Spain – Launching "First Professional Experience," a solution to youth unemployment, pilot project of Pinardi and Community of Madrid

08 November 2022

(ANS - Madrid) - In October 2022, the Salesian social institution "Pinardi" and the Community of Madrid launched "Primera Experiencia Profesional" (First Professional Experience), a project that aims to address the problem of youth unemployment with an innovative methodology, and to study its impact. Thanks to this initiative, which has kicked off in the Pinardi centers of the Madrid capital - Atocha, Puerta del Sol, and Pan Bendito - and in the cities of Alcalá de Henares, Fuenlabrada and Parla, 400 young people shall have the opportunity to discover their vocation with training carried out in real work environments within companies.

"Primera Experiencia Profesional" aims to experiment with an innovative model of work immersion. The project has a twofold objective: to offer young people in socially vulnerable situations professional experience; and to provide companies with the opportunity to discover potential talent. The main idea is to connect young people with a desire to work with companies that are committed to people. The key to success lies in professional mentoring in a real work environment, which facilitates the acquisition of personal and professional skills in an intensive and experiential way.

The project pursues an inclusive approach to training and learning, breaking down the barriers that often exist between young people and companies, and betting on those young people who have been left on the sidelines and instead are just waiting for a second chance to train, learn and discover their vocation.

The 400 young people participating in the project will be accompanied by Pinardi's educational teams and professional mentors from participating companies. These two figures, educational and professional, offer the young people involved a unique opportunity to find work through the integration of social and professional skills, with personalized social support, with scholarships so that the economic situation is not an obstacle to training, with professional mentoring in the real workplace and individual accompaniment for personal and professional development.

Businesses are at the center of the "Primera Experiencia Profesional" methodology. They are involved and engaged in designing and updating the training program according to the needs of the labor market. The attractiveness of this training lies in the fact that it is 100 percent practical, offers challenging professional references and new jobs for young people.

The young participants go through different stages during the development of the project; a first activation phase, in which they refine their work skills and get to know the cooperating companies; a second phase of work immersion that allows them to see how they can apply their new skills with technical training within the company; and a third phase with a dual pathway, placement in the labor market and return to training leading to a degree - pathways that can take place simultaneously. All this is accompanied by the personalized orientation, professional development and training offered by Pinardi's teams and educational services.

"Primera Experiencia Profesional" is a project of the Salesian social institution "Pinardi" and the Community of Madrid for improving the employability of young people and their return to school cycles, funded by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and the "Next Generation EU" fund through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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