Representatives from Neapolis have participated in the first transnational meeting of the European project Network4Work , held in Nyíregyháza. on March 4 and 5. The meeting brought together the different cities and partner organizations to begin the process of transferring good practice from the Local Employment Forum developed by the Hungarian city.

During the meeting, Vilanova i la Geltrú presented its transformation strategy linked to the blue economy under the concept “Towards a Blue Economy Living Lab for Employment & Entrepreneurship” , positioning the city not only as a maritime ecosystem, but as a space for economic and institutional transition based on innovation, talent and collaborative governance.

The presentation highlighted the city’s potential in the field of the blue economy, with more than 600 companies and more than 3,200 jobs directly or indirectly linked to activities related to the sea, as well as the approval in 2024 of the strategic plan “El Batec del Mar”.

However, Neapolis stressed that the main challenge is not so much the lack of economic activity, but the lack of a coordinated system that connects employment, training, innovation and entrepreneurship. In this sense, the need to move from a logic of sectoral promotion to a true institutional and governance architecture was put on the table.

The proposal presented by Vilanova i la Geltrú proposes a model based on two major complementary axes:

– a front oriented towards employment and the development of skills linked to the blue economy, aligning educational centers, companies and training systems;
– and a second front focused on entrepreneurship and the creation of a future nursery/incubator specializing in maritime innovation and sustainability.

The objective is that these two areas do not evolve separately, but under the same model of shared governance between administration, companies, training centers and local agents.

In this framework, Neàpolis also explained that the blue economy working group already existing within the city’s Economic and Social Council will become the future URBACT Local Group (ULG). of the project. This space already has the participation of multiple local actors such as IMET, the UPC, the Port of Vilanova, the Fishermen’s Guild, vocational training centers, companies, GALP and different agents of the city’s maritime and economic ecosystem.

The city also announced some of the pilots that they want to promote during the project, including:
– an incubator specializing in blue economy and maritime innovation;
– and a labor market and skills intelligence system ( Blue Skills & Labor Market Intelligence Framework ) to anticipate talent needs and align them with training and the business fabric.

Vilanova i la Geltrú’s participation in Network4Work will allow local capacities to be strengthened in terms of governance, skills anticipation, integration between employment and entrepreneurship and the development of more resilient and connected economic ecosystems with future transitions.

Photos of the meeting:

For more information about the project:
Network4Work – URBACT