Foment, the CEOE Foundation and Càritas introduce the employment inclusion project EmpleaLab

The event, held at the headquarters of Foment del Treball, was attended by the President of Foment, Josep Sánchez Llibre; the Minister of Social Rights of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Carles Campuzano; the President of the CEOE Foundation, Fátima Báñez; the President of Càritas Catalunya, Francesc Roig; and the Director of the Servei Públic d’Ocupació de Catalunya, Juan José Torres.

Thisambitious inclusion project, which is being implemented in 11 regions (Albacete, Barcelona, Cuenca, Girona, Guadalajara, León, Lugo, Menorca, Ourense, Valladolid, Zamora)aims to measure how the participation in intensive processes or itineraries of socio-occupational insertion may impact the ability of people in precarious situations to access jobs. “We are proud and happy to be able to promote this project aimed at helping people and families in precarious situations who are currently receiving the minimum subsistence allowance, some 50,000 beneficiaries in Catalonia, to join the labour market“, said Josep Sánchez Llibre during the opening of the event.

Together with Foment, the CEOE Foundation will explore business prospects in Cataloniawith the aim of reaching collaboration agreements with companies and learning about job vacancies in the region, with the aim of facilitating labour inclusion. This prospecting work will also result in a diagnosis of Catalonia’s real labour needs. The CEOE Foundation, in collaboration with Caritas services, will also carry out the intermediation step, coordinating job offers and referring suitable participants.

The methodology developed for the implementation of Emplea Lab has a strong social innovation component, as it requires conducting social research. The aim is to find out whether guidance, training, and support in the job search process have an impact on the employability of the candidates.

The value of the business sector

One of the hypotheses that this project aims to test is the contribution that the business sector is able to make through its participation in the process of identifying vacant jobs and the subsequent intermediation between companies and individuals at risk of exclusion. The results will help in the design of public policies, especially those focused on vulnerable populations or on people who suffer the greatest difficulties in accessing employment.

From Foment, Sánchez Llibre added that “As entrepreneurs, we not only generate wealth and jobs, we also have a commitment to social cohesion and to the most disadvantaged groups, who do not deserve to be in this precarious situation. This is a long-term project and a great social action”.

The Regional Minister for Social Rights, Carles Campuzano i Canadés, highlighted the alliance between the third sector of social action, the business world, and the public administration behind this pilot project, which focuses on identifying methods to make progress in the integration of vulnerable people into the labour market. And he highlighted the most relevant one, “the need for the social protection system to not only have an income as its objective, but for this income to be a lever for labour market integration.”

From the CEOE Foundation, Fátima Báñez said that Emplea Lab is a cutting-edge project that should be a bridge to employment and a reference in terms of inclusion. “This is one of the most important projects of the CEOE Foundation in terms of social commitment. A job changes your life, it is the best social policy and the main tool for reducing social inequalities“, she added.

On behalf of Caritas Catalonia, Francesc Roig said that “we live in a very fragile social situation, with a high number of people unemployed or unable to find decent jobs. This is a widespread reality in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, as well as in rural areas.”

During the presentation of Emplea Lab in Catalonia, a round table discussion was held with the participation of Miguel Ángel García, coordinator of the Emplea Lab project; Sónia Ruíz, coordinator of the Social Action department of Formació iT reball; Raquel Carrión, director of the Social and Work Insertion programme of Càritas Girona. All of them talked about this initiative in depth and discussed the situation and/or employability needs in Catalonia.