Imatge MenúCatalonia and Barcelona 

Talent and creativity

Commitment and drive

Catalan society is entrepreneurial, innovative and industrious, with a population known for its common sense, seriousness and excellence, as well as commitment, motivation, honesty and drive in the workplace. Its principal values include cooperation and team work, vision of the future, flexibility and the ability to predict changes and adapt accordingly

Design

In Catalonia, design is a high-profile activity with close links to technology, communications, culture and the economy. We are a community renowned for graphic design, industrial design, trade, architecture, fashion, etc., all of which have a distinctive design culture.

Barcelona boasts over 50 design schools, offering courses to over 6,000 students every year, whilst hosting several key international design associations, awards and events.

Universities and business schools

Catalonia has 12 universities currently offering 400 courses to over 200,000 students, with a further 4,000 studying as post graduates. There are also 17 international primary and secondary schools in Catalonia offering the education syllabuses of their respective countries.

Ranked second on the Economist's list of business schools recently, the IESE Business School with over 600 students enrolled, some 60% from overseas, is now one of the world's most prestigious business learning institutes. It ranks first in Europe in the MBA ranking published by the Economist (2010), and first in Europe and second in the world in open programs in the Financial Times’s Executive Education Ranking (2010).

ESADE and ESADE Creapolis are ranked third worldwide in Custom Programs-Executive Education according to the Financial Times (2010). It has been listed by Business Week in 2010 among the top five MBA programs outside the United States. Its one-year MBA program is ranked 6th worldwide by the Wall Street Journal (2010). Every year over 3,000 organisations worldwide look to ESADE to recruit professionals.

Home-grown talent

Below are just some of the names of people who have forged Catalonia’s reputation as land where talent and creativity flourishes: