14/05/2019
FSG
Madrid, May 14, 2019.- The Fundación Secretariado Gitano has presented today in Madrid the successful results of its employment program for young people, Learning By Doing, a programme that, according to 87% of its participants, has managed to improve their lives, incresing their self-esteem as well as their soft and hard skills.
The event has gathered over 60 young Roma who have participated in the Learning by Doing programme, along with representatives of the main co-financiers such as Ann Westman, from the European Commission representation in Madrid; Ángel García Frontelo, from the Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund in Spain and Jaume Farré, of "la Caixa" Foundation. Representatives of some of the frontline collaborating companies such as Alcampo (Auchamp) or El Corte Inglés have also participated in the event.
Over 40% employment rateLearning By Doing aims to be an opportunity for young Roma people between 18 and 30 years old (81% are under 25), who in some cases already have family responsibilities, with low qualifications (66% of participants have not completed compulsory secondary education) and who also face other barriers such as coming from families with few resources, discrimination (based on ethnicity or origin), a narrow network of contacts, living in deprived areas, etc.
Throughout the process, the boys and girls who participated in the programme have received a monthly wage of € 350 that has allowed the programme to also have an impact on their families (58% of the families have none of its members in work).
Mixed model of training and employment tailored to people
The Learning By Doing programme which is framed within the actions of the Youth Guarantee, has given young Roma the opportunity to access a training and employment resource available to youth, which they would not access without the support of a specific programme adapted to their profile.
The key to its success is a complete 6-month practical and theoretical training plan that takes place in real working environments which allows participants to learn to perform more than one occupation within the collaborating companies, which increases their versatility and their chances of finding employment.
A collaborative model, an example of public-private partnership and with a great deal of companies´ involvement
The results of the programme would not have been achieved without the strong involvement of 61 companies,145 work centres in 5 business sectors such as Sales and Warehousing; Hospitality, Food industry, Cleaning and Maintenance and the motor vehicle industry.
Among the most well-known collaborating companies are Leroy Merlin, Ikea, NH Hotels, Auchamp, Carrefour or Conforama. According to the company satisfaction survey, 94% of them would be willing to collaborate again and 97% would recommend the programme to other companies.
The Learning By Doing programme is framed in the European Social Fund National Operational Programme on Youth Employment, attached to the Youth Employment Strategy of the Spanish Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security and which is co-financed by "la Caixa" Bank Foundation.
For more information about this programme visit our website