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Digital transformation is not just a trend; it is also a pressing necessity for economic and social progress. In this context, local public policies become the cornerstone for a sustainable and inclusive future. The Treball, Talent i Tecnologia (TTT) programme, promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council, is an example of how local initiatives can drive a digital revolution with profound impacts that leave a mark on our society.

Deployed between 2021 and 2023, the TTT was born as a response to the economic crisis resulting from the covid-19 pandemic with the aim of promoting decent work, improving the skills of local talent and driving sustainable economic growth through technology. This initiative not only addressed the immediate and short-term challenges that were required at the time, but also laid the foundations for a more robust and egalitarian socio-economic model. Thus, the TTT has shown that local public policies can be a driver of change and innovation.

The results of the first edition of the TTT speak for themselves: 296 municipalities in the province of Barcelona, 6,582 people and 4,852 companies participated. Over three years, 60 territorial projects were developed distributed in 8 preferential business value chains, such as health and well-being, sustainable mobility, the silver economy  and healthy eating. In total, 1,983 employment contracts were created, of which 30% were permanent, and 56% of the people and 45% of the participating companies improved their level of digitalisation.

These figures not only reflect the success of the programme, but also demonstrate the transformative power and effectiveness of well-designed and executed local policies.

Thus, after the success of the first edition, we have launched the second edition of this program. Barcelona Provincial Council is committed to programmes such as this one, which local entities were calling for an extension because they saw first-hand the tangible and intangible benefits of this initiative. In this way, the second edition, which will last until 2026, will consolidate what was achieved in the first and expand its impact.

A cultural change

But TTT goes beyond quantifiable data. This programme has also meant a cultural change, because it has reinforced territorial agreement: almost half of the projects that participated in the first edition are of supra-municipal scope and now, in the second edition, this collaborative way of working has been committed. Thus, the traditional approach of active employment policies has been overcome by including the entire labour force, offering opportunities to both unemployed and inactive people and those who are employed but want to improve their employment situation. In addition, it has established a new, more horizontal and cross-cutting governance model, which has allowed for a more effective and comprehensive implementation of public policies.

Public-private collaboration has been an essential change in this process. Local authorities, companies, training centres, universities and other specialised agents have worked to create synergies that have transformed relational dynamics and boosted innovation. The innovation capacity of the local scale is enormous, it is one of its strengths, and with this project this has once again been demonstrated from the point of view of cooperation and public-private collaboration. This collaboration has been key to addressing the preferred business value chains and to defining strategic actions that have benefited the entire population. And this will last beyond the program.

No one left behind

The digital transformation of people and companies is a key factor in guaranteeing the competitiveness and resilience of the economic fabric of the province of Barcelona, one of the objectives for which the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of the Barcelona Provincial Council is working. We live in a time when technology is changing everything at breakneck speed and, therefore, the digital divide threatens to leave the most vulnerable behind, both people and companies.

TTT has become a fundamental tool to ensure that the entire population can take advantage of the opportunities offered by technology. This programme has worked to reduce inequalities and promote a more equitable society: 79% of the participants in the first edition belonged to vulnerable groups and 61.5% were women.

Acting in the present to transform the future, Barcelona Provincial Council works from innovation to leave no one behind and to achieve a more prepared society with the capacity to adapt to the new times that are to come.