The Mayor of Jaén, Julio Millán, thanked Inserta Empleo, Fundación ONCE, and Grupo Ilunion for their work in promoting the employment of people with disabilities. Millán stated that "if finding employment and starting a business are already difficult, these challenges can be greater for people with disabilities, who also face accessibility barriers and prejudices." Therefore, he emphasized the importance of meetings like this, "which allow us to learn about available resources, experiences, and facilitate tools for developing self-employment projects."
The Jaén City Council is working along these lines with Inserta Empleo and Fundación ONCE through a collaboration protocol signed on November 3rd, valid until 2029, to strengthen training, guidance, and employment access for people with disabilities. The mayor stressed "the need for this agreement to translate into concrete opportunities for those who need these supports."
Millán highlighted the results of Inserta Empleo in the province during the two years prior to the protocol's signing, a period in which the entity secured 316 contracts for people with disabilities, assisted 1,629 individuals, and trained 377 students. He also emphasized the City Council's work through the Municipal Institute for Employment and Business Training (IMEFE) in guidance, training, and support for employment and self-employment, in addition to the Special Employment Center, which has 74 workers dedicated to park and garden maintenance and environmental education tasks.
The mayor also pointed to "the possibility of studying new avenues to facilitate access for people with disabilities to business projects, through municipal resources such as markets, city kiosks, and other suitable spaces," and noted "the importance of working jointly with entities and making the necessary tools available to entrepreneurs to develop their initiatives."
For her part, the fourth vice-president of the Provincial Council of Jaén and deputy for Equality, Social Policies, and Youth, Francisca Medina, thanked the invitation to participate in these meetings and highlighted "the importance of working to ensure that equal opportunities are effective through entrepreneurship." Medina stated that "anyone with a business idea should be able to develop it, regardless of their circumstances," and underlined that "entrepreneurship not only allows a personal project to become a reality but also promotes autonomy and economic independence."
The territorial director of Inserta Empleo in Andalusia, Ceuta, and Melilla, Francisco López Aguado, explained that the meeting is aimed at both people with disabilities who have already started businesses and those who wish to start one, as well as entities and institutions linked to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The initiative also aims to reach individuals facing greater employment insertion difficulties through the supported entrepreneurship program.
The territorial manager also pointed out the financing possibilities offered by Fundación ONCE to support the launch of new businesses and expressed confidence that the meeting "will allow participating individuals to learn about available resources and move towards creating their own companies."
