SOIB promotes career opportunities in the nautical industry at the Palma International Boat Show

The Ministry of Enterprise, Employment, and Energy has granted €2.8 million this year to support participants in achieving professional nautical qualifications while combining paid employment with training activities.

Over 600 people are taking part in various activities organized by the Employment Service of the Balearic Islands (SOIB) at the Palma International Boat Show to promote career opportunities in the nautical industry.

In the first three months of 2025 alone, the Employment Service of the Balearic Islands has already managed more than 150 jobs and dual training positions in the nautical sector. The agency, which operates under the Ministry of Enterprise, Employment, and Energy, has been actively working for over five years through its nautical division to raise awareness of job opportunities in this sector, which is considered strategic for the Balearic Islands' economy. Specifically, 72 job openings in nautical companies have been managed with a 40% placement rate, and 82 dual training positions with a 90% placement rate. Additionally, during the same period, the career guidance service has provided individualized support to 56 people.

Through its nautical division, SOIB collaborates with companies to identify training needs and promote the sector's career pathways, aiming to build a pipeline of new professionals for an industry that generates €1.106 billion in revenue and accounts for 5,145 jobs, according to data from the Balearic Marine Cluster, which actively collaborates with the Employment Service of the Balearic Islands.

For 2025, SOIB has allocated €2,817,414.26 for seven projects in which over 140 people will participate over 12 months. These participants will gain professional qualifications through dual training contracts—a type of employment contract that allows paid work to be combined with formal training—within the vocational education and training system. These projects are carried out by the training institutions and 61 private companies in the sector. Available professional certificates include: auxiliary operations for maintenance of systems and equipment on recreational and sports boats; auxiliary activities and port support services for vessels; painting, repair, and construction of reinforced fiberglass elements for recreational and sports boats; and auxiliary maintenance operations for structural elements and surface coatings on recreational and sports vessels.

To showcase these initiatives and bring the nautical sector closer to those interested, SOIB is once again participating in the Palma International Boat Show, which runs through May 3 at El Moll Vell. The Employment Service of the Balearic Islands and the Directorate General of Vocational Training and Educational Planning are present at the show with an information booth and a program of activities, including a dedicated session for guidance counselors from secondary schools, POAP centers, and SOIB’s territorial and sectoral offices in Mallorca; visits from vocational training students and secondary school pupils to the fair; and a roundtable to discuss the present and future of nautical training in the Balearic Islands. In total, 638 people will take part in SOIB's activities at the Palma International Boat Show.