Alstom Foundation, Alstom, JUAN XXIII FOUNDATION and OUIGO jointly developed a training and internship program to increase the employability of people with intellectual disabilities. The initiative, called “Inclusive Trains”, started with the implementation of a training course in the field of railway (developed by FUNDACIÓN JUAN XXIII and funded by the Alstom Foundation) to offer new business opportunities: assistance on board, support in stations, etc. Upon completion of the training, some students had the opportunity to improve their skills and employability thanks to internships developed in cooperation with high-speed operator OUIGO.
Although disabled people's access to the labor market has improved in recent years, there is still a significant distance to be covered. According to the latest data from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE), the employment rate of disabled people is 27,8%, while the employment rate of non-disabled people is 68,1%. The unemployment rate is 8,6 points higher than that of the non-disabled population (12,8% vs. 21,4%).
The need to improve this situation led to the creation of the “Inclusive Trains” project, jointly developed by three leading companies in their sector, committed to developing a more inclusive society and promoting equal opportunities for all groups.
special education
FUNDACIÓN JUAN XXIII, an organization that has been working for over 55 years for the social and workforce inclusion of people in situations of psychosocial vulnerability, has been responsible for the development of the educational project with funding and support from the Alstom Foundation. The Employment Training Center is a leading resource providing tailored training solutions for people with intellectual disabilities and/or mental illness. In this first promotion, 10 mentally disabled people gained the necessary skills to become cabin crew in the railway sector by acquiring theoretical and practical knowledge about the maintenance, cleaning and management of services offered on trains. Three of the ten trainees have found employment, while the other two are completing their internships at OUIGO, the high-speed operator who also participated in the training.
Practice at full speed
After completing their three-month (February-April 2024) training periods, participants put their knowledge into practice on OUIGO's high-speed trains. The operator assigned them various on-board and customer service tasks so that they could familiarize themselves with the daily life of the company and acquire the skills needed to develop independently.
This training is carried out with the support and assistance of the OUIGO team and the JUAN XXIII FOUNDATION employment service. Thanks to this experience, the employability of the participants and their chances of finding a job increase.
A project born from Alstom employees
The development of this project was made possible thanks to the support and financing of the Alstom Foundation, which invites every year all company employees around the world to submit proposals for charitable projects in which the organization can actively participate through financial contributions and logistical support. . The Foundation Board of Directors received 2022 proposals from 46 countries for the 235 call. One of those selected was an engineer promoted by an engineer from Alstom's signaling facility in Madrid, who wanted to offer new business opportunities to this group through his project.