A group of fifteen people with a range of disabilities were participants on a digital marketing course, organized by the ONCE Foundation & Opinno with the backing of Popular, a banking affiliate of the Santander Group. The main course objective was to boost the behavioral competencies of the individuals who participated and to prepare them for the challenges of future job markets, those commonly referred to as the ‘new professions’, so as to encourage participants’ prospects in the world of work evolving from the Digital Revolution.
Opinno’s CEO, Pedro Moneo was present at the course’s concluding address in the ONCE Foundation’s headquarters in Madrid. Also present were Sabina Lobato, director of training, work & projects at the ONCE and Elena Perez Berjon, who represented Popular.
There to encourage a proactive stance on disability and the challenges that face course participants in the emerging job markets was Alvaro Galan, member of the Program for Paralympic Trainers at the ONCE Foundation, according to course promoters.
The course consisted of a substantial 220 hours of face-to-face classes and was presented within the framework of the program EmprendeTIC, an initiative affiliated with the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid which advises companies on entrepreneurship in the digital age.
The development of the project was organized by Opinno on two levels: the first was how best to maximize training for people with disabilities in the digital sector so that they might reach their potential as part of the culture of new entrepreneurs. This was supported with financial backing for those unemployed with disabilities who may have strong ideas for new businesses so that they might improve their knowledge of job competencies in their profession of interest.
The second level was dedicated to teamwork activity. Participants had the chance to pick up both theoretical and practical skills in a variety of subjects related to digital marketing, the highly desirable interpersonal skills needed for the digital job market as well as focusing on team working skills, all of which encouraged each of the participants to shine and to develop the best of what the individual can offer in the changing culture of future work. They also had the opportunity to develop their own marketing strategy, and to look at how SEM and SEO might be implemented. There was also a chance to learn how to manage social networks adequately from a company’s perspective.
At the end of the course, students exhibited their presentations for evaluation before a panel of judges including representatives from Popular, ILUNION Technology, and Accessibility. Fundae, Demium Games, and Cadena de Valor. This gave participants the opportunity to exchange opinions with professionals in Human Resources from the companies represented.
