The UOC launches a pioneering tool to boost employability

19 February 2025. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is providing its entire community with a first version of a career guidance platform that is a pioneer in education: GPS Professional. This tool lets users identify their personal and/or professional skills, competencies and knowledge and compare them with those valued by the job market in each sector. This can help them make informed decisions about their career based on verified external information.

The rector of the UOC, Àngels Fitó, explained that "GPS Professional is a tool that is innovative and unique in the university sector. Reaffirming the UOC's commitment to employability, it's an initiative that synchronizes academia with the world of work. In the context of lifelong learning, we're providing people with a tool that will allow them to steer a course and make decisions in complex professional environments."

This digital self-knowledge tool will help and support all members of the UOC community in their professional growth processes. By entering the sector or job they are interested in and stating their competencies, abilities, years of experience and academic training, users will know how all these aspects are valued within the professional field they belong to or aspire to join. In addition, they will receive accurate and up-to-date job market data from official sources that will allow them to gauge how well their profile matches market needs and to know whether they require new (cross-sector or specific) competencies to stay up to date in their field of activity.

Available on the UOC Campus, GPS Professional provides information on the years of experience required for vacancies related to each occupation, the number of job offers in each area of Spain and the salary ranges on offer, among other relevant data.

GPS Professional is a dynamic tool that will be updated and expanded in future versions, including a greater number of profiles and competencies, a personalized course recommender, and pathways for those who decide to undertake a change of profession (reskilling), among other aspects. This tool is fully aligned with the range of microcredential courses on offer, both for short training (lifelong learning microcredentials) and longer qualifications (curricular microcredentials).

"This tool represents a significant step forward in empowering the university community in their careers, in an employment context in which adaptability and the need for constant updating are essential," explained Carmen Pagès, director of the Labour Market Research and Analysis Unit (UPAL).

Perspective on the job market

With a job market in constant evolution, knowing the requirements of each sector is essential to ensure quality lifelong learning that makes people more employable. 

In this regard, the UOC and PIMEC have created the Catalan Competencies and Employment Barometer, an observation centre that allows us to find out which jobs and skills are most in demand in the jobs market. According to this barometer, the ability to adapt to change is the general competency most valued by companies in all professional fields. In addition, it also notes a growing demand for “green” skills and jobs and the demand by companies for both basic and advanced digital skills such as knowledge of computer programming and business ICT systems.

Within this framework of commitment to employability, the UOC will be holding the fifth Online Employment Fair on 2 and 3 April 2025. This fair has established itself as an online forum for students, graduates, professionals, companies and institutions to meet and exchange their experiences and knowledge.

The previous Online Employment Fair had 4,000 participants, 175 companies and over 919 job and internship offers. Based on the theme of "The three O's of employability" (orientation, opportunities and observatory), the Online Employment Fair is an innovative and dynamic forum that brings together participants and leading companies, enhances participants' employability and offers reflections on current trends in the labour market.