After more than 10 years of collaboration, Iberia is taking a further step in its alliance with the Fundación Integra by joining the corporate volunteering programme promoted by the Foundation. The aim is to promote labour inclusion for people facing social exclusion, women victims of gender violence and people with disabilities, through pre-employment training provided by active professionals from partner companies.
Specifically, 12 people who work at Iberia Mantenimiento, the Iberia division responsible for the maintenance and overhaul of the IAG Group’s aircraft, engines and components, as well as those of more than 100 airlines around the world, participated in the programme by teaching part of the syllabus in the “Strengthening School” and “Integra Tech” workshops to thirty beneficiaries of the Foundation. Both workshops seek toimprove the employability of socially excluded people with disabilities and channel their abilities into employment.
“Volunteering programmes, such as those organised by the Fundación Integra and Iberia, allow people facing social exclusion, victims of gender violence and people with disabilities to acquire essential skills for their integration into the labour market. The workshops “Strengthening School” and “Integra Tech” are clear examples of how pre-employment training provided by active professionals can promote the development of skills and increase the employability of beneficiaries,” said Teresa Parejo, Director of Sustainability at Iberia.
These first 12 volunteers thus contributed to helping vulnerable people recognise their skills and abilities, as well as providing them with the necessary knowledge and confidence to successfully pass a job interview and get a good job. For them, having a job means the end of social exclusion and the beginning of a new life that is more independent and autonomous in every sense.
“It has been, without a doubt, a very enriching experience. These training courses allow us to benefit from two-way learning, because not only do the people who receive the workshop learn, but so do the volunteers. It helps to highlight the importance of integration and at the same time develop skills such as communication with different groups of people and promote teamwork,” says Ignacio de la Iglesia, Manager of the Iberia Mantenimiento training centre.
In 2024, more than 1,000 volunteers from 45 companies collaborated with the Integra Foundation School. Every year, 1,200 vulnerable people receive training thanks to the valuable contributions of these volunteers.
The article Iberia embarks on corporate volunteering with the Integra Foundation first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.