In the first edition of the Talent Strategy initiative promoted by Bizkaia Talent and Mondragon University, 25 companies from Bizkaia were trained in the design and implementation of talent strategies, in order to become quality employers. Talent Strategy is part of the "Bizkaia with the talent" strategy of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia. Through this strategy, we want to develop and retain STEM talent, and attract it to the territory, in order to respond to the increasing demand of companies.

On June 19, at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao, diplomas were awarded to the first 25 companies in Bizkaia that completed the Talent Strategy program. Through this program, comprehensive training is provided so that companies are able to design and implement talent strategies and thus become quality employers. The association promoted by the Department of Economic Promotion of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Bizkaia Talent and the Business Faculty of Mondragon University has prepared and delivered this training program with the following components: a preliminary individual diagnosis and two routes, depending on the level of maturity of the participating companies in talent management. The course called Design is focused on designing a coherent strategy to attract and retain talent in companies. Because the route has been aligned, it is aimed at advanced level companies, so that they can review their value proposition and strengthen their reputation, in order to remain attractive to talent.

Joseba Mariezkurrena, Director of Encouraging Entrepreneurship, Talent and Business Competitiveness of the Bizkaia Provincial Council, Iván Jiménez, Managing Director of Bizkaia Talent, and Lander Beloki, Dean of Business at Mondragon University, were present at the ceremony to award the diplomas of the first edition of the Talent Strategy program. Borja González, Athletic Club's Director of Business and Innovation, gave a speech, and highlighted the importance of adapting the brand positioning work to the organization's identity and goals. Afterwards, the following shared their experiences: Igor Arrizabalaga, Office Director and Chief Digital Officer at RDT Ingenieros; Mikel Aranguren, Marketing Director of Arteche; Vanessa García, head of Canal Agentes en Formación Territorial Norte area of ​​the Generali Seguros company, and Zuriñe Larrauri, People Director of Zunibal.

The Talent Strategy training program lasted 5 months, from January 22nd to June 13th. The participants of the first edition were: Afesa Medio Ambiente, Alterity, Arteche, BCAM-Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Cafte (CAF group), Eldu, Erhardt, Ferchau, Fineco-Banca Privada Kutxabank, Generali Seguros, Merytronic (Gorlan group), Eulen group, Inetum, Ingeteam, Liftra, NTS Seidor, RDT, Roxall, Saitec, Sener, Sidenor, Talio, Voltia, Walterpack and Zunibal.

Bizkaia with the talent

The Talent Strategy is one of the thirteen initiatives of the "Bizkaia with the talent" strategy to develop, attract and retain talent. This strategy is promoted by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, together with 40 institutions in the territory: universities, Vocational Education centers, clusters, business associations, organizations and the main companies of Bizkaia, among others. The difficulty of linking talent to the territory, and especially the difficulty of linking the scientific-technological talent known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics) is already one of the main concerns of companies in Bizkaia and advanced countries.

Activating talent strategies in organizations makes them more attractive, both for new hires and for retaining people who are already members of the company. The Talent Strategy initiative can be helpful in reducing employee turnover, increasing the number of candidates interested in joining the workforce, improving the feeling of belonging, differentiating the company from competitors based on an added value proposition, and promoting the brand image in society. Having quality employers in Bizkaia is good for improving its positioning as an attractive place to study, invest, start and live.

Presentation of BAT

Last January 22nd, 'Talent Strategy' was presented in the BAT - B Accelerator Tower building, an enabling program for Bizkaia companies to design and align their talent strategy adapted to current and future challenges.

As part of this training action program, the participants will go from a quantitative and qualitative diagnosis to an action plan, with the help of experts in various subject areas and a specific technical working group. 'Talent Strategy' is divided into two tracks: on the one hand, "DESIGN", to attract talent at the entry level and wait at companies that want to design a conscious and coherent strategy for acquisition; on the other hand, "LINE UP", for companies that have an advanced level and, in order to continue attracting and retaining talent, need to revise their value proposition. It should be mentioned that not only people from the field of human resources, but also people from the field of business, marketing/communication will participate in both routes, as they will jointly develop the strategy within the company.

To kick off the event, Ainara Basurko, Deputy of the Department of Economic Promotion of the Bizkaia Provincial Council, emphasized the need for companies to address the challenges they face today in the area of ​​talent and explained the context of the program: the "Commitment for Talent" strategy of the Bizkaia Provincial Council.

At the event to present the program, most of the organizations that participated in the first edition were present, such as Alterity, Arteche, CAF, Fineco, Generali Seguros, Gorlan, Grupo Eulen, Inetum, Ingeteam, Leartiker, Liftra, P4Q Electronics, RDT Ingenieros, Roxall, Seidor, Sener, Sidenor, Thalius and Zunibal.

The Commitment to Talent is an initiative that the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, together with thirty public and private organizations, is leading from 2022.