Ence is promoting the offer of 15 scholarships, worth more than 33,000 euros in total, for technical training in mechanised forestry operations for 15 young people from the Huelva region. The company does this hand in hand with the local and provincial administrations of Huelva through collaboration agreements, the first of which have been signed with the Mancomunidad Beturia de la comarca del Andévalo and the Mancomunidad Sierra Minera, which are offering 7 and 5 scholarships respectively of the 15 offered by the company.
The training, 100% financed by Ence, consists of 50 hours of mechanics and hydraulics, 50 hours of forestry machinery and 20 hours of risk prevention. In total, 120 hours to be taken in Lugo, in the prestigious Galician academy of the Forma-T Group. In addition, the company is responsible for ensuring two months of paid internships in Huelva forestry companies that are regular suppliers of Ence, the seven best records. For their part, the collaborating entities are in charge of articulating in their respective areas of influence the selection of the beneficiaries and how to access accommodation grants during the three weeks of training.
This project aims to promote the professionalisation and technification of a very important economic sector in the province of Huelva which, however, currently lacks sufficient qualified technical personnel. For this reason, it was created with a vocation for the future, and is intended to be repeated in future years with the collaboration of those who are truly knowledgeable about the territory and its needs, such as town councils and associations of municipalities.
The company, which manages some 50,000 hectares of woodlands in Andalusia, already has an important structuring effect on the territory and contributes to the creation of income and the fixation of the population, preventing the abandonment of rural areas. Now, with the grants, Ence wants to continue to increase its impact and consolidate its position as a driving force in the most deprived areas, while at the same time helping to improve the employability of the people who work in Huelva’s forestry areas.
In addition to Beturia and Sierra Minera, some town councils in the province are also preparing their respective calls for applications so that the first group of 15 young people from Huelva can take the training in October of this year. The requirements for access to the scholarships are: to be of legal age, to have a driving licence and to be committed to completing the training. In addition, the existence of studies related to the natural environment, experience in the forestry sector, as well as the willingness to stay and work in their villages will be valued.
With this investment of more than 2,200 euros for each trainee, the company seeks to take another step in the consolidation of the Huelva forestry sector as a key economic engine for the livelihood of rural areas, which is one of the important objectives of the sustainability policy and commitment to sustainable forest management Ence.
