Telefónica opens Universitas campus to reinforce Innovation and Talent Hub

Telefónica inaugurated the new Universitas campus, a centre that is part of the global Innovation and Talent Hub launched in Distrito Telefónica, its headquarters in Madrid, in October 2021. This is located on the fourth floor of North Building 3, it has 2,000 square metres and is equipped with the best working spaces and the most advanced technology for the development of all training activities. Its aim is to promote the most complete and powerful corporate learning ecosystem on the market today.

“We are starting a new stage, a new adventure. Today we formally open our new campus. Our roots lie in communication and telecommunications. That is our past, our future is connecting lives. This campus is above all a place from within Telefónica for the whole world to connect”, said Telefónica’s Chairman, José María Álvarez-Pallete, during the presentation ceremony. “The new Universitas campus will be the heart of the new learning innovation ecosystem, a key part of the new Innovation and Talent Hub. The opening of this space marks a milestone in the company’s learning history. Today we lay the first stone, a big stone. But it will not be the only one, there will be many more to come”, he assured.

This project strengthens the Group’s commitment to learning at a time when education is emerging as a crucial vector for responding to the current challenges of the new digital reality. After years leading corporate education, Universitas, Telefónica’s corporate university, now brings its experience to the global Innovation and Talent Hub, Telefónica’s global commitment to meet the new needs of the digital society. In this way, it is strengthened to generate an unparalleled, all encompassing, learning environment.

Universitas makes available to all Telefónica employees, without any limitation, the most complete learning offer, which is focused towards growth in digital skills as well as in very necessary human skills. This new ecosystem becomes the single point of access and also the digital and physical showcase of the entire learning and growth offer from which to consume digital, hybrid or face-to-face content.

The new campus has four rooms that will be prepared for both face-to-face and remote training. For this purpose, Universitas has live broadcasting services and screens to replicate the signal of the technological platform, allowing remote participants to access a virtual learning environment (Mashme) or Microsoft Teams sessions for up to 10,000 people. It also includes multi-purpose spaces, a recording room, a translation booth or a cafeteria.

“To drive our transformation and the way we work, we want Telefónica’s people to invest in themselves, encouraging continuous learning and the development of new skills that will allow us to continue growing”, said Marta Machicot, Telefónica’s Global People Director.

With this initiative, Telefónica is moving forward in the consolidation of its global Innovation and Talent Hub as a major benchmark in the new digital reality and with the aim of projecting its reach beyond technology to transform people’s lives. Following its official presentation in October, the company announced in February that Fundación Telefónica was joining the Hub’s strategy with the dual challenge of boosting employability and preventing that the digital divide restricts access to education for the most vulnerable. Universitas is a further step in the configuration of the Hub, which is turning the Distrito Telefónica into an epicenter for talent and a benchmark for innovation.

In parallel, on a digital level, Universitas is evolving its global corporate training management platform towards a new ‘Learning Tech Ecosystem’ that will act as a gateway to all learning in Telefónica, incorporating both local and global training offerings.

Launch of ‘Power of Connections’ programme
During the presentation of the new campus, Telefónica also announced the launch of the ‘Power of Connections’ programme. This is an initiative that will be delivered by Universitas and will be aimed at the company’s 100,000+ employees, with the goal of inspiring, connecting and aligning the entire workforce around Telefónica’s purpose, vision and culture.

“Power of Connections is a real quantum leap for Universitas, and I believe it is a quantum leap in the history of corporate learning. It is the most innovative and experimental learning and growth proposition we have ever undertaken,” said Álvarez-Pallete.

CT Bureau