Article published on October 22, 2021 in VIAEMPRESA.
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Talentea, the ‘raw material’ of technological talent
Consulting their website it is possible to read that Talentea is a “boutique consultancy for specialized talent selection and enhancement”. In this case, following this definition implies “anticipating market demands, especially in the technological field”. This is explained by Enric Gràcia, CEO of Talentea and one of the three of the four founders of the Lleida-based startup. In a context in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) employment grew by 28% last year, accelerated by the pandemic, Gràcia highlights the creation of the firm, which has specialized in consulting in digital profiles and innovation.
Only three months old, another way of mentioning Talentea’s activity is to say that it is a recruitment startup. However, it is focused on digital and technological profiles, where experts see the future of the labor world in a maximum period of 10 years, being one of the few in Lleida dedicated to this sector. Gràcia explains that “we have bet on this area because in the near future it will be a very demanded profile”. The increase in online commerce has brought with it a need for training in areas such as mechanization and digitalization.
The community of talent
Talentea, made up of three men and one woman, has faced the drawback that “the labor demand has appeared before the training offer, so that the technicians or professionals have been trained in a self-taught manner”, Gracia points out. For this reason, it encourages young people to dedicate themselves to the technological world and trusts in an increase in the presence of women in STEM. “Women are still discriminated against in management positions in the selection processes.”
Given this deficit, the promoters of Talentea are working on the creation in 2022 of Talentea School, a school of digital content that would act as an intermediary between universities, which would transfer students, and companies, which would demand specialized professionals. Gràcia explains that, although the details are just being defined, the training will essentially be virtual and useful to the consultancy. The CEO sets the example that the startup will become a kind of raw material for its customers and companies.
Talentea is representing clients from sectors as diverse as food companies, specialists in new technologies, smart cities or Artificial Intelligence.
At the moment, Talentea receives clients from sectors as diverse as food or service companies and other more specific ones, such as specialists in new technologies, ‘smart cities’ or Artificial Intelligence (AI). Normally, explains Enric Gràcia, companies tend to have more than 50 workers. The firm’s headquarters are located in the Neoparc estate in Lleida to be close to technology companies and it also has a branch in Manresa.
Opening a headquarters in the Tecnoparc technology park in Reus or new branches in Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia or Bilbao are some of Talentea’s most immediate goals. The purpose of the company, which has just been born, is to reach a turnover of 500,000 euros in 2022. Born to find and select specific profiles in the technological field, the startup wants to face the whole process, establishing Talentea School, betting for qualified and accredited trainings. The school will serve as a quarry of talent. From there will emerge digital content managers, web editing, monetization design, Social Media management or Online Reputation Management (ORM). They will be some of the professions of the future, or at least the most in demand at the moment, and for which a training framework is required.
