Aviation is the triumph of the impossible, so why not dream of inclusion?
Madrid | May 6, 2021
Envera's general manager, Enrique Grande, has participated in Industry Talksthe first online conference platform of the industry sector, to talk about the aeronautical industry and the labor insertion of people with disabilities, explaining the model that Envera has been developing for decades to generate employment opportunities in this sector.
The Industry talks, in the style of TED talks, were inaugurated in February by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, and aim to generate value for Spanish industry through the participation of leading companies and executives who offer their vision of the industrial fabric in these virtual conferences.
In his speech, Envera's CEO explained how the aeronautical industry and intellectual disability can go hand in hand, even if it sounds paradoxical. And he gave examples to prove it. He cited Eduardo, who works in Iberia's Hangar 6, at Barajas Airport, hangaring and cleaning airplanes. There, in the same place, aircraft engines are also disassembled and assembled with an infinite number of screws. "The entire task of selecting the screws is done by Carlos, who has an intellectual disability, and his colleagues at Envera for Farsound, a global company that has this mission," said Grande Pardo.
He then referred to José Luis, another Envera worker with a disability, who heads the team in charge of digitizing the documentation that always accompanies any aircraft like a backpack. The planes fill up with passengers who have their tickets managed by the Amadeus reservation center. "Many times there are problems with the tickets because they contain errors in their issuance. And María José and her team are well aware of this, and are able to solve these errors and allow 1.5 million people a year to fulfill their desire to fly. It is curious because María José wanted to dedicate herself to the world of travel and because of her disability she was rejected by those agencies whose errors she had to fix.
And from the complex to the simple. Justo and Anita, along with their fellow handlers, are capable of preparing 5,000 toilet kits a day for long-haul flights. And when, with the pandemic, the airplanes were grounded, Envera adapted to the new situation and manufactured surgical masks for sanitary use. It has also provided solutions to a historical problem of commercial flights by giving a second chance to alienated luggage that gets lost in airplanes and airports. It is Envera Punto de Inclusión, a sustainability, circular economy, social inclusion and employment generation project in which all these objects are recycled for sale in shopping centers with spaces provided by Nuveen Real Estate and Carmila-Carrefour.
"It is impossible for a society to advance if one part of it is left behind. Can the aeronautical industry remain on the sidelines of social cohesion? And the rest of the industry? Aviation is the triumph of the impossible, it is that dream of Icarus fulfilled and it is the drone that flies on Mars. If we are capable of dreaming of these goals and making them a reality, why are we not capable of dreaming of inclusion."
Via: Industry talks
