- Thanks to the initiatives approved within the framework of the Empleaverde+ Program grants, it is expected to train and train more than 12,000 people in different areas
- In this call, managed by the Biodiversity Foundation and co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus, projects that respond to the threats associated with climate change and biodiversity loss such as the Isolated High Level Depression (DANA) or forest fires stand out
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has resolved a new call for grants to promote the training and hiring of people within the framework of the Empleaverde+ Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus.
42 projects have been approved, with an overall budget of 12.6 million euros, which will promote training actions that facilitate access to and adaptation to the labour market, the promotion of professional recycling and green entrepreneurship, favouring actions that reduce the gender gap and increase the presence of women in economic sectors that promote the ecological transition.
The aim is to respond to the training needs detected in the study “Employment and ecological transition. Sources of employment, labour transformation and training challenges in sectors related to climate change and biodiversity in Spain”, published in 2023 by the Biodiversity Foundation and the Spanish Office for Climate Change (MITECO).
PROJECTS THAT PROMOTE THE ECOLOGICAL
TRANSITION The projects benefiting from the call will be executed by 63 entities, including companies, associations, foundations and public administrations. Of the total number of approved initiatives, 16 will be developed by groups made up of several entities, which reinforces the involvement and collaboration of different actors in the promotion of a green economy.
Of the 42 beneficiary projects, 26 correspond to line 1 “Training projects aimed at workers, to improve their adaptation to the labour market, the promotion of professional retraining and green entrepreneurship”. The other 16 initiatives correspond to line 2, “Training projects in skills for green employment, aimed at unemployed people”. Of the latter, three have the possibility of formalising employment contracts linked to the training received.
Thanks to these initiatives, more than 12,000 people will be trained and trained, of which almost 9,000 are workers and more than 3,000 are unemployed.
TYPE OF PROJECTS
Among the projects are those aimed at strengthening climate resilience to floods or to facilitate the agroecological restoration of agricultural soils damaged by the DANA and those initiatives that will respond to the growing environmental challenges faced by the forestry sector in Spain, such as the prevention and extinction of forest fires. In total, there are eight projects that contribute to the recovery of areas affected by natural disasters.
Two projects are also included with training actions aimed at pilots for forest firefighting operations.
Many other projects are dedicated to promoting the circular economy and training in sustainable agriculture and livestock, with a focus on generational renewal or advocacy in just transition municipalities. In addition, there are a significant number of initiatives to train people involved in the conservation and management of protected areas and those that promote the use of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in the renaturalisation of urban environments.
In this call there are also projects with actions aimed at managing tourism activities in nature, including sports. There are also more specific proposals focused on promoting sustainable wood construction, training in renewable energies or sustainable energy rehabilitation. All this, without neglecting training aimed primarily at people with disabilities or women.
The themes of the projects respond to the transformative priority axes identified in the study, among which are sustainable agricultural holdings (nine projects), circular economy (eight projects), energy rehabilitation of buildings and energy efficiency (four projects), sustainable forest management (four projects), climate emergencies (three projects), sustainable nature tourism (three projects), renewable energy production (three projects), construction of low-consumption housing (two projects), prevention, management and transformation of waste (two projects), urban renaturation (two projects), management of natural heritage and protected areas (one project), and ecological restoration (one project).
SECOND CALL FOR THE NEW PERIOD
This second call is part of the Empleaverde+ Programme which, in the period 2021-2027, is endowed with 44 million. In total, adding the two calls for this period, 106 training projects will be executed, which plan to train some 24,000 people and hire some 370.
The Empleaverde+ Programme aims to move towards a climate-neutral and regenerative economy, efficient in the use of resources and circular to generate new employment and business opportunities. To this end, it seeks to support transformative training and recruitment projects for the ecological transition.
