Open Innovation

The promotion of the culture of innovation within the organisation, as well as the continuous education and training of its employees, constitute one of the pillars of the Innovation Strategy of the Algeciras Bay Port Authority. So much so, that they are key elements to ensure the competitive advantage that digital transformation and innovation currently offer the Port of Algeciras.

In this business and entrepreneurial scenario, marked by extreme competition and with a clear shortage of staff with the right competences and skills, companies that do not keep up with the pace of digital transformation run the risk of being left behind. That is why, at the end of 2022, the APBA launched the Algeciras Port Digital Academy initiative, with the ultimate goal of having a powerful local digital ecosystem, that is, a digital ‘quarry’ for all the agents of the Port Community, including the Port Authority. This work programme includes different initiatives for the attraction, retention and creation of local digital talent and also aims to increase the employability of the citizens of our region.

Specifically, Algeciras Port Digital Academy includes the following lines of work:

• Attraction and retention of young digital talent through its connection with the labour market and the logistics-port sector. This line of work is aimed at vocational training and recently graduated university staff with technological training. In this sense, the first collaborations with vocational training centres in the region and companies in the Port Community began in 2022.
• Training in digital matters for non-technological university staff and professionals from the Port Community to enable them to redirect their professional careers towards the technological sector and/or lead the digital transformation of their companies. To this end, a new line of collaboration has been established with the University of Cadiz, which has led to the creation of a University Expert Course in Digital Transformation applied to Port Logistics, with an eminently practical focus and centred on the APBA’s ecosystem of digital tools.
• Enhancing the digital capabilities of our employees in order to speed up the digital transformation of the company and stimulate innovation capabilities.
• Training the region’s population in certain specific subjects/technologies. For example, the Port of Algeciras has been set up as a 5G training centre for the province of Cadiz in conjunction with Vodafone.
• Increasing the region’s employability by introducing the population to the digital world Through a future Open Campus for training in digitalisation, technological development, innovation and emerging technologies.