G.I. Holding has a strong product portfolio and extensive experience in engineering, systems integration, and services. Its brands include CLINT (heat pumps and chillers), KTK KLIMATECHNIK (process cooling), NOVAIR (air quality solutions), and MONTAIR (data center cooling). This development will directly strengthen the Commercial Air Conditioning catalog that BAXI will soon offer its customers in Spain and Portugal, allowing it to present new heat pump solutions for building decarbonization, among other significant innovations.

The business evolution of BDR Thermea and its entire group of companies towards centralized air conditioning systems for commercial and industrial buildings has its roots in BAXI’s 2021 acquisition of Hitecsa. This acquisition aimed to complement BAXI’s traditional offering and provide more tailored solutions for all types of commercial and industrial buildings, such as airports, hospitals, hotels, supermarkets, and shops. Joan Blanch, General Manager of BDR Thermea in Spain and Portugal, emphasizes that “this acquisition, completed today by the Group, reinforces BDR Thermea’s strategic and operational alignment with its growth plan for 2030. Today, we significantly expand our capacity to offer solutions for all the commercial air conditioning needs of our clients, from residential complexes and hotels to educational and commercial centers.”

Three years of relationship
The acquisition of 100% of the Italian company G.I. The acquisition of G.I. Holding, a leader in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning solutions for commercial and industrial applications, by BDR Thermea, culminates a relationship that began in 2023 when it acquired a 25% minority stake in G.I. Holding.

Regarding today’s transaction, Tjarko Bouman, CEO of BDR Thermea, stated: “This is a pivotal moment for BDR Thermea. G.I. Holding brings a high-capacity product portfolio, engineering expertise, and the commercial capabilities we need to deliver fully integrated decarbonization solutions.”

Paolo Baldissin, former CEO of G.I. Holding, added: G.I. Holding, for its part, explained that: “Our collaboration began more than five years ago with the aim of supporting BDR Thermea’s business evolution towards centralized climate control systems for commercial and industrial buildings. The step we are taking today opens up new opportunities for G.I. Holding and its valued customers in an increasingly competitive market dominated by large industrial groups. BDR Thermea’s long-term vision, combined with its industrial focus, will allow the G.I. Holding group to continue growing strongly. It also demonstrates BDR Thermea’s clear long-term commitment to Italy as a key market and as a hub of innovation in Europe.”

An accelerator for the 2030 strategy
The acquisition completed today is a key step in driving BDR Thermea’s 2030 strategy: Focus, Transformation, and Action. These are the key principles that will guide the company’s long-term evolution. The strategy is based on strengthening BDR Thermea’s position in the residential and commercial markets, expanding its connected heating and cooling solutions, and reinforcing after-sales services. A key element is shifting the focus from a product-centric approach to one centered on offering integrated climate control systems tailored to our customers’ needs.
G.I. Holding enhances these capabilities and adds a robust commercial portfolio and extensive experience in engineering, systems integration, and services. This acquisition also brings added value in engineering, product management, training, and after-sales support, giving a clear boost to the delivery of comprehensive solutions.

A Complete Commercial HVAC Offering
Together, BDR Thermea and G.I. Holding will now offer their customers a complete and integrated HVAC portfolio, positioning the company as a “one-stop shop” for commercial heating and cooling solutions. With a stronger local presence across Europe, enhanced service capabilities, and close collaboration with our customers, the combined business can offer tailored solutions for diverse markets and applications. G.I. Holding’s brands will continue to be differentiated by ongoing investment in R&D, product development, and anticipated market growth.

Strengthening Manufacturing and Global Reach
The acquisition announced today reinforces BDR Thermea’s commitment to industry excellence. G.I. Holding’s production facilities… G.I. Holding’s facilities in Latisana, Ronchis, and Rivignano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) join BAXI’s presence in Bassano di Grappa (Veneto) and Castellbisbal (Barcelona), creating a strengthened industrial platform within BDR Thermea’s network of 14 manufacturing plants across Europe. Approximately 300 G.I. Holding employees in Italy, Hungary, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates join BDR Thermea, an organization of more than 6,500 people operating in over 50 countries.

