The counselor of Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment of the Government of Navarra, Carmen Maeztu, detailed this Thursday that the Navarra Employment Service and the Department of Education have launched a training plan that will enable the training of 1,300 people in profiles associated with the transition towards the electrification of the automotive sector in the Foral Community.
In response to a question raised by the PSN in the plenary session of the Parliament of Navarra, Maeztu recalled that "the Government of Navarra is very clear that one of the great challenges we have ahead is to accompany the transformation of the industry, especially in a sector as strategic for the Community as that of the automotive industry."
Likewise, she emphasized that the Executive intends to "do it in a very concrete way, anticipating the needs of companies, training people and generating job opportunities."
The counselor specified that this is the purpose of the training plan that the Navarra Employment Service and the Department of Education are jointly developing, in coordination with Volkswagen Navarra and the Navarra Automotive Cluster (ACAN).
As she explained, the involved entities have been working for several weeks and holding meetings with companies in the sector to "know firsthand what profiles they need, what competencies they will demand and, above all, how we can prepare workers and those seeking employment and new opportunities."
The program planned by Education and the Navarra Employment Service involves an approximate investment of one million euros and contemplates the training of about 1,300 people through nearly 196,000 teaching hours. "A first part is directly linked to the needs that Volkswagen Navarra has," Maeztu pointed out, before specifying that a specific itinerary has been designed for 1,050 people distributed in five profiles: line operators, installation drivers, bodyworkers, supervisors, and technicians in indirect areas.
The head of Social Rights emphasized that "we are looking beyond the immediate needs of Volkswagen." She added that "the transformation and growth that the automotive sector will undergo has a direct impact on the entire industrial ecosystem we have in Navarra. A study conducted by ACAN among supplier companies points to a hiring need of between 1,200 and 1,500 people by 2027."
In this line, he indicated that "we are talking about needs related to the expected increase in industrial activity and with a forecast from Volkswagen Navarra of production of between 360,000 and 370,000 vehicles in 2027, compared to the 225,000 vehicles it manufactured in 2025." "In light of this reality, the Government of Navarra is undoubtedly anticipating," he emphasized.
In coherence with this scenario, Maeztu has advanced that "both from Employment and from Education we have designed two new itineraries specifically aimed at the supplier companies, one for industrial operators and the other for industrial logistics operators, of 103 hours and 81 hours." In his opinion, "they are trainings very close to the reality of these companies."
For her part, the PSN parliamentarian Arantza Biurrun has highlighted that "recently Volkswagen announced an extraordinary hiring to face the production of its electric vehicles, more than a thousand direct jobs and just as many indirect ones," and has emphasized the response of the regional government, based on "anticipation, training, generation of quality employment, commitment, and discreet, permanent, and continuous work with the involved agents."