Raíces: A gateway to employment in rural areas

The experts at Fundación Cepaim know that improving the employment opportunities for people living in rural areas involves creating links with the local population. It is not simply a question of matching supply and demand, but of establishing a trust-based relationship that allows us to understand the personal and professional circumstances of the beneficiaries. The key is to enable each person to set themselves short-, medium- and long-term goals that, in many cases, go far beyond just finding a job.

That is precisely what Raíces offers. Measures to facilitate access to the labor market in rural areas, a project co-financed by the European Social Fund+ and Fundación MAPFRE within the framework of the +Rural Grants,  which benefits many people, both residents and those who have moved to these towns and villages.

Most of the people that Fundación Cepaim works with in this program are unemployed, and the majority are women and immigrants. In addition to language difficulties, they often do not have a driving license, a very important factor given the distances that separate these population centers from job opportunities. However, these people’s desire to prosper and the guidance of technical staff means the seemingly insurmountable difficulties are gradually overcome thanks to support and networking.

This is the case of a Colombian woman living in the Salamanca municipality of La Fuente de San Esteban. She felt like a fish out of water in this town because, in addition to her difficulties in finding work, she was very shy, which made it very difficult for her to integrate into the community. Fundación Cepaim supported her on a path to self-employment as a craftswoman and she ended up taking part in the Aldea del Obispo Rural Fair, a great opportunity to show off her talent and learn to manage interpersonal relationships, her ICT skills, how to use social media, and so on. In addition, Fundación Cepaim acted as an intermediary with a local nursing home where she obtained a part-time job as a geriatric nurse. A turning point in this woman’s life.

From the very first moment that Fundación Cepaim arrives in a new region, it begins to coordinate with local councils and social services. Everyday issues such as the provision of spaces for workshops and interviews would be impossible without this collaboration. On the other hand, all the information that Fundación Cepaim receives, recommendations, support when contacting companies, and facilitating the promotion of the project’s activities, are fundamental aspects of its work, and always involve coordination with local institutions.

In this sense, representatives of the foundation explain that structural unemployment in rural areas also occurs because a large part of the resident population is not able to meet the new needs and demands of the job market. This restricts their access to new sources of employment or means they are unable to meet the updated requirements of traditional jobs. For example, in the construction sector, people who have worked on construction sites or in construction companies for decades may, after a period of unemployment, not be able to work again due to new regulatory or procedural requirements, such as the need for health and safety training. Also, new jobs have appeared, such as solar panel or wind turbine installation, and although these are in the same construction sector, they have different access requirements that prevent people without the necessary qualifications from getting these positions.

Since its launch, 194 people have taken part in the skills training courses: 163 participants have specialized in forklift driving, agricultural tractor driving, sports activities, industrial cleaning, renewable energy and food handling; and a further 27 have specialized in other areas, including social and health care and upholstery techniques.

Initiatives like the Raíces project are demonstrating that these areas can be revitalized through joint and well-planned efforts.

This is the goal shared by all the entities that receive +Rural funding. A commitment to the future of our villages.