OLA Programme for Employment Insertion: Aguas de Alicante Presents Results of the Third Edition with Red Cross and City Council

Aguas de Alicante hosted the presentation of the third edition results of the OLA Programme this Wednesday. This initiative, driven by Aguas de Alicante in collaboration with the Red Cross and the City Council, has continued its journey in recent months. The event featured participation from Sergio Sánchez, General Director of Aguas de Alicante; Amelia Navarro, Director of Sustainability, Equity, and Social Action of the company; Remedios Alarcón, local president of the Red Cross and technical staff from the Red Cross; and concluded with Begoña León, Councillor for Social Welfare, Seniors, and Family of the Alicante City Council.

During his speech, Sergio Sánchez stated that "the impact results continue to support the improvement of the personal and professional situation of participants in this third edition of OLA, through comprehensive and personalised support, which undoubtedly encourages our desire to continue this joint initiative in future editions." Amelia Navarro added, "within the framework of the Social Action axis of our Strategic Plan, we promote high-impact, evaluable programmes in partnership with other entities that contribute to social transformation. In this case, the OLA programme is aimed at users of the social fund, with the objective that through training and employment, they no longer need this type of aid."

The local president of the Red Cross added that "through this programme and with this public-private partnership, we seek to strengthen our common commitment to serve those most in need because, by improving the employability of beneficiaries of the Aguas de Alicante Social Fund, we will achieve an improvement in the quality of life for their families." She also highlighted that "the results of this third edition, like the previous two, have been truly satisfactory, as well as the level of loyalty and involvement the programme has achieved." In this regard, she pointed out that 95% of participants continued with the process until the end, and of these, 100% have become employed.

For Begoña León, "the OLA Programme has a direct and lasting impact on the lives and professional careers of the Alicante residents who participate in it, as demonstrated once again by the fantastic results of the third edition. For the Alicante City Council, it is a source of pride to collaborate with this project that facilitates access to training and employment for Alicante residents at risk of social exclusion, allowing them to achieve the economic stability they need to support their families."

With the initials "Occupation", "Leadership", and "Support", the OLA Programme launched in 2023 has seen the participation of 20 people in its third edition between January and August, beneficiaries of the company's Social Fund. The average profile of participants is: female, non-EU migrant, aged 31 to 45. Of the total project budget, 77% was allocated to activation and employability improvement programmes, and 23% to covering basic needs, especially in housing, energy supply, food, and other necessities. Among the main data presented today are: the high level of participant loyalty, with 95% of people engaged in the programme; the average dedication of the technical team, 21 hours per participant. Regarding the level of employment activation, it reached 100% of linked individuals, with training actions in basic skills and technical training. Additionally, 59% participated in 15 selection processes, and 5 people had some work experience during the programme.

The way the OLA Programme works towards the goal of employment insertion is by enhancing the personal and professional skills of vulnerable groups, offering them support in covering basic needs, so they can participate in the programme's guidance and training actions and access the labour market, improving their quality of life. All this is thanks to this agreement launched by Aguas de Alicante, with the collaboration of the Red Cross for comprehensive support to participants, and with the support of the Alicante City Council through its Social Services; dependent on the Department of Social Welfare, these services also work with the company in managing the annual Social Fund allocated to paying water and sewage bills for vulnerable groups.

The OLA programme considers the different phases of support for individuals who are unemployed. The project starts with an initial diagnosis regarding employability and basic needs. From here, it includes actions for job orientation, training capsules for skill improvement, technical and specific training, intermediation, job prospecting, and support in interviews, with the coverage of basic needs and an impact assessment to understand the changes generated by participation in the programme.