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I’ve had the opportunity to visit various Vocational Training Centers and Workplaces, share my vision for the future of vocational training, and talk with teams that are transforming how we understand training and employment.

Today, I want to summarize a large part of what I’ve been publishing these past few months: reflections, photos, experiences, and, of course, summaries of the talks I’ve given at several centers.

Vocational Training as an Engine for Real Change

Each visit has reinforced an idea I already suspected: vocational training is now one of the most dynamic, innovative, and necessary areas of the education system. The centers I’ve visited this year work with an admirable blend of rigor, creativity, and commitment to their communities. I’ve seen projects that directly connect with the needs of businesses, workshops that function as true laboratories of the future, and teaching teams that not only teach but also support, guide, and open doors.

Training Centers: Where Theory Becomes Practice

In my posts over the past few months, I’ve shared images of classrooms, workshops, laboratories, and learning spaces that speak for themselves. What has impressed me most is the ability of these centers to adapt to technological changes, renew methodologies, and offer students experiences that prepare them for a constantly evolving job market.

In the conference I gave, I emphasized three key ideas:

Vocational training needs to continue connecting with the productive reality of the region.

Innovation is not a luxury: it’s a necessity.

Students must be the protagonists of their learning process.

Workplaces: The Essential Bridge

Visits to companies and organizations have been equally revealing. Workplaces that collaborate with vocational training offer more than just internships: they offer context, professional culture, and real opportunities for growth. I’ve seen companies that understand vocational training as a strategic investment, that patiently and diligently support students, and that value training as a key element for their own development.

In my previous posts, I’ve shared images of workshops, meetings, production processes, and learning experiences that demonstrate the importance of this collaboration.

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With the arrival of summer, outdoor spaces take center stage, and common areas in homes, hotels, offices, and service buildings experience increased activity. Gardens, terraces, entrances, parking lots, and walkways require efficient lighting that provides safety and comfort without unnecessarily increasing energy consumption. In this context, intelligent lighting automation becomes a key tool for optimizing resources and improving the user experience.

The recently added Finder 18.71 and 18.81 motion and presence detectors, part of the 18 Series, combine an updated design, simplified installation, and new features that allow for automatic and efficient lighting management both indoors and outdoors.

Redesigned for Discreet Integration
The new 18 Series models feature a modern, minimalist aesthetic that facilitates seamless integration into any environment. Available in white and anthracite gray finishes, they are suitable for homes, commercial buildings, hotels, and retail spaces where functionality must coexist with aesthetics.

In addition, both devices incorporate an adjustable head that expands installation flexibility and allows for optimizing the detection zone according to the specific characteristics of each project.

Type 18.71: Intelligence and Simplicity for Indoors
Designed for indoor applications, the Type 18.71 PIR motion detector stands out for its intelligent, self-learning timer function. Thanks to this technology, the device progressively adapts operating times to the actual usage patterns of the space, improving user comfort and contributing to energy savings.
This wall-mounted model allows for adjusting the light threshold using a dedicated potentiometer, ensuring that the lighting is only activated when truly necessary. Furthermore, its simplified three-terminal connection scheme—phase, neutral, and load—reduces installation time and facilitates the work of electrical professionals.

During the summer months, it is particularly suitable for corridors, common areas, warehouses, technical rooms, lobbies, or service areas where occupancy varies and energy optimization becomes increasingly important.

Type 18.81: Maximum Versatility for Outdoors
For outdoor applications, Finder presents the Type 18.81 adjustable detector, a solution designed to operate reliably even in demanding environmental conditions thanks to its IP55 protection rating.

This model incorporates a 10 A potential-free contact and an input for an external push-button switch, significantly expanding integration possibilities in various types of installations. It also allows for adjustment of both the light threshold and the switch-off delay—from 18 seconds to 15 minutes—using two independent potentiometers.

Its five-terminal configuration facilitates the connection of phase, neutral, contact, and push button, providing a flexible solution for automatic lighting control in gardens, driveways, patios, parking areas, perimeter zones, or outdoor walkways.

During the summer season, when the use of open spaces increases and activities extend into the evening, having systems that ensure lighting only when needed enhances safety and reduces electricity consumption.

