Page 22 - U4SSC Factsheet, Valencia, Spain, June 2020

For instance, Valencia could ease labour market entry for youth by subsidizing classes at vocational
institutions that combine on-the-job apprenticeship training. This could be done for technology-
related programmes, for example, which would provide talent for ICT sector employment in the city.
Creating and retaining a high-tech workforce will be key to unlocking Valencia’s full potential as a smart
sustainable city.

Optimizing innovation and driving growth: The above would be particularly helpful for the future
growth of the SMEs that make up most of the business landscape in Valencia. Furthermore, incentivizing
technological research that aligns with the needs of the area’s economic sectors will also be important
for this economic growth. R&D and innovation, access to technology and digitalization are key drivers
of SME productivity, which (in turn) is a key driver of long-term growth.
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Further collaboration between the public, business and academic sectors in Valencia is also
recommended. Some notable recent examples of this include work on the city’s VLCi smart city
platform. The platform has been integrated with new FIWARE components such as the ‘UTool’ that
was developed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Given the local university presence, there
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is an opportunity to capitalize even more on such cross-sectoral projects.

For more information on any specific projects already planned or underway, please see the section on
‘Goals and Projects for a Smart Sustainable Future’.

16 U4SSC Factsheet | Valencia, Spain | June 2020