A group of twelve unemployed people have started this week their preparation to access the labour market in the natural stone sector with the training they are going to receive at the Escuela del Mármol de Fines within the training itinerary ‘Elaboración artesanal de productos y obras de artesanía, colocación de piedra natural y prevención de riesgos laborales’, which will allow them to obtain a certificate of professionalism.
The students are made up of seven women and five men, one of whom is over 50 years old, seven between 30 and 50 years old and four under 30 years old. Of this group, two have a university degree, three have a vocational training qualification and seven have a secondary education qualification.
This itinerary will be developed until December 2022, with a total of 635 teaching hours focused on the elaboration of final products in natural stone, artisan elaboration of works in stone, placement of singular elements of this material and basic prevention of occupational hazards in construction. In addition, the itinerary is complemented with training in labour insertion and job search techniques.
The training itineraries are made up of several courses that can be of different levels and that involve training in skills demanded by the labour market.
The Escuela del Mármol de Fines, a training centre attached to the Andalusian Employment Service and National Reference Centre for Vocational Training in the family of Extractive Industries, is developing its 2021-2023 programme, which includes eight actions (seven itineraries of different specialities and a teaching course of vocational training, the latter already underway). The programme totals 3,910 teaching hours, including work experience in companies, and is aimed at 120 unemployed people in total. The training responds to the needs of natural stone companies and the occupations most in demand in the sector.
The students are entitled to receive the grants and aid established for the unemployed participants in training actions of Vocational Training for Employment for transport, meals, accommodation and reconciliation with the care of children under six years or dependent family members, and grants for assistance to people with disabilities and certain groups of unemployed people established by the SAE and that require a differentiated action to facilitate their qualification or requalification to enable their participation in specific programs.
Application period open for two itineraries
On the other hand, the deadline for submitting applications to participate in a training itinerary that will allow 15 unemployed people to acquire a complete preparation in one of the most demanded occupations by natural stone companies, such as handling loads with cranes, hoists and forklifts, with professional opportunities in other sectors such as agro-industry, construction or logistics, is still open until 9 May. It will be held from 20 June to 11 July 2022 from 9:00 to 14:00 h., with a total of 80 teaching hours. This training leads to a level 1 certificate of professionalism, a qualification that facilitates labour market insertion.
To apply for this itinerary it is necessary to be registered as a non-occupied job seeker in the SAE and it is not necessary to have any academic qualifications.
Also open until 23 August is the application period for registration in the training itinerary of programming and operation of numerical control machines, a speciality that, in Spain, is only taught in the Almeria centre. It will be taught between October 2022 and April 2023, with a total of 615 teaching hours, and includes qualification in another speciality in high demand both by marble companies and other activities: handling loads. In addition, training and employment guidance will be provided to students so that they are aware of employment support resources and increase their chances of finding work.
In order to participate in this training action, it is necessary to be registered as a non-occupied job seeker in the SAE and to have the title of Graduate in Compulsory Secondary Education or equivalent.