Barberà del Vallès Local Council (via the Barberà Promoció Foundation) and Moventis (the collective mobility division of Moventia) have revealed a partnership agreement to train transport professionals in the city. The course approved under the agreement signed by the two entities and receiving funds from the Catalonia Employment Service has a two-fold objective. On the one hand, it seeks to fill a void in terms of driving professionals in the passenger transport by road sector and, on the other hand, to offer opportunities to the unemployed or those wishing to reshape their professional future.

The agreement states that 40% of those taking the course will be employed by companies within the Moventis group after obtaining the required qualifications. For those who are not eventually employed by Moventis, the Barberà Promoció Foundation offers the chance to register themselves in its labour exchange to help them find vacancies and job opportunities that suit their profile.

This training, which is provided by APTIBUS (a training centre for Professional Driving Services and a Moventis partner), will be provided on municipal premises. The course consists of 295 training hours, is aimed at the unemployed over 24 years of age holding a valid B class driver’s licence first and foremost, and provides the necessary training to take the exams for a D class driver’s licence and the initial-passengers Certificate of Professional Aptitude.

The event to reveal this agreement was led by the Mayor of Barberà del Vallès and Chairman of the Barberà Promoció Foundation, Xavier Garcés Trillo; the Second Deputy Mayor for Central Services and Economic and Social Development, Pere Pubill i Linares; the Fifth Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Mobility, Public Transport and Stabilisation Zones, Joan Muñoz Altimira; the Vice-President for Corporate Affairs, Internal and Institutional Communication at Moventia, Sílvia Martí Escursell; and the Head of Human Resources at Moventia, Marga Pedreira Gomez, at the Torre d’en Gorgs building, headquarters of the Barberà Promoció Foundation. “This partnership is a significant step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and towards building a more prosperous and equal community for all, recognising the urgency with which such challenges as climate change, social inequality and the preservation of our natural resources must be tackled”, said the mayor. By prioritising women when providing this training, “we can create a future in which the talent and skills of every individual are recognised and valued, regardless of gender”, he added.

In turn, Sílvia Martí highlighted the optimism with which this agreement is being signed by saying “Through our collective mobility division, Moventia hopes that this public-private partnership can be the start of a great training process to produce the best professionals. Forming part of such an initiative as this, which will create job opportunities and give added momentum to the unemployed and job-seekers by giving them tools to evolve professionally, strengthens the social identity that underpins the very nature of Moventia”.

The local council will work with Moventis on the entire selection and training process to train professionals that can later join the labour market within such services as public transport, one of the pillars for the sustainability of cities, regional cohesion and green attitudes.

Moventis has extensive experience in the promotion of courses and training aimed at obtaining comprehensive qualifications for new public transport professionals. Between 2019 and 2023, the collective mobility division of Moventia has promoted 17 training and labour market integration courses in several municipalities throughout Catalonia. In this time, 259 people have been trained by the company and a total of 113 professionals have been hired by the group.