EDPR and Vestas will award scholarships to young people living in rural areas in the 3rd Edition of its "Keep it Local" program | EDP Renováveis

EDP Renewables (EDPR), the world's fourth-largest wind and solar energy producer, and Vestas, the leading company in the manufacture, sale, installation and maintenance of wind turbines, are launching the 3rd Edition of the 'Keep it Local' program to provide training scholarships for young people in low-population density areas in A Coruña, Albacete, Asturias, Burgos, Cantabria, Teruel and Málaga.

To date, over fifty young people have received this scholarship to take the Wind Farm Maintenance Technician course offered by the Wind Energy Association (AEE), aimed at students living in rural areas with high unemployment. The program will help candidates enter the labor market, with the possibility of their profiles being considered in recruitment processes in the Operation and Maintenance area in both EDPR and Vestas.

Program data show high employability, since almost 50% of students are now working in the industry and living in their home towns one year after completing the training. 'Keep it Local' therefore fulfills its commitment to help generate quality green employment in rural areas by training young people to work in the wind energy sector.

This initiative also gives them access to a work environment close to their home towns, positioning them as the main drivers and advocates of the rural economy. 

Young people aged between 18 and 30 living in geographical areas where both companies have a presence, who have completed compulsory secondary education, and who have not previously benefited from these scholarships, are eligible to apply. The course, which will start on April 17, will consist of 181 hours of theoretical-practical training between online classes (theoretical) and in-person classes (practical training), distributed over six weeks of training, with two days of practical training at a wind farm.

Duarte Bello, COO Europe and Latin America for EDP Renewables, said, “We are very pleased with the launch of another edition of Keep it Local, an initiative that provides young people with specialized training in a sector of the future where they can access multiple opportunities. At EDPR we have the firm objective of being a leading company in the energy transition and, in order to achieve this, we consider it key to support the development and improvement of the quality of people. Through this program we aim to facilitate employment in the municipalities where we develop our wind farms, as well as to contribute at the same time to stop depopulation and generate wealth".

Iñigo Echevarria, Vestas SVP Head of Service for the Mediterranean, added, “The success of Keep it Local shows that wind energy plays a critical role not only in ensuring a sustainable future, but also in creating long-term local employment, which has a very positive impact in rural areas. We trust that this third edition will once again achieve the same impact as in previous years.”

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Candidates must submit their application by April 3^rd, 2023 by completing the form found at https://keepitlocal-program.com

Please email keepitlocal@edp.com if you have any questions or issues with the application.

Once the deadline for applications has closed, a jury made up of EDPR and Vestas representatives will choose the winners of the scholarships based on the competition criteria.