The Arrecife City Council has announced that it will create 458 jobs with the more than 6 million euros that correspond to it from the State Local Investment Fund (Plan E), with a project that is divided "into three large blocks of investments, with the main purpose of creating employment".
The first of them, with a budget of 4,933,685 euros and 321 contracted workers, will be integrated by works related to the Technical Office of the City Council. The second block, with a budget of 665,480 euros and 18 workers, corresponds to works and studies of the IT department, and the third, with a budget of 784,000 euros and 119 workers, will go to the area of Social Affairs.
Social initiative and job creation
Although the works to be carried out with this money have not been fully specified, it is known that of the 25 projects that will be launched, most of the budget "will be invested in works related to conservation, maintenance, environmental integration or elimination of architectural barriers." The money destined to IT will go to "Digital Archives and improvement of citizens' access to the information society", among other initiatives.
With regard to the Area of Social Affairs, the projects refer above all to the "prevention of social exclusion, revitalization of neighborhoods, rehabilitation and maintenance of homes and, in general, works related to the care of people", as pointed out by sources from the Consistory.
Precisely the Councilor for Social Affairs of the Arrecife City Council, Emilia Perdomo, met last week with the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the Island so that they could present social projects that could be included in these items. Perdomo explained that it was money that had to be allocated "to social programs that would entail the creation of jobs", in order to try to solve "the serious unemployment problem that exists on the Island".
Employment and Sustainability
The new State Fund for Employment and Local Sustainability will begin to be implemented "from the moment that the Plenary Session of the local corporation, which meets on Monday, January 25, in Ordinary Session, approves the Investment Plan of Arrecife for 2010".
Among the novelties proposed by Plan E this year, it highlights that 20 percent can be allocated to current expenses, "as long as it is related to social and educational services." In addition, the projects will have to "guarantee environmental, social and economic sustainability, although the essential idea continues to be to create employment and maintain small and medium-sized enterprises".