Offering new opportunities for employment, training and career guidance were the key objectives of the 2nd Training and Job Opportunities Fair (FDEFOL). The event was held on Wednesday 18th by the Mijas Town Hall Department of Economic Development at the CIOMijas facilities, with the support of the National Reference Centre and the Regional Government of Andalusia.

The fair brought together more than fifty businesses and entities from the tourism, technology, consultancy, agri-food and human resources sectors, among others. In addition to showcasing the services, they collected CVs from attendees in search of a new job or a career change. “In this regard, we must thank all these companies for their participation, especially those here in Mijas, for assisting job seekers and, most importantly, offering employment opportunities”, stated the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), who also noted that “today we are taking another step towards creating the conditions that foster economic growth in our municipality”.

For his part, the councillor for Economic Development in Mijas, Juan Carlos Maldonado (PMP), added that “our aim is to continue working along the lines set out by the Town Hall, that public-private partnership which enables maximum labour market integration. Although the employment figures in our municipality are very positive, we cannot be complacent”.

Among the attendees were many young people, the demographic that continues to face the greatest challenges in entering the labour market. They are confronted with barriers such as a lack of experience, high expectations from companies, job insecurity and temporary contracts. “There are many young people with completed degrees, including PhDs and language qualifications, who nevertheless cannot find work in their field and struggle to secure decent employment”, said Laura Gaspar, a careers advisor with the group Ayuda en Acción. 

Regarding training, the regional delegate for Employment, Carmen Sánchez, who opened the fair alongside the mayoress, affirmed that “the Junta de Andalucía is also committed to training, we see it as truly necessary”. She noted that “since 2019, we have invested 122 million euros in the province of Málaga in Vocational Training initiatives, benefiting nearly 5,000 people”, she stated. 

Job opportunities

This second edition of the job fair sparked significant interest from both companies and attendees, particularly due to the timing of the event: the start of the peak tourist season, which translates into an increase in recruitment. “Here in Mijas we are quite satisfied because we are a very economically active municipality with many business initiatives and, and a higher number of self-employed people than other cities in Andalusia” highlighted the councillor for the Economy, Mario Bravo (PP).  

As for the event’s progress, the director of CIOMijas, Raquel Hidalgo-Barquero, noted that “it has been very well received; in fact, many companies that attended last year wanted to return, alongside the new ones that have joined us”.

Presentations

To round off this recruitment event, the Department of Economic Development and CIOMijas organised a round-table discussion and several informative talks.

One of the presentations was delivered by Beatriz Zambruno, Head of Human Resources at Team Feher, who spoke about the digital tools available to make finding work easier. “These include the LinkedIn platform, which allows us to check our mobile phones daily for job vacancies advertised by companies that best match our interests or skills”.

Iván Salguero, regional director of the recruitment agency Adecco, also took part in these talks, discussing the professions and trades with the best career prospects. He also highlighted the commitment companies must demonstrate to prevent the so-called brain drain, “and to achieve this, in addition to a competitive salary, companies must offer good working conditions and flexible hours, particularly to support a healthy work-life balance, something that is vital nowadays and which companies are increasingly aware of”. 

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