The Varadero square, in Puerto del Carmen, hosted this Friday the celebration of the II Tías Emplea Fair with the participation of 45 companies, associations, and institutions linked to employment and economic development in Lanzarote. The fair has been organized by the Tías City Council together with the Lanzarote Tourism Federation and Asolan, and the collaboration of the Cabildo de Lanzarote.
The mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz, highlighted during the inauguration that "this fair is once again a necessary meeting point between companies, people looking for employment, and entities that work for inclusion."
The day featured the writer, actor, and speaker Pablo Pineda, the first European with Down syndrome to obtain a university degree, who conveyed to the attendees an emotional message of overcoming, inclusion, and diversity.
"Diversity is a wealth for companies and an opportunity to advance as a society," said Susana Pérez, president of the FTL, who participated in the opening along with the director of the Canary Employment Service of the Government of the Canary Islands, María Teresa Ortega, the Employment Councilor of the Cabildo, Ascensión Toledo, and the Employment Councilor of the Tías City Council, Carmen Gloria Rodríguez.
For Susana Pérez, "the tourism and business sector of Lanzarote needs talent and people willing to work, and that does not understand barriers. Betting on inclusion and giving real opportunities is also betting on a more competitive and committed productive fabric."
For her part, the island councilor for Training and Inclusive Employment, Ascensión Toledo, who highlighted some of the projects promoted by the Cabildo to ensure the inclusion of people with greater difficulties in accessing employment, emphasized that the II Tías Emplea Fair "not only represents an opportunity to make labor connections, but also to give visibility to the social responsibility of companies, with special emphasis on functional diversity."
After the conference by Pablo Pineda, various training activities were carried out, such as the employability workshop for people with disabilities, taught by Alba Almeida and Alexis López, from Ilunion Hotels. There was also a talk on incentives and aid for companies that hire people with disabilities, by Lucía Ballesteros, president of the Mujeres sin Sombra association.
The fair concluded with a table of real experiences led by representatives of social entities and companies on the island that are committed to inclusive hiring.