commitment from companies awarded city tenders to incorporate 5% of staff at risk exclusion. XESB has provided a referral service for people belonging to these social groups that companies need to comply with legally. Looking to the next stage, XESB is immersed in a process of revising governance criteria in collaboration with different stakeholders in the sector. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 49 04. Building a plural economy. A new direction for Barcelona Activa We are currently at a time of historic change, when our production model and the economic crisis of recent years have created inequalities and social divide between areas and generations. A new model based on the principles of equal opportunities, equity, welfare and sustainable development are needed in order to build a plural and facilitating economy, a fairer and more efficient city. At this time of change, new realities and new social and economic paradigms are emerging in response to the inefficiencies of the system. Amongst these we can highlight the transformative potential of the social, collaborative and solidarity economy, a set of economic methodologies –amongst them, cooperative work, responsible consumption or ethical finance- that prioritises the satisfaction of needs rather than profit, and which is organised democratically with social and environmental commitments. In Barcelona, this sector is represented by nearly 4,600 companies, generating nearly 50,000 jobs, and nearly half a million customers. However, there are also other areas that should be promoted to move towards an environmental and socially sustainable model, such as those related to the green and circular economy, an area with great potential for employment generation. And this is not forgetting traditional economic sectors such as tourism or commerce, which have a significant economic, social and environmental importance for the city. In terms of Barcelona’s transition, the public administration should play a leading role as a driver of change towards a more egalitarian city model. In order to lead this process of change towards a sustainable and plural economy, in 2015 Barcelona Activa has taken a series of measures to promote quality employment and local economic development from the perspective of a more plural economy with a territorial balance, and these measures are only the first steps in a transition process that will be completed in 2016 with a new strategic plan for Barcelona Activa. Here are some of the steps in this change process: New strategic lines and dynamics The proposed change is based on the following strategic guidelines: § Recover the importance and centrality of employment policies. § Make Barcelona Activa much more present on the ground and reach out to more sectors of society from the perspective of local economic development. § Introduce new work dynamics: more transversality, transparency and horizontality. § Provide a new perspective based on people (understanding their socio-economic context and based on what they have rather than their weaknesses), and incorporating a gender and caring perspective with a more transversal reach. § Provide a broader view of entrepreneurship (collective and social ...) and innovation (not just technology), as well as highlighting the importance of the social and environmental responsibility of companies. § Take a more plural view of the economy, highlighting the cooperative and social solidarity economy, and other transformation economies (collaborative economies, community economies ...), as well as the green and circular economy. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 50 Participatory process of the Municipal Action Plan (MAP) In line with the new dynamics of this new political mandate, which aims to move towards a better model of sustainable development and a fairer and a more democratic and participatory city, Barcelona Activa has launched a consultation process via all its employees to discuss and make proposals about the areas of activity to include in the new Municipal Action Programme. In this way, the expertise of workers of Barcelona Activa, the city’s development agency with nearly 30 years of experience at its back responding to the realities and needs of society in the field of employment and local development, enabled us to develop more than 200 ideas and proposals that will become part of the PAM participatory process to be undertaken during the first part of 2016. Management of the Emergency Plan to develop a cooperative, social and solidarity economy One of the key tools that the new municipal government is decided on is its commitment to respond to the emergency socio-economic situation by way of a cooperative, social and solidarity economy (CSSE), with schemes (democratic and participative management, orientation towards human needs, endogenous development model and commitment to the community), which are different to those that have led us to the current situation. As such, it created the Directorate of Other and Local Economies with the aim of promoting local development in terms of proximity and territorial balance, promoting and coordinating with stakeholders and the social fabric of the territory with local development strategies and promoting a plural economy that values the cooperative, social and solidarity economies, as well as other transforming economies. In this context, Barcelona Activa launched an