Testimonial: Javier González

Team workTeam work
Javier GonzalezJavier Gonzalez
Education Developer, EIT Manufacturing Co-Location Centre West

Working at EIT Manufacturing – Javier González

As Education DeveloperCo-Location Center (CLC) West in San Sebastián, Spain, I’m responsible for the successful development, promotion and uptake of EIT Manufacturing Education programmes and initiatives throughout Spain, Portugal and France

What do you like the most about your job?
My job at EIT Manufacturing offers me the possibility of interacting with a lot of people within the manufacturing sector, to have diverse and rich exchanges about education and training needs that help us co-create our programmes. It is a great experience to see the different points of view from each stakeholder (industry, academia, RTOs, etc.) in each country as we define and implement educational activities.

Name an achievement that you are particularly proud of!
During the pandemic (2020/2021) we have not been able to organise any physical meetings or workshops. Instead, we had to be creative when designing and creating interaction opportunities for the stakeholders participating in our activities. A good example of this is the HEI Initiative (https://www.eit-hei.eu/), for which we organised a completely online, two-day workshop – with more than 150 participants, multiple breakout-sessions, discussion groups and exchange activities – and achieved a great success and impact! The collective work to deliver this meeting was amazing, with a lot of hours of preparation, discussion and rehearsals. I was very proud to be part of such an engaged and highly skilled team.

What kind of background do you recommend for your job (study level, professional experience)?
Apart from a university degree (in management, business administration, pedagogy, engineering or a similar field) and a good level of English, I think it’s good to have some experience in project management of training activities, as well as good communication and listening skills. It’s also nice if you have a good network of contacts for enhancing outreach, and a positive attitude for connecting with a variety of stakeholder groups. Experience in EU-funded programmes is always a plus, as is knowledge of other languages apart from English.

How does your job contribute to transforming Europe’s manufacturing/society?
I think that working in EIT Manufacturing offers you the possibility of being part of a dynamic and European-wide initiative that is a driver for change for the future. In particular, within the education pillar, we focus our activities on all education levels, from grade schools with pupils interested in STEM to the most developed technological companies, accompanying individuals and organisations that will configure and shape the future of Europe.