Faster Installation, Greater Efficiency
One of the main objectives of the redesign of the 18 Series was to simplify installation. Both the 18.71 and 18.81 models operate on 230 V AC (50/60 Hz) and feature a 10 A normally open contact, offering performance adapted to a wide variety of residential and commercial applications.

Simplified wiring and optimized connection systems reduce assembly time and minimize potential installation errors, an advantage especially valued by industry professionals. With these new additions, Finder presents solutions that combine comfort, functionality, and energy efficiency. This effective approach to intelligent lighting management becomes a decisive factor in improving building sustainability and optimizing energy costs without compromising user safety or comfort.

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My mission is clear: to inform, inspire, and open doors. And doing so alongside BAXI, a leading brand in home climate control systems, for which I also have the honor of being an ambassador, makes every day extraordinary.

BAXI is a leader in home climate control systems and a strong advocate for vocational training and continuing education, supporting both students and working professionals through its network of training centers, where qualified experts train installers and customers on the latest technical developments in the market.

When I walk into a vocational training classroom, I don’t just bring my experience: I bring real solutions, practical case studies, industry trends, and, above all, the opportunity for these young people to become part of BAXI’s technical support teams across Spain. It’s an opportunity that transforms careers and elevates the prestige of the profession.

Air conditioning is much more than installation and maintenance. It’s efficiency, sustainability, technology, innovation, and the future. It’s a sector that evolves with every regulatory change and every technological advancement, and it needs professionals who are prepared, motivated, and proud of their work.

That’s why every talk, every technical demonstration, and every conversation with the students is a boost. A reminder that we are building something great: prestigious professionals for an essential sector.

And that, without a doubt, is my greatest fortune.

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Traveling to Vocational Training centers throughout Spain allows me to connect directly with students who are about to enter the workforce. This local presence is a huge advantage: I can tailor each conference to the center’s context, the students’ level, and the real needs of today’s technology market.

My goal is clear: to provide a practical, up-to-date, and honest view of how the IT sector works from the inside. I don’t talk about theory; I talk about experience. About real projects. About the challenges and opportunities that students will encounter as soon as they enter the job market.

An Added Value: The Strength of a Technology Partner

In many of these conferences, I am joined by Avannubo, my technology partner, specializing in IT Solutions and Services that empower and transform companies and businesses. Their participation allows students to learn firsthand how a company committed to innovation, digitalization, and young talent operates.

Their slogan sums it up perfectly:
Avannubo, Your Technology Partner

Together, we offer a learning experience that goes beyond a lecture: it’s a direct window into the professional world, into the technologies that are transforming businesses, and into the opportunities that vocational training can leverage to lead that transformation.

Connecting education and business: the key to the future

Vocational training is the driving force behind technical talent in Spain, and bringing the business world into the classroom is essential for students to graduate prepared, motivated, and with a clear vision of their professional future. My lectures, with the support of Avannubo, aim precisely for that: to inspire, guide, and open doors.

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My presentations always begin with a simple idea: energy and fluids are not just technical sectors; they are sectors of life. They are present in every home, every business, every piece of infrastructure, and every technological advancement that allows us to live more efficiently, safely, and sustainably. Therefore, those who train in these disciplines today not only acquire professional skills: they become agents of social transformation.

I explain to the students that career paths in this field are numerous and flexible. An installation technician can evolve towards specialization in renewables, automation, energy management, building efficiency, electric mobility, or industrial maintenance. They can start their own business, work for a large company, join an engineering firm, work in project supervision, or even become a trainer. There isn’t just one path; there’s an ecosystem of opportunities that grows in tandem with the energy transition.

I also talk to them about the human value of these professions. I share real stories of installers, technicians, and specialists who have found in their work not just a job, but a professional identity based on social utility, quality work, and the satisfaction of seeing how their work improves people’s lives. I show them that vocational training isn’t a backup plan, but a path to excellence that demands responsibility, knowledge, digital skills, adaptability, and a commitment to quality.

In every educational center, young people discover that the energy sector isn’t a distant or inaccessible territory. It’s a sector that needs talent, seeks technical profiles, values ​​practical training, and offers stability, growth, and recognition. And this is where the Fenie Energía Foundation plays a vital role: bringing the realities of the energy sector into classrooms, supporting students, assisting teachers, and highlighting the impact of these professions on society.

