- The training programme, focused on aerothermal energy and comprising 280 hours of training, will equip 14 students in vulnerable situations with skills in a key sector for the energy transition.
- Since the collaboration between Cáritas Española and the Endesa Foundation began in 2011, over 1,500 people in vulnerable situations in Spain have successfully improved their employability thanks to this project.
Endesa Foundation recently visited the employment centre of Cáritas Diocesana in Madrid “Campus Cáritas Madrid” to see first-hand the Air Source Heat Pump Installation Course, a new training initiative launched jointly by both organisations. It is aimed at improving the employability of people in vulnerable situations, enriching the centre's training offering in a sector linked to the energy transition with growing labour demand.
The visit was attended by Ana Berengena, Project Director at Endesa Foundation; Begoña Arias, Deputy Director of the Diocesan Employment Service at Cáritas Diocesana de Madrid; Alfonso Loriga, Head of Campus Cáritas Madrid; and Dolores Villalonga Arbona, from the Administration and Finance Grants team, as well as María Ángeles García, Coordinator of Donor and Institutional Relations at Cáritas Española; and Elena López, also from the Donor and Institutional Relations team at Cáritas Española.
The meeting began at Campus Cáritas Madrid, in the Ensanche de Vallecas neighbourhood, where they toured the centre's training classrooms, highlighting the vocational fields in which the training takes place. Afterwards, they moved to Academia Escala, located in the Hortaleza neighbourhood, where they met the trainers and students of the aerothermal course. Here, they experienced first-hand how the course is run and gained insight into the participants’ experiences in this training pathway.
“This training allows us to respond to the needs of today's labour market in the field of the energy transition and to offer real employment opportunities to people looking to improve their knowledge by specialising in a key sector, thereby improving their lives and those of their families,” noted Ana Berengena, Project Director at Endesa Foundation.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Loriga from Cáritas Madrid highlighted that “the opportunity offered by Endesa Foundation allows us to complement an ongoing training pathway in the renewable energy sector – a priority for the Cáritas Madrid training centre – with specialised, high-quality training. The expected impact is the students' entry into the workforce and their professional growth in an emerging sector”.
Francisco Aranda, the course instructor, emphasised that “beyond the professional experience students gain, taking this course represents a personal transformation: they learn to work in teams and develop important values such as teamwork, which is very rewarding for us as well”.
For John, from Ecuador and one of the programme’s students, “this type of training opens many doors across different sectors. Thanks to this course, I feel I can contribute much more professionally and personally, as it improves my employability, motivates me, and makes me feel useful and capable of supporting myself.”
This course is part of ten training programmes that the two organisations collaboratively run in various Spanish cities (Astorga, Almería, Huelva, Palma de Mallorca, Mérida-Badajoz, Mondoñedo-Ferrol, Tenerife, Urgell, Santiago de Compostela, and Madrid), aiming to improve the employability of people in vulnerable situations through technical skills acquisition in a sector with growing labour demand. Since its inception, over 1,500 people have secured employment.
In Madrid, the Air Source Heat Pump Installation Course, an occupational programme of 280 hours, will train 14 students in the principles and applications of aerothermal energy in HVAC, a key technology for efficient heating and cooling and the energy transition, combining theoretical and practical knowledge in an increasingly relevant field for advancing towards more sustainable energy models. This training is also part of Cáritas’ social and labour integration pathways, combining technical training with support throughout the process, adapting to participants’ needs and the labour market.
Endesa Foundation and Cáritas have collaborated for over 15 years to improve the employability of people in vulnerable situations and social exclusion across Spain, through training pathways like this, tailored to current labour market demands and providing personalised support throughout the integration process via training and employment.
Over this time, the programme has adapted to labour market transformations and the challenges of the energy transition, ensuring participants have the tools needed to access quality jobs and build a future.
About Endesa Foundation
Endesa Foundation was established in 1998 as an expression of Endesa’s social commitment to responding to the needs of the communities in which it operates, working towards social progress.
Its mission is to contribute to a just and sustainable energy transition, improving the lives of people and the surrounding environment. To achieve this, Endesa Foundation develops projects promoting quality education in line with current challenges, encouraging STEM vocations and training in energy transition, providing training and employment opportunities to the most vulnerable in the green economy sectors, promoting culture and art in Spain, and contributing to a more sustainable world by protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.
More information at: www.fundacionendesa.org
About Cáritas
Cáritas Española was established in 1947 by the Spanish Episcopal Conference to carry out the Church’s charitable and social action. Through its work in social action, the solidarity economy, political advocacy, and sociological research,
Cáritas successfully supports over two million people experiencing social exclusion each year to help them improve their autonomy.
More information at: www.caritas.es