Renewable energies, energy efficiency, and sustainable mobility are economic areas that in the not-too-distant future will generate countless jobs. The Exit Foundation, dedicated to the labor insertion of vulnerable young people, has chosen to focus on the energy world, little exploited until now as a sector in which to find work for this group, being aware of the opportunities that will be generated for operators and technicians.
The Exit Foundation, through the Enchufados al empleo program, has already benefited 268 young people, as explained by its director, Nacho Sequeira. Specifically, the program is developed over three years and has three phases, providing comprehensive support. The first consists of volunteers from energy companies acting as coaches to motivate vocational training students to continue studying and explain the career paths available if they do so. The second involves doing internships in the companies they have been told about, while the third is their labor insertion, for which they are prepared in matters such as passing an interview, and companies, large and SMEs, that may be interested in hiring them are sought.
With 21 years of accumulated experience, Sequeira defines his work in programs like this as "acting as a hinge between NGOs and companies," connecting the most vulnerable groups in society with the agents who can help them find work. His main mission: to fight against school dropout and reduce unemployment among those who do not easily access the labor market, thus reducing inequality.
Sequeira defines his work in programs like this as "acting as a hinge between NGOs and companies," connecting the most vulnerable groups in society with the agents who can help them find workOne of the main difficulties of this objective is the reluctance of companies to participate in projects like that of Plugged into employment, in which the only thing they have to do is contribute the educational potential that their workers can offer. So far, the program has managed to add 262 volunteers, butSequeira insists on the need for companies to see the virtues of investing in youth training programs, even more so when it comes to nascent sectors that do not find a sufficient supply of professionals to continue growing. It is also difficult to convince young people, with complex socioeconomic contexts, whom Sequeira reminds that youth unemployment is around 40% in Spain, while for those who have gone through vocational training, it is reduced to 7%.
Originally tested in Madrid, in the 2019 academic year, the Exit Foundation's program has now reached the Catalan capital, to centers such as the Escola del Treball, the Institut Miquel Martí i Pol, the Fundación Adsis, the Institut Agustí Serra i Fontanet, the Institut Tecnològic Barcelona and the PFI-PTT L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. And next year, 245 students will benefit.
This has been one of the projects awarded by the Naturgy Foundation in the second edition of the Award for the best social initiative in the energy sector, chosen from among some 60 candidacies. These awards seek to recognize and give visibility to people, entities and institutions that stand out for their contribution in the social sphere thanks to their projects linked to energy.
Asociación Norte Joven
The second edition of the Award for the best social initiative in the energy sector has also awarded the Asociación Norte Joven. Its program Generando Futuro is focused on training young people in the field of energy, with the mission of reducing early school leaving and promoting their labor insertion, but including awareness of the importance of reducing energy consumption by increasing the efficiency of facilities.
Its program Generando Futuro is focused on training young people in the field of energy, with the mission of reducing early school leaving and promoting their labor insertionThis NGO in Madrid is dedicated to offering a training itinerary to young people at risk of exclusion in areas such as electricity, plumbing, and carpentry, in which there is a theoretical and a practical part. In the latter, it is proposed that they carry out energy interventions for vulnerable families to advise them on how to reduce their consumption and give talks in educational centers explaining the virtues of this saving.
The director of the Norte Joven Association, Mercedes Negueral, explains how important actions like these are, taking into account the lack of self-esteem of the young people they train. And this is a very important key for their personal development, since, by giving them security, they feel more capable of continuing with their studies, which increases their chances of ending up with a job. So far, the Generando Futuro program has trained 241 young people, who have carried out energy actions in 62 homes, reviewed by 12 workers who have also found work with this project.
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