Employment Workshop
To date Covelo Council has promoted a workshop school and two employment workshops.
The workshop school was in operation from June 1998 until December 1999, with 30 students divided between two modules in masonry and bricklaying. The first Employment Workshop , called “Covelo Nature” started activity in June 2003 and finishing up a year later, in which 30 workers/students took part in the trades of bricklaying, carpentry and plumbing/ electrics.A year later, in June 2005, a second project, designed as a continuation of the first began and was called “Covelo Sustainable Nature”, in which a further 30 students/workers took part. There was a slight variation in the subjects due to the needs of the restoration of the Rectory House of Santa Mariña that began with the project of the Workshop School, and they were: construction, carpentry and gardening/wine producing.
1. Inicial situation
The idea of putting these employment projects into practise came from the presentation of high unemployment statistics in people over 25 with a low level of qualifications (lower than the provincial and regional averages). This situation gave rise to the idea that training along the lines of an Employment Workshop would help to raise these people's qualification level and facilitate their entry into the job market given that nowadays qualified labour is needed for these positions.
With the aim of giving the attendees a broad qualification, which would allow them to join the labour market with better prospects of finding a job, there were classes in IT, lectures on health and safety in the workplace and employment orientation, along with training visits with the aim of widening their vision of the job market.
2. The floor of a “canastro” (a raised granary)
An active methodology is followed, favouring both individual and cooperative group work, and providing relevant apprenticeships by using practical work experience as a method of teaching.
In the attempt to improve the possibilities of the participants of the Employment Workshop of entering the job market their work was publicised in the media and direct contacts were made with employers in the sector.
The restoration work on the Santa Mariña Rectory House had a double objective: the recovery of our historic heritage for the use and enjoyment of the community, and a way to achieve the wider established objectives. On the other hand, this work was finished with the fitting out of the Employment Workshop building, making it into multipurpose for all types of activities.
3. Roofing structure
4. Tiling
