400 youth to take part in skills training and work placement as part of new program

(MissionNewswire) The Pinardi Federation of Salesian Social Platforms, in collaboration with the Community of Madrid, launched the First Professional Experience program that aims to address youth unemployment. The program is funded by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration and the Next Generation EU fund through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan in Spain.

The initiative launched in the Salesian centers of Atocha, Puerta del Sol, and Pan Bendito in Madrid and in the cities of Alcalá de Henares, Fuenlabrada, and Parla, where 400 youth will gain skills and have a chance to work in companies to put the skills they learned in the classroom into practice.

The program offers youth in socially vulnerable situations professional experience and provides companies with the opportunity to discover potential talent. The main idea is to connect youth who have a desire to work with companies that are committed to people. The key to success lies in professional mentoring in a real work environment, which facilitates learning personal and professional skills in an intensive and experiential way.

One Salesian said, “The project pursues an inclusive approach to training and learning, breaking down the barriers that often exist between young people and companies, and betting on those young people who have been left on the sidelines and instead are just waiting for a second chance to train, learn, and discover their vocation.”

Youth will have educational and professional support throughout the program. They will have personalized social support and access to scholarships so that their economic situation is not an obstacle to training. They will also access professional mentoring in the workplace for personal and professional development.

Businesses are at the center of the program and are involved in designing and updating the training program according to the needs of the labor market.

Salesian missionaries have been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32 percent of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14 percent less than men and represent only 34.5 percent of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Spain – Launching “First Professional Experience,” a solution to youth unemployment, pilot project of Pinardi and Community of Madrid

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain