The achievement of environmental, economic and social sustainability plays a priority role in the policies of the United Nations, which in 2015 defined a list of 17 sustainable development goals to address a wide range of issues: from poverty to hunger, from health to ” access to water and energy, including environmental protection, justice, peace, gender equality, production and consumption models. The right to education has also been included among the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. A quality, equitable and inclusive education which, unlike what happens in many realities, should guarantee learning opportunities for all.
After all, education represents the future of humanity and without knowledge it would be impossible to imagine reaching the coveted goal of a sustainable society. The national School ReGeneration plan also looks towards this horizon, with which the Ministry of Education aims to renew the educational function of the school to rebuild the link between the different generations and teach them that development must be able to respond to the needs of the school. present without compromising future ones.
Particularly sensitive to these issues is the Enel Group, which for some time has been at the forefront of promoting knowledge, as evidenced by the “# EnelUp4Education” program, a real container of initiatives aimed at safeguarding the right to education, combating the phenomenon of early school leaving. , integrate educational activities with laboratory experiences, raise awareness of the opportunities offered by the energy transition by bringing young people closer to the world of work and the professions of the future. These include the “School4Life” project, which in 2021 involved 25 middle and high schools, for a total of about 1900 students, protagonists of learning and experimentation experiences.
Born from the collaboration with the ELIS Consortium, the initiative saw the participation of experts from the Enel Group in high schools as masters of the trade, role models and mentors. The masters of the trade supported the students in concrete projects, simulating realistic challenges and problems to stimulate the creativity and expression of individual talents. The role models were asked to motivate the students, while the mentors accompanied them on a development path focused on the realization of a sustainable future. The high school youth then took on the role of ambassadors in middle schools to encourage the children to undertake technical studies and innovative paths aimed at the world of energy.
The project, intended to be replicated and expanded in the two-year period 2022-23, has on the one hand the objective of raising awareness of the opportunities offered by the energy transition in terms of job opportunities, and on the other, of combating early school leaving with an approach methodological based on experimentation and learning by doing.
Enel’s commitment also extends to the university world, as evidenced by the dual apprenticeship, an experimental program of advanced training and research, in collaboration with the Roma Tre University, which in the current academic year involves students of Electronic Engineering in a path of professional integration that provides for the alternation of lessons with technical-professional training in the company.
The commitment of the Enel Group is not limited to Italy, but also includes concrete interventions in the other countries where the multinational energy company operates. In Peru, for example, since 2006 Enel has activated a training program in alliance with the “Nuevo Pachacútec” Technical Institute, where every year it contributes to the training of 125 students, 90% of whom work for Group contractors. In Romania, as part of the “Future Electrician” professional course, Enel supports the preparation of the next generations of electricians through a three-year training course that provides access to scholarships and cover for transport, board and lodging expenses. Only with knowledge, and therefore with education and training, can young people take the future into their own hands and build a better tomorrow.