Photo: Stockfile/FIS

More than 500 professionals apply for jobs in the Spanish tuna fleet through the ‘empleAtún’ platform

SPAIN
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

• In addition, more than 1,700 students and qualified professionals participate in sessions about the professional development opportunities in this fleet

Madrid – The Spanish tuna fleet, grouped under OPAGAC, has received 520 job applications through its ‘empleAtún’1 platform as of the end of 2024. Since its launch in October 2023 to attract new talent, ‘empleAtún’ has generated interest from professionals both nationally (with over 80% of applications coming from Spain) and internationally, from countries such as Argentina, Chile, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela.

Regarding the applications from residents in Spain, a high percentage comes from autonomous communities with a strong fishing tradition, mainly Galicia, the Basque Country, and Andalusia. The occupations that have received the highest number of job offers include bridge and engine room officers, pangueros, oilers, and cooks.

The goal of ‘empleAtún’ is to provide the member fishing companies of OPAGAC with a tool for more efficient management of their recruitment processes. To achieve this, the platform centralizes applications and maintains an up-to-date database of available professionals to cover urgent needs, thus optimizing hiring times and ensuring a quick response.

It is important to note that the ‘empleAtún’ platform is part of OPAGAC's strategy to ensure generational renewal in its fleet, which is made up of highly qualified crews, most of whom are between 42 and 50 years old. The platform also aims to ensure operational excellence for a fleet that employs 2,400 professionals and has a target of replacing key positions over the next five years, including captain, skipper, bridge officer, engine room chief and officer, electrician, boiler specialists or oilers, as well as cooks and kitchen assistants.

As part of this strategy, in 2024 more than 900 students and qualified professionals participated in informational sessions about the professional development opportunities offered by the tuna fleet. Since their inception in September 2023, these sessions have gathered over 1,700 participants.

So far, 18 sessions have been held at training centers throughout the country, with a particular focus on Galicia, the Basque Country, Valencia, Murcia, and Asturias. These meetings have mostly taken place at nautical-fishing schools and Vocational Training centers, focusing on specialties directly related to the fleet, such as navigation, fishing, and naval machinery.

In addition, meetings have been held at hospitality schools and other specialized training centers to raise awareness of the fleet's socio-labor conditions among students and professionals in fields such as cooking, electricity, welding, and maintenance of refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

According to Julio Morón, general manager of OPAGAC, "The success of ‘empleAtún’ in such a short time demonstrates the interest of the new generations of maritime workers in joining a fleet that combines tradition and modernity. This platform not only connects professionals with fishing companies, but it also helps with generational renewal in a fleet that is key to the economy and food sustainability. It is another example of our commitment to the future of tuna fishing under the highest social and labor standards, and we will continue this effort."

1 A digital job placement platform of the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezing Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC), funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food as part of the Production and Marketing Plans for Fishing Producer Organizations.

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