The role of NGOs in the improvement of professional skills through the ESF: the case of Fundación Secretariado Gitano [editar]
Last February, the European Competence Center for Social Innovation , in the framework of the ESF+ Community of Practice on Employment, Education and Skills, published a study on the role of NGOs in the improvement of professional competences of vulnerable groups, carried out at the request of the European Commission. The study focused on different initiatives and practices carried out by entities in four countries: Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Spain.
Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG), as an entity that works on the labor inclusion of Roma people, and as a collaborating entity of the ESF+ Community of Practice on employment, was the Spanish example on which the study was based, taking into account the different FSG programs that contribute daily to the labor inclusion of Roma people in Spain.
The study echoes the work of FSG with WISEs (Work Integration Social Enterprises) and its role in providing vocational training to disadvantaged groups, emphasizing the contribution of the European Social Fund to this type of employment and training programs in the last decade.
More specifically, the study uses the Acceder program as an example of the positive impact that NGOs can have in initiatives to improve the professional skills of vulnerable people. The Acceder program, through three WISEs, provides paid employment to especially vulnerable Roma people, accompanying them throughout the labor inclusion process and offering them practical training. The study reports that the employability rate of the participants in the insertion companies exceeds 70% once they enter the labor market outside these entities.
It also describes the success of this program through different keys: the close support given to the participants by the WISEs, which takes into account the economic and social dimensions of these, as well as the support of public administrations to third sector organizations that coordinate these entreprises, through the inclusion of social clauses and the reservation of opportunities in different public tenders.
It also focuses on describing FSG's ability to reach out to the Roma population, thus remarking that ''Through FSG's WISEs, 360 people have obtained stable employment, reflecting the small-scale activity of the program, but a significant impact on improving employment opportunities for Roma people facing high vulnerability''.
Therefore, through the study, FSG can be seen as a good example of a social organization that, through the management and execution of social projects for vulnerable people, demonstrates the effectiveness of NGOs participating in the process of including vulnerable people into the labor market, such as the Roma in this case.
The study also gives as an example of good practice the program Integration of vulnerable population in the digital labor market in Spain. This project aims to improve the employability of vulnerable groups in Spain by addressing digital gaps and skills upgrading needs. Developed jointly with the Spanish Red Cross and with the support of the ESF+ and the Accenture Foundation, the project focuses on promoting digital inclusion, improving the digital skills of socio-labor professionals and transforming vulnerable people into digital citizens, so that they can join the labor market, which is increasingly demanding more strict requirements in the digital field. Thanks to this program, 392 people have been trained, 137 of whom have obtained employment in the technology sector.
The study concludes that NGOs have emerged in recent years as small but important actors in the field of labor market insertion. In particular, it highlights the FSG's ability to act as an intermediary between public funders, companies and beneficiaries, ensuring good service delivery. Another aspect that the report highlights about the Fundación Secretariado Gitano is the ability of its teams to build personal relationships with Roma people, which enhances their ability to deliver effective training by knowing the participants personally, and knowing firsthand what their needs are in terms of training and access to the labor market