Different activities and inspiring talks by renowned professionals have served to put the student at the center and boost his or her professional development.
Employability and talent have once again taken center stage at the Universidad Europea in an event that allows students to learn and bring them closer to companies in different areas, the Talent Day. The day was attended by the rector of the Universidad Europea, Elena Gazapo, who inaugurated the day, highlighting the importance that the institution attaches to employability and the firm commitment to student talent: "Universidad Europea has a firm commitment to technology and the use of networking to facilitate your learning. In our academic model, the student is at the center and the professor is a reference that accompanies them on their training path. I would like to emphasize the importance of having access to active professionals, such as those who are with us today at this event. These professionals come to the University to pass on their knowledge, which will help you to turn your vocation into your passion".
The streaming event was held at the European University of Madrid, Valencia and the Canary Islands. Within each venue there was a simultaneous program of activities that gave students the opportunity to boost their employability and enhance their skills. Attendees had the opportunity to participate in a job fair with leading companies in different sectors; a speed recruiting; a gamification experience offered by Adecco to identify the most outstanding skills of the participants; and they were able to take a professional photograph to improve their Curriculum Vitae (CV).
LinkedIn, the social network of reference in the world of employment, played an important role in this conference. Rosario Sierra, Director of Corporate, Government and Academics at LinkedIn in Spain and Portugal, and Judith Gutiérrez, Content Manager at LinkedIn, explained its usefulness and showed that it is not only a social network for job search, but also a powerful tool with which to enhance personal branding. As Gutiérrez reminded the students, "you can create content on LinkedIn and be a reference in your sector by creating reactive content that attracts the audience. Another key to making posts successful is to find a middle ground between publications about the experiences of our personal and professional life that we want to communicate to reach an audience, create specialized content to nurture our personal brand and for companies to reach us through newsletters, mentions and hashtags".
The round table "Radiography of the job search" was also held, with the participation of different Top Voices of LinkedIn in employment: Anna Bayón, a specialist in networks; the employment counselor Francisco Fernández; Pilar Llácer, a doctor specializing in Human Resources, Digital Transformation, Sustainability and Ethical Leadership; and Mayte Guillén, a journalist specializing in Employment and Training. In the colloquium, moderated by Ana Muñoz, Associate News Editor of LinkedIn, experts in the field of employment have been able to explain how LinkedIn should be used so that this social network becomes a reflection of our way of working and, thus, attract companies. In addition, the speakers highlighted the importance of professional internships and continuous training.
As if that were not enough, attendees enjoyed four round tables that dealt with different current issues, but all of them focused on developing the talent and employability of students.
In "Artificial Intelligence: enemy or ally of employment?" experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been able to reflect on the importance of integrating this technology in education and have highlighted the opportunities it poses in the world of work, with special emphasis on the new profiles that arise with the boom of new technologies. In the words of Alicia Richart, General Manager of Afinity, "the most demanded profiles of companies in AI are data scientists and engineers, AI programmers, people with the ability to implement systems, people who know how to develop market and business of these tools, lawyers specializing in privacy and profiles with knowledge in cybersecurity". In addition, they have stressed the challenges at the regulatory level and in the employment it poses, because as recalled by the professor in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, Enrique Puertas, "some jobs will be radically modified, new ones will appear, some will have to be adapted. Therefore, all people, regardless of their degree, have to know how to apply AI in their professions". This round table, moderated by Juan José Ordás, Job Hunter of the Employability and Entrepreneurship Unit of the European University, was attended by Enrique Puertas; Javier Martín, director of CRAI Libraries; and Alicia Richart.
The director of the Creative Campus, Luis Calandre, was the moderator of the third round table, "Creativity as a profession". Participants included María Gómez, Art and PR director of Unfeigned; Nacho Aguayo, creative director of Grupo Cortefiel; and the business manager of Koff, Lourdes Salas. The importance of the development of creativity in all professions as a differential value, the experiences of renowned experts and the role of the creative industry in the labor market were some of the central themes of this colloquium.
The round table "New professionals in the healthcare sector and their impact on scientific advances", moderated by Anabel Rodrigues, Director of the Department of Biosciences at the Universidad Europea, was attended by José Luis Lafuente, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Universidad Europea; Fernando Martín, Deputy Manager and Director of Digital Strategy at La Paz Hospital; Ana Pérez, Deputy Director General of Public Health at the CAM; and Elena Rivas, Vice-President of ASEBIO. The speakers detailed the advances in the healthcare sector and highlighted the importance of scientific research for the well-being of society.
The last of the round tables, moderated by Luis Sanabria, Director of Online Operations at Universidad Europea, under the title "Online work and studies: the future has arrived", addressed the irruption of new technologies in the educational landscape as a bridge to offer lifelong learning. Lucía Andaluz, Director of Online Programs and professor at the Universidad Europea; Alberto Gavilán, Director of Talent at Adecco; and Diego Mora, MBA Online alumni, spoke about the flexibility that these types of studies offer if the right technological tools are available.
