The world’s population is growing steadily, and urbanization is expected to add another 2.5 billion people to cities in the next three decades, who are moving to urban areas hoping to find better jobs and a better standard of living. As a result, cities are forced to develop a sustainable model in which resources are managed efficiently, environmental and economic costs are optimized, and society’s demand for services is met.

In this context, our cities are being transformed into Smart Cities, into intelligent and sustainable cities in which new technologies are changing relations with the urban environment, with the Administration and, in the same way, in the workplace.

This transformation also requires intelligent societies in which the concepts of education and work are interconnected to guarantee equal opportunities. Technologies such as Big Data or the Internet of Things are and will be increasingly present in the urban environment and the concept of Smart City is no longer a term of the future.

These new models of cities have already begun to generatenew employment opportunities, relegating profiles that until now were the most sought-after to others in which technology, collaborative work, innovation and the ability to analyze and respond will be common characteristics. It is obvious that a reality of today’s and tomorrow’s work environment is the demand for new professional profiles that are capable of combining technological and social innovation with the use of ICTs to improve citizens’ quality of life, operational efficiency and urban services and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations in terms of economic, social and environmental aspects.

Given this reality , SMARTEC seeks to train the professionals demanded by smart and sustainable cities through training actions framed in four of the six fundamental pillars of Smart Cities:

• Transportation and sustainable mobility
• Rehabilitation and intelligent building
• Responsible management of municipal waste
• Intelligent tourism