Thanks to the programme promoted by Iberdrola España, 10 young people from the Roma community are entering the job market in HVAC

Iberdrola España, UNICEF Spain and Fundación Secretariado Gitano closed the 'Learning by Doing' initiative this morning in Lucena, Córdoba, aimed at improving the community and job prospects of vulnerable young people, which has enabled ten young people from the Roma community to enter the job market in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sector.

The programme, with which young people obtained a professional competence certificate, included classroom training (35% of the business day) and on-the-job training in companies (65%) through a six-month work-study contract in HVAC.

For one of the participants, Jose Santiago (26), this experience was a great opportunity: ‘I’m really grateful to the FSG and Keyter. We’re really lucky, but we also have a major responsibility: to show the Roma community in a good light. I’d like to continue working in this industry’.
 

This programme, which stretched from March to December 2025 and was for young people who need access to qualifications and work experience, was rolled out by the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) under the framework of Generation Unlimited Spain, a multi-stakeholder partnership sponsored by UNICEF Spain that seeks to give at-risk youth social and job opportunities. 

The initiative is co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus and Iberdrola España, with Lucena City Council and the Association of Andalusian Refrigeration Manufacturers (AFAR) and five of its member companies: Coreco, Efficold, Infrico, Intarcon and Keyter. Through this initiative in Lucena, they offer young people opportunities in the green economy, such as the heat pump industry.

The event was attended by around 60 people, including students, family members, company representatives and local authorities. The institutional opener was given by Juan Reyes, regional director of FSG in Andalusia, María Dolores Gálvez Páez, regional representative for Jobs, Business and Self-Employment in Córdoba, Antonio Fernández, Iberdrola España’s representative in Andalusia, Claudia Zafra, president of the UNICEF Committee in Andalusia, Joaquín Alberto Peñalver, president of AFAR, and Aurelio Fernández, mayor of Lucena.

For Juan Reyes, regional director of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano in Andalusia, this experience is a major step towards the Roma population’s inclusion in the community and the job market: ‘Who would have thought 25 years ago that the Fundación Secretariado Gitano would have come so far in terms of employability for Roma people? We’ve secured job opportunities in a stable industry with a bright future, supported by big companies, organisations and institutions.’

For his part, Iberdrola España's representative in Andalusia, Antonio Fernández, noted that ‘the decarbonisation of the economy through electrification and renewable energies is a lever for creating industrial and job opportunities for all. This project is a clear example of this, bringing at-risk youth into rapidly expanding technological and industrial sectors, especially those related to new efficient air conditioning technologies and systems based on heat pumps, which today represent a source of jobs and are a key part of the energy transition. It is also a clear commitment to Lucena as an industrial driver and generator of opportunities in the region’.

‘Working in multi-stakeholder partnerships is key to addressing the major challenge of community and job market inclusion for at-risk youth’, explained Claudia Zafra, president of UNICEF Committee Andalusia. ‘By involving young people, businesses, the public sector, academia and community organisations that provide comprehensive support throughout the process, and by placing young people and their talent at the centre, we’re achieving real inclusion. This means real opportunities for thousands of young people who didn’t have them before, and at the same time, it allows companies to onboard trained, highly-motivated, very committed talent’, she added.

Next, Joaquín Alberto Peñálver, president of AFAR, said that ‘this project shows that when administrations, organisations and companies work together, AFAR fulfils its mission: to strengthen the industry, in this case by providing opportunities that transform lives and increase our companies’ competitiveness’.

Finally, Aurelio Fernández, mayor of Lucena, thanked the key players for their work in generating quality employment in Lucena and announced that ‘as of the closing of this edition, we must set ourselves the challenge of beginning to work on a second edition with the same objective: that young Roma continue to train and gain access to a sector that may be more difficult to access, but which has a future.’

The partnership of the Lucena City Council was key in coordinating the training initiative, promoting the professional certificate and providing training facilities, while AFAR enhanced the project's relationship with the business side.
 

The partnership of the Lucena City Council was key in coordinating the training initiative, promoting the professional certificate and providing training facilities, while AFAR enhanced the project's relationship with the business side.