The CEOE Foundation and CEV present the “It’s your Force” (in Spanish, ‘Es tuFuerza’) project to Valencia employers, a project that combines job searches by military personnel with qualified profile offers

The CEOE Foundation, the Business Confederation of the Community of Valencia (CEV) and the Ministry of Defence held a series of seminars on Monday to introduce the 'Es tu Fuerza' project to Armed Forces personnel and Valencian companies.

This initiative was launched last April as a result of the agreement reached between the CEOE Foundation and the Ministry of Defence, and it aims to serve as a bridge between the employment needs of military personnel, mainly troops and sailors with a temporary commitment and reservists with special availability, and the search for qualified profiles by companies. 

These sessions – which have had a first block focused on companies, and a second, for army personnel – are the second stop in a round of events that will take place over the coming months throughout Spain to promote the ‘Es tuFuerza’ project first-hand. The first stop took place in Andalusia.

The first stop was attended by the president of the CEOE Foundation, Fátima Báñez; the secretary general of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV); and the director general of Recruitment and Military Education (DIGEREM) of the Ministry of Defence, TG Pedro García Cifo. The closing speech was delivered by the President of the CEV, Salvador Navarro.

The second part of the event was also attended by Head of the High Readiness Land Headquarters, TG Fernando García-Vaquero, and the Director General of Social Dialogue Coordination.

The conference also benefited from the testimony of companies and organisations who shared their successful experiences in hiring military personnel, such as the Federación de Transportes de Mercancías de Alicante (FEMPA) and ALSA.

As the President of the CEOE Foundation, Fátima Báñez, pointed out at the beginning of the event, “‘Es tuFuerza’ is an alliance between the Armed Forces, institutions and Spanish companies, so that military talent is able to find a place in companies where they may contribute their experience, skills and, in addition, values such as diligence, effort, teamwork and adaptability, which are highly valued in the business world. 

“What we are presenting today is a project full of commitment and heart”, she said, “we have to appreciate the value of this country’s companies as major social and economic players”, adding that “if there is something that military personnel bring to companies beyond their training, it is values such as effort, commitment, adaptability, teamwork and dealing with difficult situations”. “It is a matter of conviction, but also of rightness”, she added.

In turn, the president of CEV stressed that Valencian companies want to support professionals who have already completed their time in the Armed Forces “because foregoing their values and skills would mean losing out on being more competitive”. 

“Recruiting them into our staff will add value, increase our productivity, and improve the social responsibility of our companies. It is a win-win situation, as is the case in each of the projects in which we have worked hand in hand with the CEOE Foundation”, he concluded.

What is the ‘Es tuFuerza’ (in English, ‘It’s your Force’) Project? 

In April 2021, the CEOE Foundation and the Ministry of Defence signed an agreement for the implementation of activities that complement the training, specific adaptation, and labour integration of military personnel in the business world.

The project ‘Es tu Fuerza’ (It’s your Force) was born within this framework of collaboration. Its main objective is the integration of military personnel into the labour market, providing them with professional opportunities that allow them to continue with their professional and personal development and that value their effort, their level of commitment and their outstanding skills.

It also aims to help companies to attract talent, which is a key element for competitiveness and the growth of their business. 

This is a tailor-made project, highly dynamic and flexible, which makes it possible to provide support to military personnel who wish to make the transition from the military to the business world in a close, objective, and comprehensive way. 

To achieve these objectives, we start by actively listening to identify, on the one hand, the profile of the people who want to join the civilian labour force, as well as their needs and interests and, on the other hand, to meet the need for talent and the demand for qualifications in our productive system.