Emergency Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Plan, thanks to a modification of the General Budget of Barcelona City Council for the year 2015. This has provided 96 million Euros to invest in social policies and the improvement of facilities and public spaces. A transversal action plan, with a budget of more than 650,000 Euros, aims to develop employment generation measures, and others for business, entrepreneurship, training and the creation of the Solidarity Economy Network of Municipalities. The Emergency Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Plan was launched with measures to support five pilot projects and processes developed by communities organized in Ciutat Vella, Sants- Montjuïc, Nou Barris and Sant Martí. At the same time, the Plan includes a specific measure to boost training and resources with 20 cooperatives and cooperative economy and social solidarity organisations, composed mainly of women with limited resources and/or difficulty accessing funding. The idea is to improve their development and activities, as well as boosting their capabilities and viability while promoting collective and cooperative entrepreneurship and prioritising the fight against the growing feminisation of poverty and inequality. Among others, the plan also includes financing for studies to understand the sector better and an internship programme for young people in cooperatives in order promote this area. To highlight this objective, last December Barcelona organised the 1st Fair of responsible consumption to promote the products, services and activities of companies and organisations that promote and practice responsible and 0 km consumption. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 51 This emergency plan has developed the creation of the Solidarity Economy Network of Municipalities by Barcelona and the councils of Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sabadell. This is the first municipal alliance to promote and share experiences in the cooperative, social, and solidarity economy, and there are now 28 municipalities in Catalonia that have joined the initiative. Through this network, the aim is to promote new ways to produce and consume, based on cooperatives and focused on creating efficiency and a high social return, whilst making a transition to an economic model that is more participatory and more resistant to the effects of wide scale economic recessions. These measures are the start of the mandate’s action plan, which will be agreed at the citizen CSSE level and based on a debate of the PAM. New strategy for employment One of the main priorities of the new municipal government is the fight against unemployment and job insecurity. As such, Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, wants to realign the importance and centrality of employment policies and they want to do this with the participation and involvement of different stakeholders. A lack of locations and mechanisms for diagnosis and consensus on strategies and proposals for action in the field of employment promotion has been detected, both within the council and among institutions (authorities, stakeholders, organisations and companies). As such, Barcelona City Council will promote a participatory process to set up a shared consensus and a new strategy for jobs in Barcelona, starting with workers at Barcelona Activa, and with the participation of citizens, entities, governments and social partners. The consultation process will take place in the first quarter of 2016 and take in the following areas as a starting point: 1. Increase activities to improve the employability of everyone: § To increase labour market intermediation with an effective service for individuals and businesses. § To study the possibility of defining a model local employment office. § To promote integrated projects combining devices (detection of needs, orientation, training, employment...) for sectors or groups. § To promote vocational training prioritising disadvantaged groups and/or those at risk of exclusion. 2. Employment at the centre of local politics: to make employment a priority across all municipal areas § Identify sectors or projects at the municipal level that are generators of employment. § Take advantage of the City Council's role as a service provider and incorporate social clauses in order to leverage the employment potential of the council's business volume. 3. Bringing services to the area and meeting the needs of people: territorial strategies for employment § Identify the needs/employment opportunities together with others and to define related projects. § Map out the coordination (methodology, stakeholders... etc.) of different strategies at the district level. § Implement a range of services to fit every district's needs. