- By signing a collaboration agreement, Endesa and the Juan XXIII Foundation have launched the "Compost-IN" project, to train about 270 people in composting and land clearance in 14 municipalities throughout the territory in which Endesa currently has photovoltaic energy projects.
- The objective is to make progress in energy transition and to combat depopulation, while at the same time generating inclusive, high quality green training and employment for people in situations of psychosocial vulnerability.
Endesa and the Juan XXIII Foundation, an entity that has been working for the social and labour inclusion of people in situations of psychosocial vulnerability for more than 55 years, signed an agreement to launch a new, ambitious, inclusive and sustainable project that expects to train about 270 people. The training programme will take place in the 2023-2025 period in municipalities in the areas around Endesa's installations, as part of a renewable growth plan to address climate change and rural depopulation with inclusion playing a leading role throughout the initiative.
The agreement was signed by José Bogas, Chief Executive Officer of Endesa, and Javier Arroyo, General Manager of the Juan XXIII Foundation at an event that took place at the Foundation's installations. For Sr Bogas, "this agreement shows the commitment of the two institutions to training and innovation as key elements in favour of the rural world and inclusion. We are certain that the energy transition has to be fair, generating green, inclusive and high-quality training and employment".
Sr Arroyo pointed out that "agreements like this open up the opportunities offered by the green economy and improve the employability of people with disabilities in the rural environment through high-quality training."
As well as providing support in areas where Endesa has construction projects or solar installations in operation distributed throughout Spain in many municipalities in rural areas.
The Juan XXIII Foundation will participate through its Training Centre for Employment by organising course called "Compost-IN, Inclusive Composting". The programme has 7 modules, consisting of 32 hours of theory and 37 hours of practical training, on topics related to composting, land clearance, installation and maintenance of forest screens at photovoltaic plants designed for people with disabilities and to make it easier for students to be recruited to work in photovoltaic plants.
This training is part of the Creation of Shared Value (CSV) projects and initiatives organised by Endesa in the territories where it is deploying renewable projects. They are designed to achieve optimum territorial integration and maximum social-economic value for local communities in the surrounding areas, leaving no one behind, with inclusion as a key element of the sustainability strategy.
Twelve national training sites for composting
The programme for 2023 is planned to take place in 24 municipalities in Spain where ENDESA has solar installations in operation. It will start in Badajoz followed by Tomelloso.
In this training on composting, land clearance and maintenance of the forest screen, which contributes to meeting 10 of the 17 SDGs, students will undertake tasks involving conservation and improvement of the soil in the area.
Undertaking these tasks will provide work skills to the people residing in these towns and they will not only be applicable to solar plants. This will improve the management of the biodegradable waste generated in these places, helping to comply with the Law on Waste and contaminated soils for the circular economy (Law 7/2022, of April 8).
On the land where the panels are located, different types of vegetation grow and can then be dried. The simple fact of clearing it avoids the risk of fire and enables the generation of compost from the vegetable matter obtained, which is then reincorporated into the soil in the form of an organic supplement, improving the structure and giving it more life.
Students will also learn to maintain the forest screen, which not only reduces the visual impact of solar exploitation by integrating it into the landscape, but also has the function of creating an ecological corridor which becomes a refuge for local fauna.
In order to make this course accessible to people with different levels and types of disability, the content in the theoretical section has been adapted. As an example of this, work is currently being done to certify the courses as AA website accessibility level. This will also improve the digitalisation skills of students with disabilities.
Rural Sustainable Energy School
This project in which both entities are collaborating is included in Endesa's Social-economic Plan for the Mudéjar Hub. This is the "Rural Sustainable Energy School", an ambitious training project that will have as direct beneficiaries the 34 municipalities included in the Fair Transition node in the province of Teruel.
As a result of closing down the thermal power plant in the area, the production of energy from fossil fuels is being replaced by energy production from renewable sources, both wind and solar photovoltaic. In this case, photovoltaic solar power plants are planned to be installed in towns including Andorra, Calanda, Híjar, Puebla de Híjar, Samper de Calanda and Jatiel.
So with the aim of improving the employability of the most vulnerable workers in this rural environment and contributing to the establishment of population, this "Rural Sustainable Energy School" was created. It includes training actions consisting of more than 300,000 hours in the 2023-2025 period on topics such as: Renewable energies and self-consumption, biodiversity and environmental management and the primary sector.
For this project Endesa will have the collaboration of six entities that are experts in the organisation of training (JUAN XIII FOUNDATION, CIRCE, ASAJA, AFAMMER, SOLTEC and ECODEMY). This will be in-person training taking place in the 5 towns that are better from the logistics standpoint, both because of the availability of classrooms and means, as well as because of their proximity and accessibility to the hub's fair transition municipalities as a whole.
With regard to the JUAN XXIII FOUNDATION, with its training programme entitled "Compost-IN, Inclusive Composting",it is collaborating with the ATADI Foundation, a benchmark in the area, to organise the practices and the selection of the students in two locations each year: In June in Andorra and in October in Alcorisa.
Initiatives like this enable us to fight against some of the main social challenges such as climate change and rural depopulation without leaving anyone behind. They represent a step forward in the change of sustainable energy production model based on renewable energies whilst creating high-quality employment for the most vulnerable people.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain, and the second in Portugal. In addition, it is the second gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated electricity generation, distribution and commercialization business, and also offers, through Endesa X, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. In addition, it is the first operator of recharging points in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and, as such, strongly promotes the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power Spain, the digitization of networks through e-distribution, and Corporate Social Responsibility. In this last field we also act from the Endesa Foundation. Our human team totals around 9,260 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.
About Juan XXIII Foundation
THE JUAN XXIII FOUNDATION has been working for more than 55 years for the social and labour inclusion of people in situations of psychosocial vulnerability, especially those with intellectual disabilities, enhancing their quality of life and that of their families by developing their autonomy, initiative and training. More than 1000 people come together daily at its headquarters, and it provides numerous disability support services: Early Care, JUAN XXIII-Buenafuente School, Day Centre, Occupational Centre, Supported Employment, Guardianship, Leisure and Sports Service, Disability Support Services, Training Centre for Employment and Special Employment Centre that, with more than 600 workers is a benchmark within the Social Facility Services because of its wide variety of high quality services: Direct Marketing, Integral Logistics, Digital Data, Outsourcing, ESG Alliances, Catering and Restoration, Promotional Marketing, Green Solutions and Juan Energy.