The second half of the year opens as a window to adventure, with a selection of great trips designed for those who want to discover the world with intensity, authenticity, and comfort. From spiritual landscapes in Asia to natural wonders in America, through African safaris and cultural routes in Europe, Viatges Eurovacances's program offers unique experiences for demanding travelers.

The demand from generation Z has raised the bar and has forced banking to focus on immediate experience. José Ballester, territorial director of BBVA in Catalonia, details how the entity is facing this new paradigm by offering not only an agile app and very competitive rates and products, but also the ability to count on a manager for life's big decisions.How are the financial habits of young people in Catalonia changing in an increasingly digital and competitive context?

You grab your phone and open TikTok. An influencer points a yogurt at the camera and says it looks healthy, but it's actually an industry trick. A content creator claims intermittent fasting has changed their life. Another thirty-second video makes gluten the big enemy to defeat. You've just watched them, you close the app, sit down at your computer, and open an artificial intelligence tool to prepare a personalized diet for you. We've never received so many messages about what to eat, what to avoid, and how to do it. But, amidst this avalanche of information, distinguishing scientific evidence from digital noise has become an increasingly complex task.This situation is not anecdotal. An analysis by Dublin City University and MyFitnessPal of over 67,000 TikTok videos concluded that only 2.1% of nutrition content adhered to public health and nutrition guidelines. It is in this context that undergraduate and postgraduate nutrition training is being advocated for, mainly within healthcare professions. If the foundation for practice is a degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, master's degrees allow for deeper exploration into increasingly complex areas, such as personalized nutrition, sports nutrition, public health, or food and planetary health. In Catalonia, public universities offer various possibilities in these fields.The challenge of myths and screens

In the consultations of dietitians-nutritionists, the impact of social networks and AI has been detected for some time. “I perceive a society with more nutritional information, but also more confusion, where patients tend to react in a polarized way: either they adopt extreme diets, or they are blocked from any change”, summarizes Mar Gassó, dietitian-nutritionist at the BCN Diabetes & Endocrine Institute (IBADE). As she explains, in recent years these habits have even “rradicalized”, and there are people who restrict food groups or are less afraid of miracle diets. 

]]>

Strengthen the connection between disciplines, bring students closer to clinical practice from day one, and articulate health training in the same environment. These are the objectives of UIC Barcelona with UIC BCN Health, the umbrella under which it groups seven disciplines in the biosanitary field. These are Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Dentistry, and Physiotherapy.This ecosystem unfolds on the Sant Cugat campus, integrated into the General University Hospital of Catalonia. There, health studies coexist with three own university clinics, a reference hospital network, and the Advanced Simulation Integral Centre, a space of more than 1,000 square meters that allows students to carry out simulated practices in a real clinical environment from the beginning of their training.More practical experience

The university argues that this model seeks to combine academic learning with guided and safe practical experience, always with the accompaniment of active professionals. Furthermore, UIC BCN Health also concentrates research laboratories in Biomedicine and Bioengineering, gyms for Physiotherapy and healthcare facilities such as the University Dental Clinic, the Support psychology and psychiatry clinic, and Cuides UIC Barcelona, focused on the care of advanced diseases and palliative care.The rector of the university, Alfonso Méndiz, maintains that UIC BCN Health is a “differentiating, clear and solid” proposal built on “almost thirty years of experience” and on an academic offering integrated into its own ecosystem. UIC Barcelona is also approaching its 30th anniversary and twenty years of Medical studies.Three new master's degrees in health

UIC Barcelona's commitment to strengthening its health ecosystem is also reflected in the expansion of its postgraduate offering. For the next academic year, the university will incorporate three new master's degrees linked to this field, with different profiles and approaches but with the same objective: to delve into increasingly specialized areas connected with the new needs of the healthcare sector.  The first of the new programs is the university master's degree in Respiratory and Cardiac Physiotherapy, aimed at both active professionals and researchers. According to the university, the program aims to respond to the growing demand for highly qualified physiotherapists in the comprehensive management of adult, pediatric, and critically ill patients, and emphasizes intervention in situations of great respiratory and cardiac complexity.  The new offer also incorporates the Master's degree in International Continuing Education in Bioethics and Healthcare Professionalism. In this case, the proposal is aimed at healthcare professionals and graduates who carry out their activity in care, research, or training environments. The program seeks to reinforce reflection and preparation on ethical and professional issues within clinical and clinical training contexts.  The third launch is the Master's degree in Bioinformatics & AI for Healthcare, driven by Biomedical Sciences and taught entirely in English. The university presents it as a unique program because it combines bioinformatics and artificial intelligence applied to health in a single proposal, two areas that increasingly weigh more in biomedical research and in the transformation of healthcare services.  