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 52 New municipal employment plans In October 2015 the City Council presented a government policy aimed at new municipal employment plans that would come into effect immediately and to accelerate the hiring of unemployed people with most needs. In addition to hiring such people for 6 months for common good projects, it also includes training plans of between 60 and 120 hours to improve future employability. However, this type of intervention is not aimed at creating jobs, but rather they are programmes that help users get new competencies or revive old ones in a 'protected' environment and this is especially so for those groups with special difficulties in accessing the labour market. That is why these programmes are aimed at unemployed people with special difficulties to access the labour market and who need a fast response to their situation (people over 40 years old, with a low level of education and more than 12 months out of work). Likewise, it also provides training positions for young people under 30 and unemployed. The initial proposal for the first year is 640 contracts, and in 2015 the first contracts were signed (210 unemployed people were hired) to carry out the first project linked to school support tasks, support in nursery schools, improving knowledge about the living conditions of citizens in Barcelona, working in traditional festivals and cultural programmes, promoting training projects aimed at young people and participatory processes for young people. The training and employment projects that these new participants will work on are defined in co-operation with the different areas and districts of the City Council. Tourism and City Commission and the Strategic Plan for Tourism 2016-2020 Tourism is a crucial sector for Barcelona and although it has experienced high growth in recent years, this has not been distributed evenly across the whole city, but rather concentrating activities in just a few districts. We must ensure the sustainability of tourism in the city by reducing its negative impacts and ensuring that profits are reinvested across the whole city, creating quality jobs and ending precarious employment, avoiding this excessive concentration and conflict between neighbourhood life and tourism in Barcelona. That's why municipal action in this area must follow a new route map to regain public and citizen leadership on the type of city model we want, and specifically regarding its tourism model, so that we can achieve a consensus that ensures tourism is beneficial to everyone and not at the expense of anyone. As part of the approval of a government measure titled Promotion of a participatory process for Barcelona's tourism model, in September 2015 the Tourism and City Commission was created to act as an entity for participation on issues related to tourism and city tourism management policies. This will be a permanent body set up to debate and reach a consensus on a model of tourism in the city. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 53 The Tourism and City Commission will be chaired by the Mayoress and composed of representatives of city entities, citizens and neighbours and sectors including the tourism sector, commerce and hospitality, culture, sport, unions, and environmental, social and territorial groups, experts and municipal staff as well as municipal representatives from each of the municipal groups. Its functions are to advise the local government on initiatives, policies and the strategic lines of municipal action in the field of tourism from multiple perspectives, and to propose performance measures relating to tourism and to ensure its sustainability; to carry out studies or offer findings on topics in their own sectors at the request of the Mayoress, and prepare an annual report on the situation of tourism in Barcelona, incorporating an assessment of its impact, proposals for improvement, municipal action measures, amongst others, and the most significant measures being carried out in this field and how to identify issues so as to be able to quickly prevent conflict. This government measure means that the Tourism Strategic Plan for the period 2016-2020 will be updated in coordination with the Tourism and City Commission. This updating of the plan, which is scheduled for 2016, aims to find political and neighbourhood consensus, taking into account work done as part of the Bases for a Local Agreement on the promotion of responsible and sustainable tourism. Likewise, it will include an evaluation of the previous Strategic Plan 2010-2015 and integrate the different positions and various debates ongoing in the tourism area: the Municipal Action Plan, the Special Plan for Urban Tourist Accommodation, the Mobility Plan and Tourism Plan, and the Inclusive Tourism Plan. The aim is to produce a document with proposals for the management of tourism in the city for the coming years based on the criteria of responsibility, sustainability, cohesion, redistribution, and innovation in order to recover the leadership role of public governance and management of tourism and ensure the quality and sustainability of tourism. In September 2015 the City Council commissioned Barcelona Activa with the technical assistance and tasks related to the implementation of the Tourism and City Commission and the Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2020, with coordination being undertaken by the Directorate of Tourism, in the context of municipal politics. Business Support Office The Business Support Office (OAE) has been transformed to make it more inclusive to different types of companies and closer to other economies like the collaborative, cooperative, and social and solidarity economies and worker-owned companies and other collective entrepreneurial projects. To make the change towards a more open and plural facility for different types of companies, and as such the business needs of other stakeholders in the economy of the city, the name of this office has been changed - it was known as the Business Support Office- and simultaneously a tender has been opened for the services being offered here. The tender has been carried out in accordance with the criteria of transparency and openness to the public and it will allow Barcelona Ac tiva to resize the service to adjust it to meet the needs identified during its first year in operation. