Regional Education and Employment Project to Transform Alicante’s Old Trading Post into a Major Training Center
The Ministry of Education, Universities and Employment plans to advance a project that saves the old trading post and repurposes the defunct Alicante Employers’ Association Coepa into a prominent training hub. The goal is to alleviate labor shortages across multiple sectors. While the exact usage schedule remains to be defined, the regional administration aims to convert the property into a major learning center. This center would carry out essential functions originally envisioned for the site in 2001, while also supporting activities such as carpentry and electrical work to supply skilled professionals for film studios and other local industries.
The regional Minister of Labor, Antonio Galvañ, has stated that the agreement in which the Alicante City Council would transfer the property to Labora for management for 50 years in exchange for rehabilitation could be finalized soon. This arrangement would pave the way for a durable training facility under Labora’s stewardship, aligning with regional labor needs and education goals.
The former Coepa trading post sits in the Babel industrial area of Alicante. It has stood unused since 2012 after a crisis caused a pause in operations and subsidies for training courses funded by the state employers’ association were cut. The project originated in 2001 through a tripartite agreement among Generalitat, a financing loan from the Valencian Institute of Finance, the city council granting land use, and the business organization overseeing course delivery and management.
Real estate in question is envisioned as a Training center for various trades and features a prominent concrete structure that simulates a building under construction. It was constructed as an occupational risk simulator to support practical training in the construction sector.
Financial challenges arose when course subsidies were cut, leaving Coepa unable to repay the IVF loan. The loan subsequently disappeared in 2017 during a period when Galvañ served as the organization’s treasurer. After several years of negotiations, the Alicante city council and the previous regional government reached an agreement to rehabilitate the property and convert it into a Labora training center, with municipal participation. However, political changes and elections delayed the project from moving forward.
Notary Awaited
The current head of Employment is once again focused on preserving the building, especially in light of continuing labor shortages in various sectors. The immediate plan is to transfer the property to a notary for a 50-year arrangement between the City Council and Labora. This step is described as a formality awaiting finalization.
The subsequent stage will be to define the usage program, determining the specific activities to be carried out in the center. Labora’s leadership has already signaled clear intentions. The regional administration seeks to leverage the existing infrastructure to train workers in sectors with notable demand, with a view to directly recruiting professionals from abroad if necessary to ease shortages.
On the other hand, there is emphasis on training new professionals in carpentry and the electrical trades, particularly given the demand from the City of Light film studios. The aim is to create a reliable pipeline of skilled personnel so the local film industry can thrive and host events with the right workforce in place. If the film industry expands, it should benefit from a steady supply of trained technicians and craftsmen.
The plan is to undertake rehabilitation of the building with a view to starting work next year. While an exact cost estimate is not being offered at this moment, early assessments placed the required investment around 5.5 million euros, reflecting the extent of deterioration and the years of neglect that the property endured. The aim remains to restore the site to a functional training center that serves the region and helps ease labor shortages across diverse sectors.