The last call for the R+D+i Managers program in Castilla y León, GESTIDI< /a>, managed by the Adeuropa foundation. This program is aimed at training graduates in R+D+i management tasks through training scholarships and short stays in companies. The program seeks to train companies in the region and promote their involvement in R+D+i projects through the incorporation of qualified human capital in R+D+i.
Undoubtedly, it is a program for the promotion of innovation of great interest, and yet, is this program the most appropriate for companies in Castilla y León? Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the results of this program in terms of graduates subsequently hired or number of new R&D projects presented, but even so, some areas for improvement could be considered:
1. The business mass of Castilla y León is mainly made up of small and medium-sized companies and in the region the weight of traditional sectors is still very significant. The GESTIDI program should make it easier for these companies to get involved in R+D+i projects. However, the small size of SMEs makes it impossible for them in many cases to hire a person exclusively for R+D+i management tasks. Let us also take into account that the program expressly indicates that the trainee engineer or graduate cannot carry out technical tasks within the R+D+i project. While this prevents the trainee from doing other tasks, it can also make it more difficult to recruit after the traineeship is over.
2. Also due to the characteristics of this business fabric, there are many companies that have never participated in R+D+i projects but that could have possibilities of doing so. However, trained professionals must have less than 10 years of professional experience, which greatly limits the ability that these people could have in the company to drive and lead new projects.
3. The duration of the internship is only two months. During this short period of time it will be difficult for the intern to demonstrate his worth in the company or successfully participate in the identification and achievement of a new R+D+i project.
4. The selection of the intern is not carried out by the company, but by ADEUROPA. This factor increases the probability that the professional does not meet the preferences of the contracting party, making it difficult for them to adapt to the company and minimizing the possibilities of a subsequent contracting.
All these aspects invite at least a critical reflection on this program whose result could be very different: Are professionals being trained again so that they can later leave our lands? We have extensive experience in this type of training, looking at the figures of emigration of graduates from Castilla y León. It seems that there are sufficient arguments to reconsider this program in some aspects and help, in a real way, to solve one of the biggest problems in the region: that the SMEs of Castilla y León venture into R&D&i. On the other hand, the need to accompany this program with a more active approach is recognized, one that really involves the large business mass of SMEs in these tasks, that helps them identify potential projects and/or join active consortia and endow them with human capital for it. It is necessary to pace all these actions.