The Principality allocates 3.6 million to advise and guide 1,600 unemployed individuals
The Government of Asturias will facilitate access to the labor market from rural areas with more digital tools. The Public Employment Service (Sepepa) will leverage the 70 telecenters in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants to bring its services closer to the public. Additionally, the Executive has decided today to mobilize 3.6 million to advise and guide 1,600 unemployed individuals.
Asturias ended May with 51,745 unemployed individuals and 391,386 affiliated with Social Security, according to data from the Ministry of Labor. This represents 19,394 fewer unemployed and 24,465 more employed compared to May 2019, the year in which Adrián Barbón assumed the presidency of the Principality.
The proposals discussed today by the Government Council are aimed at consolidating the improvement of the labor market. Thus, the Minister of Science, Industry, and Employment, Borja Sánchez, has informed the Executive of the initiative to use telecenters (local technological dynamization centers) to facilitate population access to telematic resources of the Administration on an equal footing, regardless of their place of residence.
The program of the Employment Service of the Principality (Sepepa) will be developed in collaboration with the Asturian Federation of Municipalities (FACC) and the 25 employment offices in the regional network.
When operational, citizens will be able to go to the telecenters and receive technical support to process job demands or carry out tasks such as:
– Request appointments related to benefits managed by the State Public Employment Service (Sepe) or the certifications that verify their receipt.
– Access free training courses.
– Schedule face-to-face appointments with job counseling services.
– Register in the National Youth Guarantee System, a mandatory requirement to participate in many Sepepa programs.
– Obtain copies of employment contract communications.
– Consult company certificates.
The Principality will coordinate actions and provide telecenter managers with the support and resources necessary to assume these functions with the highest quality guarantees in citizen service.
In addition to this program, the regional government has adopted two other agreements this morning to strengthen its employment policies totaling 6.1 million, detailed below.
– Employment Accompaniment: Approval of a multi-year expenditure of 3,621,282 euros to finance a new call for subsidies for non-profit entities. These funds will allow the development of support programs that will benefit more than 1,600 unemployed individuals. These programs combine various actions such as training, guidance, counseling, and work practices to facilitate access to employment. In the last call (2024-2025), entities worked with 1,936 individuals and proposed the job placement of 858. In the end, 614 participants secured employment.
– Local Development Agents: The Government Council has authorized a budget of 2.5 million to finance a new call for grants to local entities, a measure included in the social agreement. Specifically, these funds will cover the salary costs of hiring 75 local development agents for the period 2025-2026. Each beneficiary entity will receive a minimum grant of 33,250 euros, a sum that allows for the hiring of one technician. The maximum is set at 133,000 euros, an amount that allows for up to four contracts. Sepepa supports with this allocation the actions carried out by municipalities and associations of municipalities in local development matters. The objective is to ensure strategic planning in the territory and facilitate access to the job market.
Improvements in Public Educational Centers: The Executive has also approved two files to enhance the network of public educational centers. The planned actions, to be carried out at the Public School La Gesta in Oviedo and the Secondary Education Institute Jovellanos in Gijón, amount to an investment of 2.2 million.
– IES Jovellanos (Gijón): The government has approved an expenditure of 1,191,814 euros to renovate the electrical installation and install photovoltaic panels. The project has a six-month execution period and will ensure the safety of the installation.
– Public School La Gesta (Oviedo): The Executive has authorized the signing of an agreement with the Oviedo City Council to promote the repair of the auditorium at the center. Both administrations will finance half of the 1,017,021 euros of the project, which has a six-month duration. In addition to work in the auditorium, the electrical installation, emergency lighting, and interior cladding will be renovated. Ventilation and air conditioning systems will also be installed, roofs will be waterproofed, and a new emergency exit will be created.
Fishery Activity: The Government Council has authorized an allocation of 820,276 euros for the call for grants to local entities for the implementation of strategies by local fishery action groups. These grants aim to enhance fishing activity as a source of employment for coastal areas. To achieve this, eligible projects must focus on objectives such as job creation, promoting the participation of young people and women in the sector, innovating in the supply chain of fishery and aquaculture products, and environmentally exploiting fishing areas.
New Land Consolidation Projects: The Government of Asturias has approved the declaration of public utility, social interest, and urgent execution of six land consolidation projects in the municipalities of Valdés, Taramundi, and Cangas del Narcea. Specifically, actions will be taken in two locations in Cangas del Narcea: the parishes of San Cristóbal and Nandu, Tandes, and Siasu. Regarding Taramundi, intervention will be carried out in the Arredondas-Cancelos area, while in Valdés, three projects will be executed: Merás, Fontouria-Aldín, and the Queirúas-Cadavéu mountains.
Support for Municipalities: The Principality has agreed to grant a subsidy of 14,290 euros to the Municipality of Peñamellera Alta to improve the safety of the Mier road, a municipal road. This action is part of the government’s support for municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants to facilitate the maintenance and improvement of municipal infrastructure.
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