The students of the training itinerary ‘Auxiliary operations in natural stone processing plants and digital skills’ taught by the Escuela del Mármol de Fines have started this week their practical training in four companies of the Marble Region. «The students will thus complement their qualification by making contact with real working environments, putting into practice the knowledge they have learned and acquiring the habits and values of this sector,» said the territorial delegate for Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment, Amós García Hueso.
Specifically, they will carry out 80 hours of non-labour work experience in four companies with which the Fines Marble School has collaboration agreements, such as Encimeras Emilio Moreno Pastor, Mármoles Juan Tijeras, Encidelux and Cosentino.
Amós García recalled that companies that provide non-labour work experience to students of Vocational Training for Employment (FPE) in the SAE’s own training centres in the province can request financial compensation for this collaboration, «which responds to a request made by the companies that collaborate with the Marble School and that contribute to completing the students’ training, providing them with valuable experience and increasing their chances of finding employment».
Amós García highlighted «the quality training adapted to the demands of qualified professionals that marble companies have, thanks to the constant dialogue with this sector», and reminded that «the reactivation of Vocational Training for Employment with a new model that is more useful, efficient, flexible and adapted to the needs of the productive fabric will contribute to raising employment levels and the competitiveness of companies».
The Escuela del Mármol de Fines is a National Reference Centre (CRN) in vocational training in extractive industries since 2019. It is one of the CRN Schools of Andalusia attached to the Andalusian Employment Service (SAE) of the Ministry of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment.
The training itinerary in auxiliary operations, which will last until 29 March 2023, includes 415 hours of theoretical training and non-labour professional practices in companies of the Marble Region with which the CRN of Piedra Escuela del Mármol de Fines has collaboration agreements. It also includes 60 hours of training in basic digital competences and another 15 in labour insertion and job search techniques.
The units of competence included in this training itinerary cover the handling of blocks, boulders and blocks of natural stone; the handling and conditioning of products, consumables and machinery in installations and stone processing and the treatment and processing of minerals and rocks; and the handling of loads with forklift trucks and overhead cranes and hoists.
The student body is made up of eight unemployed men and seven unemployed women; 40% are over 45 years old, another 40% are between 30 and 45 years old and the rest are under 30. Nine of the students have no schooling, five have a secondary education qualification and one has a baccalaureate.
The participants are entitled to receive the grants and aid established for unemployed people participating in training actions of Vocational Training for Employment for transport, meals, accommodation and reconciliation with the care of children under six years of age 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 programmes.
This itinerary is the last of the eight training actions that make up the programme of the Escuela del Mármol de Fines 2021-2023, which includes seven itineraries of different specialities and a teaching course of the FPE. The programme totals 3,910 teaching hours, with work experience in companies, and is aimed at 120 unemployed people. The training responds to the needs of natural stone companies and the occupations most in demand in the sector.