Errotazarra Center for improving the employability of people with intellectual functional diversity
Fernando Rodríguez
The Errotazarra training center was founded in 2006 as a project to improve the employability of people with intellectual disabilities in the form of a workshop school funded by the state employment service (INEM).
Itaka Escolapios then took on a long-standing demand from the teaching staff in the task-based learning classrooms at our Calasanz school in Vitoria-Gasteiz, who saw how, once all the possible extensions within the formal education system’s secondary education had been used up, most students found themselves with no options for continuing their education or finding stable employment. Contacts had been made in vain with the Department of Education to set up a formally adapted vocational training classroom, similar to the only center that continues to operate on an experimental basis in the Basque Country, in Otxarkoaga (Bizkaia).
There was nothing of this kind in Álava, and only in recent years have ordinary training centers made tentative attempts to offer adapted courses on an ad hoc basis. As a result, almost all of the students at our school were left with only the option of applying for a place in an occupational workshop, with few opportunities to transition into the world of employment, despite showing the ability to set more ambitious goals.
The project has been adapted to funding possibilities over the years, and currently, following the transfer of powers in the area of employment training to the Basque Country, it is Lanbide that funds and validates the training we offer. This training consists of different modules that form part of the official training catalog and include technical subjects such as gardening (level 1 professional certificate), maintenance, plumbing, assembly, cleaning, etc., and complementary instrumental subjects such as communication in Spanish, mathematics, IT, social and work skills, occupational risk prevention, etc.
The general objective of promoting the integration of people with intellectual disabilities into the labor market is developed through specific objectives, which include:
- Training them in the use of the tools and techniques necessary to perform gardening tasks, maintenance of hostels, residences, or educational centers, hostel management, cleaning, warehouse logistics, concierge services, etc.
- Motivating them and reinforcing their prior knowledge so that they can access a continuing adult education center (EPA) where they can obtain their secondary school diploma if they do not already have one.
- Teaching skills to obtain and maintain a job.
We also set an additional goal: to raise awareness among those attending the Barria shelter about employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Our working methods are tailored to each participant’s needs. The team consists of three educators, two of whom are always at the center, so we can work with two small groups of up to eight people or with the whole group, with two educators. The methodology is essentially based on “learning by doing.” Our students are responsible for a major project: the maintenance and management of the Errotazarra shelter in Barria, which the Vitoria-Gasteiz headquarters offers to internal and external groups for camps, summer camps, retreats, and other educational events. The students carry out gardening, cleaning, maintenance, minor repairs, horticulture, and animal care, among other tasks, necessary for the proper functioning of these facilities. These tasks are carried out alongside educators through small projects simulating work crews, as is customary in the working world. In this way, they prepare themselves almost naturally for the situations they may encounter in a special employment center, an ordinary company, or the municipal employment plan that maintains the green belt.
For this purpose, we have the grounds of the Barria hostel, 25 kilometers from Vitoria-Gasteiz, which has greenhouses, vegetable gardens, landscaped areas, trees, hedges, and paths where we can carry out:
- Installation and maintenance of crops and lawns.
- Planting and maintenance of horticultural, fruit, forest, and ornamental plants. This involves managing irrigation techniques, pruning, care, harvesting, and processing of waste.
- Maintenance of the paths that run through the grounds, the fences that separate the different areas, and the furniture used by visitors for games, rest, and other activities.
We divide these tasks among teams, trying to ensure everyone does their part. Initially, we use hand tools and, as we learn, move on to machines for harvesting, clearing, or shredding debris to make mulch or our own compost, which we use to fertilize our crops.
The goal is to learn, and our land is limited. That’s why production isn’t very large, but it is enough to enrich the diet of some of the school’s students, who spend short periods living together with potatoes, onions, leeks, or pumpkins that are turned into delicious purées. Everything is organic and locally sourced. Sometimes we can also share something to take home and show our families what we do.
The students travel on the bus daily. The schedule covers the entire morning and ends at lunchtime. We eat lunch in a common area with several microwaves and a refrigerator, so anyone who needs to can heat up food they bring from home. The time spent eating, caring for the ponies, chickens, and goats, preparing for work, collecting and cleaning the tools and spaces we use (workshops, changing rooms, garden, greenhouses, bathroom, classroom, etc.), and resting for lunch are also important learning opportunities. During these times, we acquire habits and develop many complementary skills that help them keep their first job and be happy in it for a long time.