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 54 05. Financial management In 2015 Barcelona Activa managed a budget of 37,709,211 Euro. The bulk of the budget, amounting to 89% of the total, has been allocated to services and programmes for skills acquisition and employment, business and entrepreneurship; the remaining 11% was dedicated to measures to promote the city in terms of its key economic sectors and the territory itself. As mentioned previously in this report, the change in Barcelona Activa's direction which began in the latter part of 2015 and the implementation of the first measures of this new phase will not be reflected in the budget of the organisation until the year 2016. As such, the basic features marking the entity's financial management in 2015 were: § Measures promoting employment, giving continuation to a model based on universal, generic and permanent services for people in search of work, which began in 2012. This represented 56% of the total budget of Barcelona Activa. § Support for business and entrepreneurship, as a driver of employment and economic activity that generates wealth and innovation, accounts for 33% of the total budget of the development agency’s expenditure. § Following a trend that started in 2012, municipal financing for Barcelona Activa continued to grow in percentage terms to become the main source of funding, representing 69% of revenues, which guaranteed the range of services being offered to businesses, people and across the territory, which have been sized and distributed across a network marked by geographical proximity to meet different needs. These services financed by municipal funds and other programmes were complemented by specific measures financed or co-financed by other administrations, such as the Government of Catalonia, which contributed 18% of the total budget, or European funds, which represent 3% of the total. Likewise, income from management fees or from other institutions (in total, 4% of total revenue) has allowed Barcelona Activa to boost its services and actions. Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 55 Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 56 06. Board of Directors From January to June, 2015 From July to December, 2015 President President Ms. Sònia Recasens i Alsina Mr. Gerardo Pisarello Prados Second Deputy Major for the Area of Economy, First Deputy Mayor for the Area of Work, Business and Employment Economy and Strategic Planning Vice-president Vice-president Mr. Jordi Joly i Lena Mr. Agustí Colom Cabau Managing Director of the Area of Economy, Councillor for Employment, Business, Commerce Business and Employment and Tourism Board members Board members Mr. Jaume Ciurana i Llevadot Ms. Sònia Recasens i Alsina Fifth Deputy Mayor Councillor for the Convergència i Unió Group Mr. Gerard Ardanuy i Mata Ms. Maria Magdalena Barceló Verea Councillor for Education and Universities Councillor for Ciutadans Group Mr. Jordi Marti i Galbis Mr. Jordi Sánchez Massip Councillor for the Convergència i Unió Group Managing Director of the Municipal Social Services Agency Mr. Raimond Blasi i Navarro Councillor for Commerce Mr. Jordi Via Llop Commissioner for the Cooperative, Social and Mr. Xavier Mulleras Vinzia Solidarity Economy Councillor for the PPC Municipal Group Mr. Jordi Ayala Roqueta Ms. Míriam Casanova Doménech Managing Director of Presidency and Councillor for the PPC Municipal Group Economy Ms. Janet Sanz Cid Mr. Albert de Gregorio Prieto Councillor for the ICV Municipal Group CEO and Managing Director of Employment, Business and Tourism Mr. Joan Trullén Thomas Councillor for the PSC Municipal Group Mr. Jordi Castellana i Gamisans Representative of the ERC municipal group Ms. Raquel Gil Eiroá Representative of the PSC municipal group Ms. Míriam Casanova Doménech Representative of the PPC municipal group Mr. Marc Faustino i Vidal Representative of the CUP municipal group Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 57 07. Organisation chart First semester 2015 Second semester 2015 President President Sònia Recasens Alsina Gerardo Pisarello Prados Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer Jordi Joly Lena Albert de Gregorio Prieto Corporate Financial Resources Business and Employment Promotion Executive Directorate Directorate Services Executive Directorate Josep Marquès Ferre Montse Charle Torre Susana Tintoré Rebholz City Promotion Operations Corporate Human Resources Business Operations Directorate Directorate Directorate Jaume Baró Mario Rubert Català Núria Massip Vidal Professional Skills Acquisition Tourism and Events Operations Corporate IT Systems and and Employment Operations Directorate Organisation Directorate Directorate Joan Torrella Reñé Marc Puente Vila-Masana Lorenzo Di Pietro Strategic Sectors Promotion Corporate Marketing and Entrepreneurship Operations Operations Directorate Communication Directorate Directorate Anna Majó Crespo Jordi Sacristán Adrià Montse Basora Farré Territory and Commerce Corporate Legal Services Training Operations Directorate Promotion Operations Directorate Jordi Roca i Carles Directorate Àngel Pascual Oliva Lourdes Sugrañes Tena Barcelona Activa Activity Report 2015 58