Fundación Secretariado Gitano

Fundación Secretariado Gitano collaborates with Google Scholarships to promote the employment of Roma people in tech companies [editar]

• Employment
• National level

Yolanda Díaz, Second Vice-President and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, attended the event at the Google for Startups Madrid Campus, where the new scholarships were presented. During the event, different round tables were held to address issues such as “Digitalisation and Inclusion in the labour market of vulnerable groups” and the promotion of public-private partnerships for the development of digital talent.

In 2021, the partnership between Fundación Secretariado Gitano and Google enabled a group of ten young Roma to receive comprehensive training in information technology, obtaining the "Google IT Support Professional Certificate" and opening up their range of employment and training opportunities.

Achieving this qualification endorsed by a company such as Google, in addition to facilitating the path towards certain specialised jobs in the field of ITs, enables the creation of success stories and boosts the expectations of young people and their environment, regarding their approach to the technological labour market.

Such actions are particularly important at the present time, as they help to reduce the digital gap affecting the Roma community, who faces obstacles in accessing technology, due to a lack of technical resources and specialised knowledge or technological skills. According to a survey carried out by the FSG during the lockdown, 40% of Roma students have no access or limited access to the internet.

In this second launch of the Google Scholarships, Fundación Secretariado Gitano will assist 15 participants by providing them with the follow-up and the reference figure of a tutor, who will support them throughout the entire training process.

Isidro Rodríguez, Director General of Fundación Secretariado Gitano points out that "the collaboration with Google, and with public bodies such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy and the European Social Fund, allows us to continue making progress hand in hand with a leading company in the technology training sector, an area in which we have been working for some time through our Acceder employment programme. It also allows us to increase our offer of free training in digital skills to help more people to face the employment demands that technological innovation is creating".

Technology is deeply transforming the labour market and the pandemic has accelerated many of these changes, making us need the support of technology more than ever to be able to manage our daily lives. Hence the importance of preparing Roma people for professions linked to digitalisation and technology.

The success of working together

Digital skills, in addition to boosting personal growth, are a fundamental tool for inclusion in the labour market. In fact, in Spain, more than one million people have been trained in digital skills through these Google training courses.

This is the case of Alba Bermúdez, Carlos González and Iago Lores who, after accessing the scholarships for the Google Professional Certificates, have turned their careers around. Their personal experiences show that the acquisition of skills in high-demand professions such as Data Analytics, UX Design, Project Management or IT Support has tangible results in terms of employability.

Alba Bermúdez worked as a hairdresser, but her dream had always been to work in IT support. She received one of the scholarships to take these courses through Fundación Secretariado Gitano. "The Google Professional Certificate is a very complete training, it opens many doors. Thanks to the training and support I have received, I have managed to work in what I am really passionate about".

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