The Minister of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment of the Government of Andalusia, White dewannounced on Tuesday that his department would launch two new helplines for small business and crafts who, equipped with 20 million euros, They will be used to modernise and improve the competitiveness of SMEs and self-employed workers.
Rocío Blanco brought it forward during the award ceremony VII Andalusian Crafts Prize which were celebrated in Granada and that in this edition they have recognized the work of María Pilar Rodríguez Rivas, Jesús Bellido Martín, Alfonso David Hidalgo Cruz, the Craft Federation of Seville and Jesús Moreno Piñero in the four modalities of these awards.
As the Andalusian minister explained, this aid will be financed by the Operational Programme. FEDER Andalusia 2021-2027 and they are designed to make their processing as agile as possible for those who choose them.
In addition, They will be divided into two calls. The first, which will be published before the end of the year, with around 13 million euros to promote the growth, competitiveness and consolidation of commercial and craft SMEs. And the second, by 2025 and with seven million euros, will contribute to its adaptation to the new technologies, which is one of the major challenges facing the sector.
During her speech, Rocío Blanco highlighted the good work of the artisans awarded at the 7th edition of the Craft Awards who, through their efforts and commitment, contribute to the growth of a sector “that has its own name and is “key in the economic and cultural development of Andalusia.”
Blanco highlights the economic weight of the sector
He highlighted the economic weight of the Andalusian sector, with 20,000 people employed across 7,000 companies18% of the national total; and its historical-cultural roots and the artistic quality that a good part of its products have achieved, “thanks to the talent of our artisans and the excellent training offered in Andalusia, where we have two National Reference Centers (CRN), the Albayzín and the School of Jewelry of Córdoba.
The advisor explained that the IV Comprehensive Plan for the Promotion of Crafts in Andalusia is being implemented, with 14.45 million euros, and that it represents a roadmap for improve the competitiveness of artisans, supporting them in their adaptation to new technologies, prioritizing the transfer of trades between generations and guaranteeing the continuity and protection of Andalusian craftsmanship.
He also mentioned initiatives aimed at promoting Andalusian craftsmanship as a brand of “Crafts made in Andalusia”, the distinctive sign “Andalusia, Artisan Quality”, or the future creation of craft routes; a photographic inventory of craftsmen; the development of a directory of disappearing crafts; or the development and implementation of a new computer application that supports the Andalusian Crafts Registry.
VII Andalusian Crafts Prize
These awards, which recognize innovation, creativity, environmental responsibility, promotion and marketing in favor of crafts, are organized by the Ministry of Employment, Business and Self-Employment recognize businesses and artisans for their contribution to the development of the sector in the community.
In this edition, the jury decided to award the prize in the Craftsmanship Award category to María Pilar Rodríguez Rivas from the Sevillian municipality of Salteras, who began her journey as an artisan in 1992, creating the brand “Papeles para Sentir” in 2000. She has been recognized by the Junta de Andalucía as a Master Artisan since 2018, and her workshop was declared a Point of Artisanal Interest in 2016.
Jesús Bellido Martín, from Granada, He received the Andalusian Prize for Singular Work of Craftsmanship. He is a member of the prestigious Bellido guitar family of Granada and one of the main representatives of the current Andalusian school of luthiers. The jury distinguished the work entitled “Golden Soul Guitar”, work developed according to the proportions of golden geometry, based on studies carried out by Manuel Bellido and José Miguel Contreras, from the University of Granada.
Alfonso Hidalgo Cruz ‘Góngora Cerámica’, from Úbedaprovince of Jaén, received the Innovation and Research Award, constitutes the sixth generation of a family of traditional potters. After training in artistic ceramics and archaeology, he broke away from traditional pottery and founded his own company under the brand Góngora Cerámica.
In this way, he began to investigate the latest and more sophisticated techniques of contemporary ceramics, making high-temperature pieces for the first time in Úbeda, using stoneware and porcelain for their creations, and techniques as complex as zinc crystallization or kiln firing.
The Quality in Promotion and Marketing award was given to Craft Federation of Seville and Jesus Moreno Piñero.
The Seville Craft Federation is a non-profit professional organization artisans entrepreneursof a federative and sectoral nature and at the provincial level, created for the coordination, representation, management, promotion and defense of general and common artisan interests, individual artisans and artisan companies of Seville and its province.
For his part, Jesus Moreno Piñero, from Cádizhas devoted more than two decades to watch repair and maintenance and was named a Master Craftsman in 2022. In order to promote his work, he has invested time and effort on social media, where he has built a solid presence on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTokwith over 800 publications that have allowed it to capture the attention of a global audience interested in watchmaking craftsmanship, resulting in a significant increase in the number of clients and collaborations.
Your network promotion strategy goes beyond simply marketing your services; it is also about promoting values sustainabilitycreate new market opportunities and foster collaboration within the watchmaking community.
