Vallsgenera, the Municipal Institute for Local Development in Valls, Tarragona, reported its best year across all services in 2024, with a 13.8% budget increase planned for 2025.
Services for reception and labour orientation, occupational training, and business and entrepreneurship all saw increased activity. The institute served 2,502 people last year, matching previous records, according to Valls officials.
The reception and labour orientation service assisted 1,546 individuals, a 28.5% rise from the previous year. This service, which helps people find work or improve their job situation, accounted for 61.8% of all citizens served by Vallsgenera.
Strengthening Job Search Support
The reception and orientation service creates individualised programmes for job seekers, promoting their independence and considering their skills and the needs of the labour market. Vallsgenera runs several programmes, including 'Job Search Spaces', active insertion measures for recipients of guaranteed income, youth employment support, and labour intermediation for people with disabilities. The latter is a joint effort with the Ginac Foundation.
Through its job board, Vallsgenera managed 270 job offers, nearly matching its historical best. Additionally, 385 people participated in labour itinerary programmes, a 33.7% increase from 2023.
Occupational Training Success
Vallsgenera's 2024 annual report also highlighted various occupational training initiatives for unemployed individuals. These programmes, which include theoretical and practical training, help participants gain official professional qualification certificates, aiding their re-entry into work or further education. The institute continued to participate in initiatives subsidised by the Catalan Employment Service (SOC) through its Priority Area Offer Training (FOAP) programmes.
These programmes cover professional fields such as food industry, cleaning, educational leisure, warehousing, aquatic rescue, and administrative management. Another training line, exclusively for young people aged 16 to 21 without an ESO graduate certificate, is the Training and Insertion Programmes (PFI), also subsidised by the SOC.
For the 2023-24 academic year, Vallsgenera offered PFIs for sales and public service assistants and kitchen assistants. A new PFI for healthcare centre assistants has been added for the 2024-25 academic year, alongside the kitchen assistant programme.
High Insertion Rates and Entrepreneurship Support
The insertion rates for Vallsgenera's programmes are high, particularly for the youth-focused PFIs. According to the institute, 74% of young participants found work or resumed their education. FOAP programmes also showed strong insertion rates, reaching 57.7% in 2024, a 10 percentage point increase from the previous year and the best figures in recent years.
The Local Development Institute also recorded its best figures for the Business and Entrepreneurship Service in 2024. Last year, 56 new businesses were created, all receiving advice from Vallsgenera during their start-up phase. This is the highest number in the last five years. Furthermore, Vallsgenera supported the development of 34 business plans and capitalisation reports, double the number from 2023.
The increased activity at Vallsgenera has been supported by a rise in its financial resources. The institute's annual report shows that the 2024 budget exceeded €2.8 million, the highest figure ever recorded and a 16.3% increase from 2023. This upward budgetary trend is expected to continue in 2025, with a forecast of €3.2 million, a 13.8% increase from last year, according to officials.