]]>

When a supermarket receives fresh fruit first thing in the morning, a factory avoids halting production due to a lack of components, or a hospital has the necessary materials at the right moment, behind it all there is often invisible but decisive work: logistics. In recent years, this field has ceased to be a secondary component to become a key element of the global economy and a profession with ever-increasing strategic weight within companies.In Catalonia, this shift has been accompanied by a growing offer of master's degrees and postgraduate courses linked to logistics and the supply chain. This is the case, for example, of the master's degree in Supply Chain Management and Technology at La Salle URL; the online master's degree in Logistics Management at the UOC; the master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Technology and Sustainability at UPF-BSM; the master's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain and Maritime Business at TecnoCampus, or programs such as the master's degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management that the UAB promotes within an international consortium, among others. This long list of degrees reflects the extent to which the sector has ceased to be a peripheral specialization to consolidate itself as its own training field, increasingly connected with technology, sustainability, and global business management.An increasingly complete profile

“Before the pandemic, logistics was a more invisible area in the company, almost always in the background”, Concha Gaudó, director of the master’s degree in Supply Chain Management and Technology at La Salle Campus Barcelona, points out to ARA. As she explains, the disruptions of recent years, from covid to geopolitical uncertainty, have placed the supply chain “at the center of strategic decisions for many organizations”, and this has also transformed the type of professionals that are in demand.

]]>

University of Barcelona (UB)

Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)

Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC)

Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

International University of Catalonia (UIC)

University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)

Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)

Blanquerna - Ramon Llull University (Blanquerna-URL)

Expand the offering with new courses related to business, technology, engineering, and international law. IQS incorporates the Master's in Accounting, Data Analytics, and ESG Reporting, focused on advanced accounting, data analysis, and sustainability reporting. La Salle adds programs in Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence for Business Management, and Acoustics, Audio, and Vibrations. Esade, for its part, incorporates the university master's degree in International Business Law, designed for legal specialization in global business environments.

]]>

Update without having to take a full master's degree. Redirect your professional career without starting from scratch. Certify a specific competence and be able to include it in your curriculum. These are some of the particularities offered by university micro-credentials, a brief, flexible, and labor market-oriented training formula that is gaining ground in Catalonia and that universities are beginning to integrate into their offerings. According to the search engine for training offered with public funds from the microcreds.cat Plan, there are currently 468 micro-credentials offered in Catalonia, with proposals ranging from artificial intelligence, programming, or web development to the fields of health, architecture, or project management.“Micro-credentials offer the opportunity to certify more specifically the competencies demanded by the labor market”, explain Dr. Marcelo Maina, director of the master's degree in Education and ICT - e-learning at the UOC, and Dr. Lourdes Guàrdia, vice-dean of the Studies of Psychology and Educational Sciences. According to them, this formula responds to a growing need: to be able to update knowledge and skills quickly, flexibly, and compatibly with work or other daily responsibilities.A brief, focused, and cumulative format

But what exactly are university micro-credentials? Broadly speaking, they are short-term training programs, delivered and certified by universities, that allow for the accreditation of specific skills. They are designed for adults, whether they already have a higher education qualification or not, and aim to facilitate access to more flexible, specialized training connected to the real needs of the productive and social fabric.The duration ranges between 25 and 375 hours, with official academic recognition of up to 15 ECTS credits. Unlike other longer programs, they do not necessarily start from a closed itinerary, but rather allow for the acquisition of specific knowledge in very concrete areas. "They aim to certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, presenting the knowledge, skills, and competencies that have been developed," explain Maina and Guàrdia. Furthermore, they are accumulable: students can add micro-credentials over time and thus build a training path adapted to their professional needs. Another key element is digital certification. The acquired competencies are accredited in a secure, verifiable, and transferable format within the European sphere.

]]>

A worker looks at the salary of their last payslip and wonders how they can move up to a higher category. A recent graduate chains together their first jobs and looks for a specialization that will open new doors for them. A professional with years of experience notices that their sector has changed and that they need to update themselves. The reasons for studying a master's degree are not always the same, but they often share a common underlying idea: to improve their professional position in an increasingly demanding job market.Data indicates that choosing to pursue a master's degree can be a key way to achieve this. Currently, 93.5% of master's degree holders are employed, according to the study The employment of master's graduates from Catalan universities, prepared by the Agency for the Quality of the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya). Furthermore, more than six out of ten perform functions specifically related to the master's degree studied, and a significant portion of those who were already working before taking the course assure that they have improved their professional category, salary, or type of contract.The weight of these studies within the Catalan university system is also relevant. This academic year, Catalan universities are offering 702 master's degrees, involving around 50,000 students, a figure that positions this training as a central piece of university specialization and lifelong learning. 'We want a university system that is a lever for progress and a social elevator, capable of offering opportunities to everyone so that no talent is left behind for economic reasons,' defended the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, at the inauguration of the academic year, which is now drawing to a close.Looking ahead to the 2026-27 academic year, the Department of Research and Universities is working on around eighty new projects encompassing degrees, master's programs, and doctoral programs, many still in the authorization process. As of now, at least 16 university master's programs have already been authorized. The planning is particularly focused on strategic and emerging sectors, such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, ICT, health, engineering, or film arts. The Department also plans to update several existing degrees and master's programs to adapt their content to new professional demands.Master's degrees: a source of progress and opportunities

