Galp Energia and Fundación Alares improve the employability of people with disabilities

The low employment rate in our country, together with the greater vulnerability of people with disabilities, greatly reduces their chances of finding a job. Their unemployment rate is around 40%. In this context, the “Employment Objective” Program of Galp Energia and Alares Foundation aims to provide unemployed people with disabilities with the tools they need to enter the labor market. Both organizations have launched a comprehensive program designed to facilitate the labor inclusion of people with disabilities as much as possible. It is a complete, ongoing program that will provide people with disabilities with the tools they need to perform their duties in a future job, whether in a company or through the creation of their own business. Galp Energia, together with Alares Foundation, is thus strengthening its commitment to people with disabilities by supporting this program, which contributes to a fairer society at every level. The Program has two components: firstly, helping people who are actively seeking employment; and secondly, helping those who wish to start their own business. The active job-search module includes a personalized program in which both organizations will participate continuously and which meets universal accessibility criteria, providing participants with the employment training and career guidance they need. Aspects such as properly preparing a résumé, guidance on successfully completing a job interview, and relaxation techniques that promote interview success and/or decision-making through a positive and proactive attitude are also key components of the program. In addition, people enrolled in the program will have access to the specialized Job Bank for people with disabilities. In the words of Nuno Moreira de Cruz, Country Manager of Galp Energia in Spain, “one of the social objectives every company should pursue is to promote employability—not only among its own employees. That is why, at Galp, we are driving this project together with Alares Foundation and focusing our efforts on a group that, because of its characteristics, may in some cases be excluded from the labor market.” In response to society’s new demands and in today’s highly competitive world, the entrepreneurship module will offer selected participants access to unsecured, guarantee-free microcredit, as well as free, personalized training. At the same time, they will have strategic mentors for at least the first two years of their business venture, to guide their decisions and help them learn from their experience. The objective of Galp Energia and Alares Foundation is to help increase the number of people with disabilities who gain access to a job in Spain. At present, more than 350,000 working-age people have disabilities; over 200,000 are men and nearly 150,000 are women.