A 4P model enables Generation Spain to fill employment gaps.
Over more than a decade, the nonprofit Generation Spain has launched new training and employment integration programs aimed at addressing Spain’s dual challenges: a high unemployment rate, disproportionately affecting underrepresented communities, and a shortage of qualified professionals in growing sectors, particularly in the green and technology fields.
To make this possible, Generation Spain partnered with public institutions—including local governments, employment agencies, and humanitarian organizations —as well as private sector allies.
It all added up to a Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnership (4P) model. This case will highlight how this model enabled greater impact and why it matters today.
Employment gaps
Spain faces one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe. According to the Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2024, published by the National Statistics Institute, Spain's unemployment rate stood at 10.61%, compared to 5.9% in the European Union in December of the same year, according to Eurostat.
This situation directly impacts social inclusion, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable groups, such as young people, women, the long-term unemployed, individuals over the age of 45, and migrants. While youth unemployment remains among the highest in the EU at 26.6%, people over 45 continue to represent the largest share of unemployed individuals in Spain, accounting for 57.4% of the total.
At the same time, more than 75% of EU companies report difficulty finding workers
with the right skills, especially in sectors central to the green and digital transitions (Eurostat, 2023). Meanwhile, in the energy transition space, clean tech sectors report vacancy rates up to 30% above the EU average (CEDEFOP, 2023).
In Spain, there are currently over 500,000 unfilled job vacancies. By 2030, it is estimated that more than 2.3 million people will need to be reskilled to avoid exclusion from the labour market, according to studies by the INE and the World Economic Forum.
These gaps underscore the need for solutions that enhance employability and align training with actual labour market demands. In response, sectors such as technology and green jobs offer a key opportunity, not only because of their growth potential, but also due to their capacity to create quality employment and support a just and sustainable transition.
Filling gaps, targeting SDGs
The technology programs, which include training in RPA, digital marketing, and Java, along with Generation Spain’s photovoltaic (PV) solar panel installation program not only addresses the green and technological skills gap but also supports a just transition by training people from vulnerable backgrounds for roles that directly contribute to climate resilience and sustainable development.
Furthermore, in the case of PV technology, if it is not implemented at a large scale, several critical environmental and socioeconomic consequences arise: missed climate targets, since solar energy is essential for decarbonising the energy sector; loss of local job creation opportunities; and lower resilience and energy independence, as photovoltaic solar energy helps diversify the energy mix and strengthen national energy security.
The green and technological skills gap touches several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reflected in the SDGs targeted by Generation Spain’s initiative:
>SDG 4 – Quality Education: Delivers targeted vocational training aligned with labour market needs.
>SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth: Facilitates employment for vulnerable populations, especially the unemployed.
>SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities: Prioritizes vulnerable groups, including mid-career workers and the long-term unemployed.
>SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals: Demonstrates the power of cross-sector collaboration between public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to drive systemic change and scale impact.
Why a 4P model?
Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships (4Ps) bring together the public sector, private companies, and philanthropic organisations to jointly design, finance, and deliver impact initiatives. Generation Spain adopts this model to address systemic unemployment, creating skilling and employability programs that leverage public funding, private sector insights, and philanthropic support to scale its impact sustainably. It is central to Generation Spain’s strategy because it:
>Enables resource pooling and risk sharing
> Ensures training relevance through employer involvement
> Enhances program sustainability by embedding public-private collaboration
> Supports equity and access by combining public missions with inclusive training models
Strategy & implementation
Generation Spain established a coalition of partners to deliver training with a transformative impact on people’s lives. The 4P strategy is underpinned by three core elements:
>Deep alignment and understanding of private sector interests in skilled solar PV professionals
>Leveraging private capital for initial testing and concept validation to attract public funds for scaling
>Engaging selected partners to leverage local expertise and resources to tailor training to the local context, and drive cost synergies
The implementation approach embedded collaboration at every stage of the process:
>Assess job demand through rigorous stakeholder and employer consultations
>Pool private capital from multiple partners to run a pilot to establish credibility, unlocking public funding
>Design and validate curriculum with renewable energy sector companies to meet industry needs
>Extend learner mobilisation efforts to vulnerable groups via networks and public employment entities
>Collaborate with employers to facilitate post-training interviews and placement support for graduates
Insights from the 4P
What made this public-private partnership unique was the synergy between Escuela de Organización Industrial (EOI) — a public institution with strong program delivery capacity — and Generation Spain, recognised for its extensive employer network and impact-oriented methodology.
As Fernando Garrido, Director of the Public Projects at EOI, highlights: "EOI's quality management system allows the execution of programmes with a high volume of students, while Generation's contribution is key in the connection with the business fabric, as well as its active role in attracting potential beneficiaries and their subsequent job placement."
Several factors contributed to the success of this collaboration. Complementary roles were defined: EOI ensured scale and regulatory compliance, while Generation brought expertise in job placement and learner support.
