The government launched this Thursday a labor socio-educational program which it called Accesos. The Minister of Social Development, Martín Lema, differentiated the proposal, from the one offered by Uruguay Works; he said that it is better “for various reasons” and highlighted optimization of resources, which will now be “more focused”he told the press.
“Now we work with applications” and not with raffles, so that the resources will be “focused,” said the hierarch. And he added: “We took out the NGOs that were intermediaries, that allows us that the resources reach the participants directly (…) There is greater efficiency because the resources arrive much more”.
The program looks for “the autonomy of the participant”, his “exit”, added Lema, who said that the aim is to try to “form tools that go towards excellence”. It consists of two stages: the first seven months the participants -3,000 per year- will have a protected employment; it is In other words, they will work in State institutions and the Ministry of Social Development (Mides) will pay them an economic benefit, equivalent to a national minimum income.
It involves an investment of $400 million per year.
It is addressed to people between 18 and 64 years old who are in programs of the social portfolio for going through social or economic vulnerabilities. They may be applied for sweeping, painting, construction, as well as administrative tasks, within the State. This will serve as training so that after that time, in a second stage, private companies can incorporate into their workforce workers who come from Accesos.
Mides seeks to open links with private companies, including benefits for those that take graduates from the new program. The objective is to achieve a real job opportunity, but it is not guaranteed, according to the authorities. The rights and obligations in this phase will be governed by labor law, and each participant will receive remuneration according to the profile of the position they hold. Mides seeks alliances for these opportunities, they said during the program presentation ceremony, which took place in the Executive Tower, with the presence of President Luis Lacalle Pou.
It will be broad throughout the country, focused on women from 18 to 64 years old and young people from 18 to 29 years old. The program contemplates the special quotas established by law: 8% for people of African descent, 4% for people with disabilities and 2% for trans people.
Selection of participants and companies
Admission to the program will be made through referral from the various Mides programs, according to the following criteria: that the programs are committed to social accompaniment, that the referral is based on personal trajectories, that the program, and that Accesses represents a real opportunity to get out of the situation of socioeconomic vulnerability. Meanwhile, the “Godmothers” companies will obtain the seal of recognition and exemption from employer contributions to social security for up to one year, in addition to other benefits that are established, Mides reported in a statement.
