For yet another year, ACCIONA is consolidating its commitment to the comprehensive training of new specialists in urban gardening and the conservation of historic spaces through its Escuela de Oficios Verdes (Green Trades School) that operates in the parks, gardens and forest areas that the company manages in Madrid. 

This initiative – set up in 2014 and developed together with public bodies such as the Escuela de la Vid (Vine School), the Villaviciosa Agricultural Training Centre or the Esperanza y Alegría Foundation – offers specialised training in areas such as gardening, landscaping, heritage conservation and the management of urban ecosystems. The programmes include practical experience in work centres and professional certificates, and they also reach out to young people at social risk.

Thanks to the programme hundreds of vocational training students have learned their trade from ACCIONA instructors and guides over the last decade, together with workers who wish to acquire qualifications and participants in social inclusion programmes. 

The results of the school’s programmes can be seen in parks such as El Capricho, where around 50% of the workforce has been trained by past students, which ensures the transfer of knowledge and quality service. This initiative also focuses on workplace safety and technical specialization, strengthening ACCIONA’s commitment to sustainability and the protection of natural heritage.

Since 2014 the company has undertaken the conservation of more than 300 hectares (740 acres) in Madrid, including the Parque del Oeste, la Quinta de los Molinos, la Quinta de la Fuente del Berro and the El Capricho garden on the Alameda de Osuna, among others.