23/01/2019
FSG Empleo
The 7th edition of the “Learning by doing” project will be launched in 2019 in 13 new Spanish cities.
‘Learning by Doing’ offers dual training with frontline companies to unemployed young Roma (between the ages of 16 and 30) with low qualifications and who experience social hardships. A group whose unemployment rate amounts to 64%.
The employability profile of participants in the project is affected by several factors: unemployment of the entire household, low educational levels, living in rundown neighbourhoods and, in some cases, early assumption of family responsibilities.
Thanks to the programme, 750 young Roma have already found a job. There are over 61 collaborating companies involved in transforming the reality of the most excluded young Roma. 126 training programmes have been carried out in 41 cities in 14 Regions, in which 2,437 young people have participated, 92% of them belong to the Roma community, 49% are women and 78% are under 25 years old; 1,949 have received on the job training in different companies.
The key element of the programme is a comprehensive six-month training that combines theoretical training and practical-based training in real work environments, this allows participants to practice the skills required to do different jobs within the company. The aim is to train versatile workers and increase their likelihood of being employed. The added value of Learning by Doing is based on innovation, quality, social commitment and competitive value.
Throughout the training process, participants receive a monthly stipend that has allowed the impact of the initiative to reach their families, frequently large families (four members on average) that subsist on very low incomes, usually pensions or welfare benefits.
Besides proving that the employment of the most excluded youth is possible if specific measures are implemented to compensate for inequalities, the programme Learning by doing has revealed itself as an effective motivation tool for the return of young people to education, as an injection of self-esteem and knowledge, an antidote against poverty afflicting many families and business cooperation as an effective tool against stereotypes and prejudices.
637 young people with no qualifications (26% of the participants), actively consider the objective of completing compulsory secondary education.
Learning by Doing” has been made possible thanks to the economic support from the European Social Fund in the framework of the 2014-2020 Operational Program Youth Employment, with the support of the Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund under the Ministry of Employment and Social Security. And is co-funded by the private bank foundation “la Caixa” Social Work.
Photo gallery
