Within the framework of the European Year of Skills 2023, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has held the conference “Learning methodologies working for an ecological transition” to present the latest Empleaverde+ Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund + (ESF+). Elena Pita, director of the Biodiversity Foundation, who inaugurated the event, highlighted how green employment and training are part of the foundational mission of the institution to work for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems. Taking into account that the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan estimates the creation of between 253,000 and 348,000 jobs per year until 2030 in the energy transition alone, Elena Pita stressed that the ecological transition will present opportunities that must be passed on to all citizens. Data at the European level show that more than three-quarters of companies in the European Union highlight that they have difficulty finding workers with the necessary skills, and that only 37% of adults receive training on a regular basis. For this reason, Pita pointed out how lifelong learning is also part of the novelties to adapt to in this context of transformation. This was followed by a round table on success stories in entities that carry out workshop schools and learning by working methodologies, which combine theory with practice in the same work environment, with the consequent improvement of employability. Álvaro Retortillo, general director of the Santa María la Real Foundation for Historical Heritage; Raquel Pérez, State Employment Coordinator of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano; and Pedro Barahona, general director of EFA Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid Vocational Training Centres. Álvaro Retortillo shared the history of workshop schools and their capacity for impact. During his speech, the general director of the Santa María la Real Foundation for Historical Heritage stressed that “people are tired of training without purpose”. So it is important, on the one hand, that people have a purpose while training and, on the other, that technical training is hybridized with human training. That is, “doing by learning and learning by doing and enjoying”. Next, Raquel Pérez shared the experience of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano for the promotion of equal opportunities through training to learn by working. A model that is adapted to the most vulnerable groups, but which must be linked to previous work of accompaniment and involvement of companies, either because they need personnel, or because of a recent commitment to social responsibility. To conclude the dialogue, Pedro Barahona explained how the EFA Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid Training Centre provides professional guidance “so that people in rural areas are aware that they have opportunities in their region without having to go abroad” and highlighted the importance of collaboration with companies to promote employability.

To conclude the seminar, Sonia Castañeda, deputy director for the Green Transition of the Biodiversity Foundation, gave some progress to the new Empleaverde+ Programme, which seeks to promote the ecological transition of the economy, improving skills for employment and entrepreneurship, as well as responding to the training needs identified in sectors such as renewable energies, the bioeconomy, green infrastructure, or connectivity and ecological restoration. This programme has an endowment of 44 million euros and it is planned to publish the first call, endowed with 22 million euros, in the coming months.