Last October 1st, a conference called Hidden Talent was broadcast, promoted by Ikaslan Bizkaia, with the support of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, with the aim of analyzing the situation of talent in the production fabric. He paid special attention to women and Vocational Training graduates.

Ana Saratxaga (Amore Paper), Miren Gutiérrez Inchaurza (Head of Human Capital at Ormazabal Secondary Distribution), Mireia de Diego Ibañez (Manager of De Diego SL), Leire Mendibe (Director of Human Resources at Egoin Group) and Fábia Silva (Managing Director of Dronak) were the protagonists of the round table that opened the day. And, to begin with, they defined what talent is.

"The ability to put more into the game and get results based on observable behaviors is not under anyone's monopoly, it can be applied to anyone." Miren Gutiérrez summed up through this assertion the speakers ’shared perception of talent. They believe that talent is the ability and skills, but also the desire to learn and get involved; after all, the desire to make contributions, ”said Mireia de Diego.

As Ana Saratxaga said, this readiness requires a double effort: on the one hand, to overcome one's fears and obstacles and to start learning and improving; and on the other, that of the surroundings. Businesses need to be able to perceive and manage the desire of individuals to improve. To do this, they need to create a safe context in which they will be able to reveal the best that each person has inside.

Communication is key to managing talent. Leire Mendibe put on the table this word that expresses the desire to integrate people into the company and be part of the future of the company. As Fábia Silva explained, this communication must lead to concrete actions that will support individual initiatives, such as taking the lead in projects.

Vocational training

They were then asked what Vocational Training can do to develop talent in organizations, and the question itself was a great introduction to talk about a shortcoming that Vocational Training itself has long announced: the low presence of women in STEAM areas. References, stereotypes and glass corridors direct women to specific activities, according to Ana Saratxaga. In addition, this makes it difficult to promote vocations related to industry, science or technology. And in fact, these are the best working conditions in these areas. Moreover, in the case of Vocational Training, cycles in these areas have the best job marketing rate. "It's essential that VTs visualize this reality." Leire Mendibe also claimed this link between vocational training and business.

However, vocations are dealt with from an early age. Ana Saratxaga believes that dissemination and promotion are essential in the pre-decision phase of what to learn. And in order to be deeply rooted, it is essential to do this through language, platforms and youth references: “the way we attract young people has changed, and so we need to move closer to new ways of communicating”.

The five executives believe that society still needs to make progress in getting women’s talent into STEAM companies and making it visible. In this regard, they believe that women who are committed to this professional path should be helped. This support should be provided when they are in the process of training, through a support network for women who have done so. However, this is not enough: it is essential to protect them even when they are acting professionally. Reconciling work and family life, taking on managerial positions, and empowering women are still some of the work that remains to be done in the STEAM field; in fact, all of these make it difficult to showcase women’s talent in this area.

To end the roundtable, they called on all women to believe in themselves and break established stereotypes so that they can commit to new scenarios that will allow them to develop personally and professionally.

Next, more than 50 people took part in the Zoom discussion. Interesting reflections came out of organizing more meetings about talent and its management.

The conference was also attended by Susana González Rómulo, Director of Employment of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Patricia Campelo Martínez, Director of Equality of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and Eduardo Alzola, President of Ikaslan.

Hidden talent will be available in its entirety on Ikaslan Bizkaia's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ikaslanbizkaia

Ikaslan Bizkaia

Ikaslan Bizkaia is a non-profit association made up of 27 Public Vocational Training Centers in Bizkaia. There are high-level teachers in the association, and its main goal is to provide modern and quality teaching that is in line with the needs of today’s labor market. Also, one of the most important of our goals is the human education of students.

Ikaslan Bizkaia is the Association of Public Vocational Training Schools of Bizkaia. Through the management of the following schools, it aims for excellence:

• Acting as an intermediary between the administration and interest groups.
• Sharing experiences and collaborating between network schools and local people.
• Approach: To have a unified public network of Vocational Training schools. A network with social recognition as a benchmark for education and employment, due to its high level of management and innovation.
• Values:
• Participation and respect.
• Transparency.
• Team work.
• Trust in people: We believe in the value of seriousness and commitment, and we offer them opportunities to take responsibility.
•  Innovation: Only by doing different things will we achieve different results.