The New Employment Opportunities Programme of the Cabildo has mobilised €2.97 million in four editions, benefiting 74 young locals. President Casimiro Curbelo argues that job insertion is key to rooting and the future of the island.
The Cabildo of La Gomera has allocated nearly €2.97 million to the New Employment Opportunities Programme, an initiative that in its four editions has allowed 74 young people to gain their first professional experience related to their training. This has been highlighted by the president of the institution, Casimiro Curbelo, who emphasises that behind each contract is a person starting to carve out their path and a family that sees the possibility of their children not having to leave the island.
Employment as a tool for rooting
Curbelo, in an opinion piece published this week, argues that youth job insertion should occupy a central place in any island project.
“We are not just talking about employment, but about rooting. We are talking about a young person who has trained being able to apply their knowledge here, contributing to public services, joining the primary sector, tourism, social care, administration, and innovation,” he states.
The programme, managed by the Cabildo, is part of a broader strategy to ensure that locals do not have to emigrate to progress professionally. According to Curbelo, the reality for many young people on the island has for too long been one of assuming that training and finding work means packing their bags. “That reality cannot be changed with good intentions. It is changed with concrete opportunities,” he concludes.
Over three million in educational policies
The island president links youth employment with education. In this area, the Cabildo has allocated over €3 million to educational policies, benefiting nearly 2,500 students at all stages. The aid includes study scholarships, free textbooks, support for travel, and agreements with public universities.
Curbelo argues that continuity between education and employment is precisely what La Gomera needs.
“It is not enough to ask young people to stay; we must give them real reasons to do so. And those reasons involve contracts, experience, stability, and future expectations,” he points out.
For the president, each young person who finds an opportunity on the island is also an opportunity for the entire Gomera society. “The future of La Gomera will not be built far from here: it must be built here, with young locals as the protagonists,” he concludes.
The role of SMEs and self-employed individuals
Curbelo also focuses on the local business fabric. He recalls that many young people find their first opportunity not only in public administration but also in small businesses, shops, tourism companies, and family initiatives. Therefore, he advocates for unique fiscal tools adapted to the island's reality that help SMEs and self-employed individuals face the costs of hiring, training, and retaining young talent in a territory with greater structural difficulties.
The initiative, which has already completed four editions, is consolidating as one of the Cabildo's commitments to combat depopulation and the ageing of the island. Young people interested in future calls can check the requirements on the Cabildo of La Gomera's website or at the island's employment offices.
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