Barcelona's Free Trade Zone inspires young people in the new year of its 'Feel the ZF Power' program

The Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB) has started the 2025-26 academic year of the program 'Feel the ZF Power', an initiative designed to bring the industrial and technological ecosystem of the Free Trade Zone closer to students, with the aim of spark interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careersThe program, now in its fourth edition, is aimed at students between the ages of 10 and 16 from public schools and colleges in Barcelona.

This edition has the participation of 4th year ESO students from Institut Doctor Puigvert and the Institut Elisabet, as well as 6th grade of Primary School of the La Marbella School and Foix Poetry SchoolThe opening day was celebrated with a visit to the company by students from the Escola Poeta Foix. SERTRAM and DFactory Barcelona, a benchmark in Industry 4.0. During their visit, they were able to learn about the activities of companies such as Kion Group, Leitat, Malena Group y Tetravol, thus exploring the practical application of technology in the work environment.

Throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, the program will offer various thematic itineraries: one of mobility with students from the Escola La Marbella in October; another one from chemistry in November with students from the Institut Elisabet; and a final itinerary focused on recycling and logistics in 2026 with the Institut Doctor Puigvert.

Since its launch in the 2022-2023 academic year, the initiative has reached a total of 770 students And, for this new edition, it is expected to reach 300 more. The project is enriched by the collaboration of nearly twenty organizations per edition, allowing young people to learn firsthand about the job opportunities offered by the Zona Franca area, which are often unknown to the city's students.

Pere NavarroThe special state delegate to the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium, has emphasized the importance of inclusion in these fields: “The Gender diversity in STEM teams improves creativityInnovation and problem-solving. Including more women from the ground up in education enriches the future of scientific and technological knowledge, which is why, aware of this, the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium launched the 'Feel the ZF Power' program three years ago."

For its part, Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB, highlighted the need to foster interest from an early age. “If interest is not fostered from a young age, many girls do not develop STEM skills or aspirations, which perpetuates the gender gap in sectors with high labor demand and better salaries.” Sorigué added that “girls who feel capable and supported in STEM have higher academic self-esteem and are more motivated to explore scientific careers. That's why, with the program, we want to demonstrate that Technological activity has no gender, awakening vocations in boys and girls.”

The diversity of companies participating in the initiative, from large corporations to innovative startups, allows students to learn about a wide spectrum of applications of STEM disciplines, ranging from robotics and artificial intelligence to environmental engineering and biotechnology.