University Extension Course in urban gardening and green solutions

Presentation

The existing relationship between training and employment becomes evident when addressing the development of vocational maturity, as well as its various components: skills for choosing, obtaining and maintaining employment, through learning and developing skills transversal, as well as the professional development of university students and graduates through specific professional training, developed from a comprehensive perspective that extends to its follow-up in labor insertion, as it is a fundamental factor that improves the possibility of academic and labor success. of people with disabilities.

Therefore, the high-performance research group DIVERSIA, in collaboration with the Green Office of Rey Juan Carlos University, is launching the sixth edition of the University Extension Course in Urban Gardening and Green Solutions. This course offers ongoing, specialized training in sustainability and the environment for employment, addressing the job placement needs of people with intellectual, developmental, and/or autism spectrum disabilities, in line with the latest labor market trends. 

Finally, both the planning and implementation of this training are coordinated with the Employment Training Center (CFE) of the JUAN XXIII FOUNDATION, a leading institution in providing vocational training for employment to people with intellectual disabilities and in generating innovative training solutions for this group, always promoting specialization and social and labor inclusion.

This training is co-financed by the ONCE Foundation and the European Social Fund.

Objectives

The program's main objective is to train experts in urban green solutions to increase the employability of people with intellectual, developmental, and/or autism spectrum disabilities, while educating them on the values ​​and principles that underpin the Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, it aims to: 

• Provide comprehensive and personalized university education to young people with intellectual, developmental and/or autistic spectrum disabilities, as a University Extension Course in "Urban Green Solutions", adapted to the demands of the labor market, which promotes their autonomy, improves their academic training and prepare them for the world of work.
• Provide young people with social and work skills, as well as work on emotional regulation, all of which are fundamental aspects to increase their chances of finding a job.
• To provide university education to young people with intellectual, developmental, and/or autism spectrum disabilities, focused on continuing their studies, improving their academic training, their independence, and their job readiness. 
• To provide these young people with the skills and competencies necessary to increase their opportunities for social and employment inclusion. 
• Develop inclusive experiences within the University Community, which normalize coexistence between equals with and without disabilities. 

Additionally, the objectives we establish as a higher education institution are: 

• Contribute to compliance with Article 37 of the Losu (Union of University Students), which refers to equity and non-discrimination, promoting access to university for young people with intellectual disabilities and other disabilities. 
• To raise awareness among the different members of the university community (teachers, researchers, students and technical management, administration and services staff) regarding disability, especially intellectual, developmental and/or autism spectrum disabilities, through the development of inclusive activities and participation in the proposed training program. 
• Involve different services and faculties of the Rey Juan Carlos University in order to encourage participants to have inclusive experiences and normalization within the University Community. 
• Offering young people with intellectual, developmental, and/or autism spectrum disabilities the opportunity to continue in the educational system through specific training in a university setting. 
• Promote teaching innovation and universal design for learning to improve inclusive practices in the university context.