Together with Marta Carrión, Melissa Loya, and Marina Ortells, she won third prize in the Emplea competition.
Clàudia Nadal, a student at the Dual degree in Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Systems Engineering and Audiovisual Communication from the Gandia campus of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, has lived in the Fourth edition of Emplea An experience that combines training, teamwork, and exposure to the professional world. Together with Marta Carrión, Melissa Loya, and Marina Ortells, she won third prize in the program—a prize of 1,000 euros—for a project developed for El Corte Inglés: “Design of a comprehensive tool capable of defining and optimizing the resources needed for the omnichannel department.”
Emplea, a program for women’s leadership and advancement
Emplea is a UPV initiative aimed at promoting women’s employability and leadership. This fourth edition brought together 40 female students and 12 mentors, who worked in teams for several months to solve challenges posed by major companies, with specialized training and guidance from university professionals.
Clàudia decided to participate in the program because she felt it was a particularly good fit for where she was in her life: “I was finishing my studies; all that was left was my final projects.” She was also motivated by “the chance to take on a real challenge and meet students with different backgrounds but similar interests.”
Kairós: Review, Optimization, and Staffing
In mid-September, the participants presented the results of their work to the program’s panel. Clàudia’s team developed a tool designed to improve the planning and organization of the work of the staff in the Omnichannel Department at the El Corte Inglés store on Avenida de Francia.
For the four team members, participating in Emplea has been “an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone, put their knowledge into practice, and take on a real-world challenge related to the workplace.” For Clàudia, “this recognition has also been a confirmation that hard work, perseverance, and cooperation make it possible to achieve goals that may sometimes seem difficult.”
The student from the Gandia campus particularly highlights the motivation of her classmates, whom she describes as “exceptional for their ability to contribute ideas, learn, and convey a passion for what they do.” The complementary nature of their profiles was, in fact, one of the aspects that the team members value most.
Women’s Potential
Marina Ortells, a student in the dual degree program in Computer Engineering and Business Administration, believes the award is recognition of the hard work she put in over the past three months. Melissa Loya, a Business Administration student, notes that the experience has been a lesson in perseverance and an opportunity to overcome her own doubts. For her part, Marta Carrión, a student in the Bachelor’s program in Digital Technology and Multimedia, says the recognition has given her a significant boost in confidence.
All four of them especially remember the strong bond that formed from the very first day. The atmosphere of trust, communication, and mutual support allowed them to capitalize on the diversity of their backgrounds and jointly develop the proposal they presented to El Corte Inglés.
Among the memories Clàudia takes away from this experience is also an anecdote that reflects the confidence the team had from the very beginning. All four were convinced they could win and even used a photoshopped picture of themselves with the prize as their WhatsApp group profile picture. It was their little vision board. After the gala, they were able to replace that image with a real photograph showing them holding the award.
Clàudia Nadal, second from the right, with the rest of the team after receiving the award.