One of the clearest pieces of data is the professional improvement declared by people who were already working before taking the master's degree. According to AQU Catalunya, 65.6% have improved their professional category and 64.6% have a higher salary than before obtaining the degree. There is also an impact on working conditions: 52.1% have improved their type of contract and 45.2% have improved their dedication or working hours. This does not mean that the master's degree automatically guarantees a promotion, but the data does show a clear relationship between specializing and progressing professionally.However, for this path of progress to be truly effective, price is also a determining factor. Along these lines, the Department has equalized the cost of all public qualifying degrees and master's degrees with the lowest price and has applied a new reduction of 30% for the rest of non-qualifying master's degrees.Jobs more linked to training

Another argument in favor of master's degrees is the alignment between studies and work. According to the AQU Catalunya report, 64% of graduates perform specific functions related to the master's they have completed. The percentage rises to 86% if functions related to their previous university degree are also included. In other words: in most cases, the master's degree is not just a credential disconnected from daily professional life, but rather has a direct translation into the tasks that are ultimately assumed.This adaptation is especially relevant at a time when many people are not only looking for a job, but also for a job that is more aligned with their profile, interests, and professional expectations. In fact, the same study shows that overall job satisfaction among master's graduates is rated as notable, with an average score of 8 out of 10. The key, however, is not to take any master's degree, but to choose training aligned with the professional moment, the sector, and the skills demanded by the labor market.

]]>

Health, ecology, trends in prepared meals, territory, impact and social inclusion shape the synergies of the global project driven by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera through MANS Agrosocials and the Fundació Alícia. Food is the common thread: a commitment that goes beyond the promotion of healthy habits to also become a driver of territorial development and a tool for social integration for people in situations of vulnerability or at risk of exclusion.

]]>

If there is one thing that characterizes La Salle Catalunya, it is its vocation to respond to the business and social needs of the territory where it is located. This objective is particularly evident in the intermediate and higher vocational training qualifications it offers in its nine EF centers within the network of 26 centers it has spread across our country. All these courses focus on the challenges faced at every moment by Catalan businesses, industry, and society, which favors the institution having a presence throughout Catalonia. Only in this way can it grasp, and even anticipate, the real needs of the environment and integrate them into the study plans of the qualifications it makes available to students.

]]>

The aroma of rose bushes is one of the most precious treasures for rose lovers. These shrubs fill with joy those who cultivate them and those who admire them equally. Roses are a literary symbol of classic works and legendary stories such as that of Saint George and, coinciding now with the first bloom, they take center stage with the celebration of the 26th International Competition of New Roses of Barcelona, which will take place from May 8 to 10, 2026, at the Roserar of Cervantes Park.

]]>

Between Barceloneta and Poblenou, the terraces transform into authentic sea view points, where it is possible to enjoy the sea breeze while tasting Mediterranean cuisine. From the elegant Nuara terrace in front of the renovated Port Olímpic to charming corners like Bar Nuri, on Rambla del Poblenou, this route proposes four essential stops where rice, the spring atmosphere and the proximity to the sea go hand in hand.

]]>

The territorial directors of CaixaBank's DT Barcelona and DT Catalunya, Maria Alsina and Josep Maria González, participated in the delivery of roses, which were made by people with disabilities from collaborating social entities, on the occasion of Sant Jordi's Day. A total of half a thousand CaixaBank volunteers in Catalonia have distributed 12,750 roses to the elderly and people with intellectual disabilities in 135 residences in the four provinces. 

]]>

Bridal white returns to Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week, but also vibrant red, electric blue, emerald green, fuchsia, striking yellow, sequins or gala satins and all the intense colors of the red carpet. One more year, Bridal will become an essential meeting point to discover the market and the trends that will mark the 2027 season, and not only for bridal fashion, but also for party, gala, and accessories.

