OREANDA-NEWS.  July 09, 2013. This morning in Madrid Fundacion ONCE and Repsol renewed the Inserta Agreement which, over a three year period, will enable a further 60 people with disabilities to join the company. The renewal of this agreement for the third time confirms Repsol's commitment to the integration of people with disabilities.

The agreement was signed by Repsol's Executive Director of People and Organisation, Cristina Sanz, and the Vice-chairman of Fundacion ONCE, Alberto Duran, and is among the actions being carried out by Fundacion ONCE as part of its 'Por Talento' Programme to promote training and jobs for people with disabilities, which is jointly financed by the European Social Fund.

In her speech, Cristina Sanz highlighted that, for Repsol, the aim is to "foster a model of social coexistence which is committed and supportive, which improves the quality of life of people and facilitates the social integration of disadvantaged groups and those at risk of exclusion, with the conviction that the best way to ensure normal conditions for people with disabilities is through their integration into the workforce".

Alberto Duran highlighted the importance of the efforts made by the two entities to ensure the success of their joint projects and recognised that it is "one of the most complete collaborations we have". With the renewal of the Inserta Agreement, "we will continue making progress in employment, in mutual commercial relations and will also open up many paths to international collaboration". For Duran, Repsol is an example of how to incorporate disability across all work areas.

Repsol will also promote indirect labour market integration by purchasing goods or services from Special Employment Centres. The agreement also provides for the development of good practices in relation to accessibility to goods and services within Repsol's area of activity, and the company will promote various dissemination and awareness raising campaigns to achieve the objectives set out in the agreement.

Repsol's collaboration with Fundacion ONCE, through the direct mediation of FSC Inserta, dates back to 2006 and has resulted in more than 450 employment contracts offered by Repsol over the years, with their advice and support. The inclusion of people with disabilities is a strategic value for the energy company and forms part of its social responsibility policy.

This alliance has also resulted in more than 50 service station vendor-retailer courses in 20 Spanish towns, in which more than 700 students with disabilities have received training. A large number of these students have secured jobs at Repsol service stations.

Another key aspect is Repsol's commitment to the universal accessibility of its facilities, which has included adapting more than 500 service stations to become the largest network of accessible service stations in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. The company's corporate headquarters, Repsol Campus, where the agreement renewal ceremony took place, has been built in accordance with the most stringent accessibility criteria. Fundacion ONCE and a number of other entities collaborated in its design, ensuring that it complied with the most exhaustive regulations in Spain in this regard.

Repsol
In 2012, Repsol reached the mark of 544 disabled people employed directly, 437 of them in Spain, in addition to 170 people employed by alternative means. Repsol employees with disabilities are integrated into all areas of the organisation, including the industrial area, and 22% of them are in qualified technical posts. 

The work Repsol carries out to integrate people with disabilities has been recognised with a number of awards, such as the Premio Reina Sofia, the Fundacion ONCE Discapnet Award, the Ability Award for integration for large private companies, among others. The company has a White Paper on Hiring People With Disabilities, and has been a pioneer in adapting its facilities, such as the over 500 accessible service stations in its network in Spain and its corporate headquarters, the Repsol Campus, built under the criteria of universal accessibility.

FSC Inserta
The mission of FSC Inserta, the Fundacion ONCE organisation for training and employment, is to implement the "Por Talento" Programme, an instrument jointly funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). This ambitious project forms part of the Action Programme to Combat Discrimination 2007-2013, and is a new drive to promote the social and labour market integration of disabled people, and equal opportunities.