The UAB and Sabadell City Council open the university doors to some twenty people without post-compulsory education

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Sabadell City Council are promoting an innovative university training experience focused on the field of care and the social and healthcare sector. The collaboration between the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Sabadell City Council has made it possible to launch a university microcredential entitled “New Challenges in Care: Mental Health, Emotional Wellbeing and Digital and Technological Innovation in the Social and Healthcare Field”, aimed at people aged 25 to 64, without the need for prior university studies. The course aims to facilitate access to university for people who do not have university studies and are interested in improving their professional skills in a key sector.

This is the first experience of this kind promoted by the UAB in a microcredential format, both in terms of the target group—care professionals who are working, in training, or seeking employment—and in terms of academic content and links with the university's surroundings.

This initiative is part of the Silver Economy Vallès project, led by the Sabadell City Council and developed jointly with the municipalities of Castellar del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, and Badia del Vallès, with the support of the Barcelona Provincial Council. The project reinforces the region’s commitment to social innovation, dignified care, and lifelong learning.

The microcredential began on 20 January and will end on 17 February 2026. It is a short and flexible university training programme lasting only a few weeks, focused on a very specific field and awarding a university certificate worth 2 ECTS credits.

The training involves 23 participants who are attending in-person sessions held both on the campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and at the municipal facilities of the Sabadell City Council at the Cal Molins Training Centre. This combination of venues strengthens the link between the university and the city, as well as the regional nature of the joint municipal project.

Addressing essential social challenges

This training model enables participants to update their knowledge and acquire highly demanded skills in the labour market, while contributing to the professionalisation of the care sector. One of the main objectives of this microcredential is to respond to major social challenges. Therefore, the content combines care and support for people, mental health and emotional wellbeing, and digital and technological innovation applied to the social and healthcare field—priority areas both within the Silver Economy and in the evolution of current social services.