]]> Ernest Prana, musician, singer-songwriter, and social media content creator, and Mercedes Conde, deputy artistic director of the Palau de la Música Catalana, discuss their first experience at the Palau. Although the Palau hosts concerts of various musical genres, classical concerts are those that, by definition, have certain protocols,sometimes unfamiliar to those who have not yet experienced them for the first time. Dispelling taboos and highlighting the excellences of an unforgettable experience are some of the tips these two experts give the audience. The opening of the overture plays in the background. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, one of Richard Wagner's most popular operas.

]]>

Promoted by theProfessional Association of Theatre for All Audiences (TTP) and with the collaboration and complicity of ADETCA (Association of Theatre Companies of Catalonia), EscenaFamiliar currently gives visibility to almost 500 professional companies, and to more than 1600 shows from all over Catalonia. The web portal is consolidated as the essential meeting point for performing arts for all audiences – children, family, and youth – with the common objective of dignifying the sector and improving working and creation conditions.

]]>

The Generalitat of Catalonia will inject 2,000 million euros, 25% of the budget of the Department of Education and Vocational Training, over four years to improve the educational system and the working and salary conditions of teachers. The agreement, reached with the unions CCOO and UGT, foresees reducing ratios, strengthening inclusive education, improving teacher remuneration, and recognizing educational support staff. The pact includes joint monitoring mechanisms with the signing unions to ensure its implementation.

]]>

Rarely has Catalan livestock farming been subjected to such intense pressure as experienced throughout 2025 and these first months of 2026. When we look back, this period will stand out as one of the most complex and demanding in recent decades. The emergence of infectious diseases such as lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cattle, African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars, and avian influenza in poultry has strained the biosecurity, economic sustainability, and response capacity of many farms, especially family-run ones.This situation is compounded by the proliferation of the Asian hornet, which seriously threatens honeybees and, consequently, the balance of biodiversity. The consequences are already evident. In the case of pigs, the crisis has led to weekly losses of millions due to the collapse of prices at the Mercolleida market. The big unknown today is how long the sector can withstand this.Bovine dermatosisContagious nodular dermatosis, detected in L'Alt Empordà with 18 confirmed outbreaks, forced the activation of surveillance zones and the vaccination of hundreds of thousands of animals.Currently, the situation is considered controlled in Catalonia. However, mandatory vaccination is planned for all animals present on the farm, those being born, and those joining the farm who are not vaccinated. In parallel, the Department of Agriculture is finalizing an order to recover the productive potential of the affected farms, an essential measure for the sector.African swine fever in wild boarsIn parallel, the detection of ASF in wild boars in Collserola has led to restrictions in nearly a hundred municipalities and more than 250 confirmed cases, with direct impacts on marketing and prices.Faced with this situation, the Federation of Agrarian Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCAC) has repeatedly called for intensifying and streamlining control measures: from sanitary emptying to increasing the pace of captures and surveillance in affected areas.Despite the coordination of the bodies involved and the actions taken, more speed and effectiveness are needed to contain the spread of the disease and reduce its impact. It cannot be forgotten that Catalonia concentrates 20% of the state's pig production and almost half of the exports.Avian fluAvian influenza has also generated restrictions and additional costs for farms. Last April 1st, the mandatory confinement outside risk zones was lifted, while maintaining biosecurity measures. Despite this, limitations remain in force in high-risk areas, especially in the wetlands of the Delta de l’Ebre and Empordà, and in areas with current health restrictions.The Asian hornet, a growing threatThe beekeeping sector continues to await a shock plan to tackle the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), an invasive species that preys on bees and compromises both honey production and pollination. The current proposal – based on the placement of 700 traps throughout Catalonia – is late and clearly insufficient. Action should have been taken in early March, as other autonomous communities have done.Among the measures proposed by the FCAC are queen trapping, specific training for beekeepers, and the authorization of attractant products, actions that could significantly reduce the impact of the pest. Added to all this is the increase in costs, especially fuel during the campaign. Unlike other agricultural sub-sectors, the beekeeping sector has been excluded from diesel aid, despite suffering increases of up to 30% in production costs.Furthermore, Varroa, adverse meteorological phenomena, forest fires, and the pressure of low-cost honey imports worsen the sector's situation.

]]>

Thanks to refractive surgery, it is now possible to reduce dependence on glasses and contact lenses and regain freedom to drive, read, or play sports without limitations. It is a safe and effective option, backed by the experience of specialists. Dr. Daniel Elies, medical director and expert in refractive surgery at IMO Grup Miranza Barcelona, explains the latest advances in surgical techniques.

]]>

CaixaBank relaunches its promotion for direct deposit of salaries with the aim of attracting new clients after the success of last year's campaign. The entity offers users the possibility of obtaining a cash payment of up to 250 euros for direct depositing their salary.

]]>