Private sector involvement was also crucial, with employers actively engaged in training implementation to align it with the real needs of the market and to facilitate the labour market insertion of the participants. For example, energy and technology companies, as partners in the initiative, played a crucial role in shaping the training curriculum by providing valuable insights based on their industry expertise and workforce needs, such as:
>Identifying specific competencies required
>Highlighting the importance of practical, hands-on training
> Participating in feedback sessions and juries to assess the readiness of graduates
Their involvement ensured the curricula were directly aligned with real job expectations, improving employability.
Virtuous Cycle
Private capital helped attract public funding by demonstrating a strong commitment to the programs and actively participating in their design and implementation. This involvement assured that the initiatives were aligned with labour market needs and had real potential for successful job placements, which in turn increased public funders’ confidence in investing.
Conversely, public funding also played a critical role in attracting private investment by providing financial stability and reducing risks associated with scaling the programs. The availability of public resources signalled institutional support and credibility, encouraging private capital providers to commit, knowing their investments would complement and leverage existing public efforts. This reciprocal dynamic fostered a virtuous cycle of collaboration, enabling the partnership to expand its reach and deepen its impact.
Impact
The collaboration between Generation Spain and EOI has delivered tangible results with significant social impact:
Since 2015, more than 2,100 individuals have been trained across over 90 cohorts in three priority sectors—technology, customer service, and green jobs—with an employment placement rate of 76% within six months of programme completion.
This joint effort represents just one part of Generation Spain’s broad track record of impact, in which EOI has been a key partner in multiple initiatives.
Since 2015, more than 6,660 individuals have been trained in over 267 cohorts across three priority sectors — technology, customer service, and green jobs — achieving a 79% employment rate within six months of program completion. Generation Spain has empowered vulnerable people in Spain by providing access to quality careers. Their 7-step methodology achieves an 83% of graduates meet their needs between 2-5 years later. They measure impact by Breadth, Depth, and Durability.
Behind every statistic, there is a story of personal transformation — people who have overcome barriers, broken stereotypes, and opened new doors through these programs.
Such transformation was the case for two female participants, who entered fields traditionally dominated by men.
Before starting the Digital Marketing + AI training program by Fundación Generation Spain and EOI, Milena had been unsuccessfully searching for a job for months, despite her experience in administration, marketing, and managing international events. Wanting to gain practical skills in specific areas, she decided to reinvent herself through this program. From day one, she found a dynamic environment that transformed her professional outlook. Today, she works at IES Abroad, motivated to apply what she learned and continue growing in marketing.
Milena (Digital Marketing graduate): “The program seemed very up-to-date and comprehensive for its online format and duration. Knowing that the instructors were active professionals motivated me even more. I gained a lot of new and current knowledge. I highly recommend this course; it’s an excellent way to invest your time if you’re unemployed. You don’t just learn new skills; it changes your perspective and can provide clear guidance for your career.”
This is the experience of Carmen Camacho, a graduate of the Cloud Computing program by EOI and Fundación Generation Spain. With a very different academic background from cloud technology, Carmen made the most of the training to transform her life and expectations.
Carmen (Cloud Computing graduate): “Before the course, I was studying dental hygiene and radioelectronic engineering while working full-time as a waitress to pay for my tuition. My expectations were exceeded both during and after the program. I thought my dreams wouldn’t come true, but this course changed my life and helped me find my true calling. I improved both my personal and technical skills, and a month after finishing, I found my dream job. At SEIDOR, I work with an exceptional team and receive training in the area I wanted, as an IT consultant designing applications with Power Platform, RPA, and Apps.”
Next steps
Moving forward, Generation Spain will continue co-creating projects that generate lasting impact and shared value. This includes strengthening public-private collaborations to amplify their reach, while also identifying solutions to ease the administrative burden these partnerships often entail.
Generation aims to expand the geographical scope of their programs, building on their success in specific communities to reach new regions, always adapting to local realities. At the same time, they plan to broaden their training offerings in strategic areas such as green jobs (e.g., aerothermal energy, sustainable mobility) and technology (e.g., cybersecurity) to stay aligned with the evolving demands of the labour market.
Generation will also deepen its commitment to inclusion by reaching more vulnerable populations and ensuring that no one is left behind. By doing so, they seek not only to grow in scale but to grow with purpose, amplifying social impact in a sustainable, equitable, and resilient way.
Key takeaways
Combined funding approaches, such as 4P models, effectively reduce financial risks and enable the scaling of employment programs, increasing their overall reach and impact. Moreover, ensuring that training programs are closely aligned with the specific needs of employers helps to maximise both return on investment and employment outcomes for participants, making interventions more relevant and effective.
Flexible funding mechanisms have also proven to be powerful tools for driving operational efficiency by tying funding directly to measurable results. Lastly, fostering trust-based, mission-aligned partnerships among all stakeholders is critical to sustaining long-term impact.
Such partnerships create a collaborative environment that supports shared goals, enhances resource mobilisation, and ultimately strengthens the effectiveness of employment initiatives over time.
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*Generation Europe is not, strictly speaking, a financial investor. The term “investor” appears in on this webpage in reference to Generation Europe’s non-financial contributions to the aforementioned initiatives and because of the format typical of Impact Europe’s impact stories.