This article also serves as an invitation to other professionals who, like me, visit schools and share their experiences. Our stories are a powerful tool for inspiring vocations, guiding decisions, and demonstrating that behind every installation, every electrical panel, every air conditioning system, or every solar panel, there is a potential career path for any young person eager to learn and grow.

The Fenie Energía Foundation promotes these values ​​because it understands that Spain’s energy future is built from the ground up: from classrooms, from vocational training, from the motivation of those who are starting today and will lead the energy transition tomorrow. And every conference, every mentoring session, and every visit to a school is another piece in this collective commitment.

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The document dismantles the traditional view that reduces innovation to scientific or technological research. Evidence gathered from more than 250 vocational training centers and 30 organizations demonstrates that innovation also arises from the continuous improvement of processes, technological adaptation, the resolution of real-world problems, and the daily interaction between educational institutions, businesses, and professionals. And it is precisely here that vocational training reveals itself as an irreplaceable player.

The report identifies clear limitations: the scant presence of vocational training (VET) in public R&D&I policies, its invisibility in the governance of the science and technology system, the fragmentation of support mechanisms, and its reliance on the voluntary efforts of teachers. However, it also highlights crucial strengths: its strong local roots, its connection to the productive sector, and its capacity to adapt to the real needs of businesses.

In this context, students and graduates emerge as true agents of innovation, capable of identifying opportunities, incorporating up-to-date knowledge, and catalyzing change within organizations. VET not only trains professionals: it generates innovation wherever economic activity takes place.

The challenge now is not simply recognizing this role, but fully integrating it into the R&D&I system and transforming it into a structural driver of change. This report helps to place this debate at the forefront, reinforcing an idea that is already a reality: VET is innovation.

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Today I can say that I am deeply proud: he has passed all his subjects and is moving on to the second year of his Higher Level Vocational Training program. Furthermore, this summer he begins his Dual Vocational Training at a workplace where he will continue until June 2027.

Seeing him grow, strive, and move forward with determination is the best reward for those of us who believe in the transformative power of Vocational Training.

VocationalTraining #Mentoring #Volunteering #FundacionImpulsa #DualVocationalTraining #Talent #Opportunities #Education #Support #ProfessionalFuture #VocationalTrainingPride #SocialImpact #Badalona

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The Yearbook of Education in Catalonia offers a portrait of the state of education since 2005 and proposes a wide range of policies to address the main challenges facing the system. It is edited by Miquel Àngel Alegre and Francesc Pedró.

The overview provided by these analyses makes the Yearbook an essential tool for understanding and evaluating the evolution of education over the last twenty years.

Since its inception, the direction of the Yearbook has been headed by Xavier Bonal, Ferran Ferrer, Bernat Albaigés, Miquel Martínez, Josep M. Vilalta, Jordi Riera, César Coll, Aina Tarabini and Margarita León, leaders in education research.

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This June, I had the privilege of being in Bilbao to share an updated, realistic, and motivating vision of the future of their profession with Vocational Training students in the Energy and Electricity programs. It was a day where technology, connectivity, and efficiency took center stage.

In partnership with FINDER, a leading European company in automation and home automation—for which I have the honor of being an ambassador—we presented the students with the latest technological innovations that are already transforming their professional field: smart solutions, advanced control, energy management, and devices that improve the efficiency of buildings and homes while reducing emissions.

My message was clear: Society needs these future professionals more than ever. We live in a model based on knowledge, connectivity, and decarbonization. Every installation, every automated system, every smart electrical panel contributes to saving tons of emissions and improving the environment. And they, the vocational training students, are the key players in this transformation.

Technical professions not only have a bright present: they have a huge, solid future full of opportunities. The demand for specialists in electricity, home automation, and energy management is constantly growing, and their role is essential for companies, homes, and cities to move toward a more efficient and sustainable model.

Bilbao has once again been an inspiring meeting point for technology, industry, and young talent. And I am convinced that these students will be protagonists of the new energy era that is already underway.

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