Cabildo and Mancomunidad present a plan that generates employment and recovers the landscape of the south of Gran Canaria

 

The Cabildo of Gran Canaria and the Intermunicipal Association of the Southeast of the Island have joined forces to launch the 'Employment Plan for cleaning up and improving the airport environment - southern tourist area', whose objective is to encourage employment through training and hiring of 86 unemployed women and men, preferably belonging to groups with difficult integration, who, since last May 14, are carrying out the cleaning of at least 30 hectares of abandoned greenhouses in Agüimes, Ingenio and Santa Lucía , the three municipalities that make up the Commonwealth, and in several neighboring areas. 

 

This 'Employment Plan for cleaning up and improving the airport-southern tourist area environment. Annuity 2023', executed by the Intermunicipal Association of the Southeast, has been financed in the amount of 1.883.000 euros (92,97% financing) by the Department of Employment and Local Development of the Island Council of Gran Canaria and is framed in the cooperation agreement between the Canary Islands Employment Service and the Island Council of Gran Canaria for the coordination and execution of active employment policy programs on the island of Gran Canaria.

 

 

All the details related to this initiative were made known to the island society today by the president of the Gran Canaria Cabildo, Antonio Morales, in an event in which he was accompanied by the island's Sports Councilor, Juan Díaz; the president of the Commonwealth and mayor of Agüimes, Óscar Hernández; the mayor of Ingenio, Vanesa Martín, and the first mayor of Santa Lucía, Francisco José García.

 

Thus, in his speech, the president stated that the fundamental purpose of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria is to execute, on the one hand, environmental policies with a comprehensive sustainable development project for the Island, to protect the territory and the landscape, to advance in the clean energy in the primary sector and to guarantee security and economic diversification. “And, in parallel, it has the objective of achieving greater social well-being and greater dignity for the group of people who make up the island community and, therefore, care policies, social policies, integration policies and Equality policies occupy a central place in our politics,” he stated.

 

The leader of the island Executive also emphasized that almost all areas of the Island's Government have to do transversally with actions that coincide with the strategies of the municipalities and, with that premise, he recalled that this coordination has been forged in the first additional investment plan with the 21 Gran Canaria municipalities in the history of the Cabildo, which has been created to generate economic activity.

 

And, in that scenario, he framed this initiative promoted by the Commonwealth of the Southeast, in which, as he argued, “three elements coincide that speak of that structuring and that objective of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria in its government action. On the one hand, the protection of the territory and the landscape, since it is about recovering a very deteriorated space on our Island, because it has been subjected to intensive use for many years, and that will be incorporated into the new economic activities that we are going to do. to develop in the coming months.”

 

Secondly, he referred to the protection of the environment, since, “in these spaces, there is a large amount of plastics and plastics are generating enormous pollution on land and also in the sea,” he lamented. "Therefore, with everything we do to eliminate these plastics we are contributing decisively to protecting our flora, our fauna, our natural environment."

 

And, thirdly, he stressed that the proposal is a clear example of the care policy developed by the Cabildo. “We do everything possible to integrate the greatest number of people into our society,” he stressed. “Groups that are difficult to integrate need an effort from the institutions and we are doing it, both for those over 45 years of age and for young people and all those people who would otherwise have a very difficult time and for whom this type of projects are created” .

 

Finally, Antonio Morales concluded by highlighting that the insular Corporation is making an important economic effort in this proposal, which fulfills those purposes of safeguarding the territory, recovering the natural environment, protecting the environment and making possible public initiatives through the town councils, in this case of the Commonwealth of the Southeast, in coordination with the Government of the Island. “And we are going to continue doing them,” he stated, “because we are aware that these types of measures generate social profitability, generate economic profitability and generate environmental profitability ”.

 

A response to a social demand for more than 30 years

 

Juan Díaz, for his part, pointed out that the insular Department of Sports has been working with the Commonwealth of the Southeast on this project for more than two years and that, after finding the legal-administrative formulas to be able to carry it out and contact the owners of the lands, this Employment Plan is already a reality today. 

 

“This is the Government of the Island that tries to work with the 21 municipalities, which is the territory of all the inhabitants of Gran Canaria, and whenever it is needed, we are there,” he stated, to continue emphasizing that this initiative responds “to a social demand from more than 30 years ago about a space that is the entrance to Gran Canaria, because I believe that 90% of people enter by plane and the first thing they see is this space, which is in very bad condition.” conditions,” he stated. “And finally we got to work.”

 

He explained that his Area has allocated a budget of 1,8 million euros to co-finance the work during 2024 and another similar amount for what will be the next employment plan. "In this first stage, we will act in a certain space and we hope that, with the next employment plan, all the land will be completed and in decent conditions not only for us, the people of Gran Canaria, but also for all the people who support us. they visit,” predicted the counselor.

 

He also emphasized that those hired with this program will be provided with training through courses on occupational risk prevention, phytosanitary handlers, food handlers, basic digital skills and basic gardening operations, which will allow them to improve their level of employability for their future. 

 

And, in this sense, he insisted that "the Department of Employment works with all the municipalities of the Island, among other projects, in employment plans, in local development plans, in investments in training centers to standardize the classrooms, incentives to generate jobs and a training plan in renewables, which aims to create new companies and train people in this matter.”

 

Involvement, commitment and willingness to be exemplary

 

Óscar Hernández, in turn, The president of the Southeast Commonwealth and mayor of Agüimes, Óscar Hernández, in turn, after elaborating on the fact that this Plan will improve the spaces that make up the first line of sight when it comes to arrival in Gran Canaria, focused on “the commitment made to the workers hired in this first phase, as well as the important economic effort that the Cabildo of Gran Canaria has made and also, obviously, on the contribution of the Commonwealth of the Southeast for keeping this space in the best conditions to improve this region.”

 

In this sense, it should be noted that all the scheduled actions are budgeted for a total of 2.025.200 euros, of which the island Government has contributed the already mentioned 1.883.000 euros.

 

Finally, the president of the Southeast Commonwealth and mayor of Agüimes thanked these workers for their involvement and asked for their commitment and “the will to be exemplary, to seek the connivance of the citizens when it comes to bets that administrations make with this type of projects turn out to be successful.”

It should be noted that the execution period for this work is a maximum of 17 months, which extends from December 2023 to April 2025, although it can be extended until October 31, 2025.