Hidraqua has consolidated its collaboration with the Fundación Exit Coach Project, a company volunteering initiative that aims to improve the employability of young people in vulnerable situations through techniques such as coaching and mentoring.
Through this social initiative, Hidraqua joins forces with educational centers and social entities to reduce the high percentage of early school dropouts (13.3% – EPA 2022) and youth unemployment (30.6% – INE 2021 4T).
It is a project with a high impact on young people and company volunteers because Hidraqua professionals mentor, guide and motivate young people in vulnerable situations to continue their studies and thus improve their future employability.
As explained by Amelia Navarro, director of Sustainable Development and Equity at Hidraqua, “at the company we promote corporate volunteering programs linked to social and environmental actions that are aligned with our business strategy. Thus, for example, the Bioobserva program is an initiative in which volunteers from Hidraqua and its affiliated companies participate for bird watching. This work allows the analysis of data and the development of bioindicators in a citizen science platform developed specifically for this project. Likewise, it works with other volunteer initiatives linked to the cleaning of natural spaces, reforestation or Coach Exit itself, with which we have been collaborating since 2018 through mentoring 14 young people from this program.
According to Mercedes Guinda, Director of Corporate Development at the Exit Foundation, “thanks to the commitment of the Hidraqua volunteers, young people have had their first contact with the business world, they have discovered professions, job opportunities and the training necessary to carry out these tasks. posts. With this knowledge and the support of their volunteers, the young coachees have defined their personal goal related to continuing their studies.”
The Coach Project is a corporate volunteering initiative aimed at socially responsible companies that seeks to improve the labor integration of young people in vulnerable situations by working on their guidance and motivation so that these young people continue their training and improve their chances of employability. After passing through the project, 77% continue training at the end of the course, 93% discover new job opportunities in which they want to work in the future and 65% improve their self-esteem.
The Exit Foundation trains corporate volunteers in coaching and mentoring techniques to accompany young people during the process on a journey within the company. These profiles acquire techniques that they can apply in their day-to-day activities while helping to train students. Thus, from a first contact with the world of work, they find their vocation and understand the importance of training to be able to access the labor market.
The students are between 16 and 19 years old and are referred by different social and educational entities and institutes, coming from an experience of dropping out of school. In parallel, socially responsible companies that want to involve the company’s staff in a solidarity action collaborate.
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