BBVA - Press Room

 

• The BBVA INTEGRA awards give a top prize of €200,000 to the entity with the most innovative benchmark scheme with proven results in Spain
• Other integration schemes are also recognized and awarded up to €50,000 each
• The BBVA INTEGRA Plan was designed to integrate people with disabilities into society and the workplace
• The winner of the 1st edition of BBVA Integra was “Taller de tejido manual” (Hand Weaving Workshop) run by Teixidors S.C.C.L.
• Leading organizations such as COCEMFE, FEACEM, FEAPS and Fundación ONCE recently signed a framework agreement with BBVA to develop this plan

BBVA is holding the 2nd edition of the BBVA INTEGRA awards, which recognize innovative proposals that generate value through jobs for people with disabilities. The top prize is €200,000. The award is part of the BBVA Integra Plan, which promotes the integration in society and the workplace of people with disabilities and considers that work is the key to improving the quality of life of this group and for fostering equal opportunities. The winner of last year's edition was Taller de Tejido Manual Teixidors, an artisan cooperative in Catalonia in which 17 of its 30 employees with disabilities are partners.

This INTEGRA Award is part of BBVA’s Corporate Responsibility policy, which can be summed up as “Working for a better future.” For BBVA, Corporate Responsibility is a real commitment based on providing the maximum and balanced value possible to its stakeholders –shareholders, customers, employees and suppliers- and the societies where the bank operates.

Eligible for this award are all initiatives launched by NPO associations or organizations working with the disabled, as well as those undertaken by self-employed entrepreneurs with some degree of disability.

Preferences and selection criteria

The projects submitted are assessed mainly on their merits in the following areas:

• Innovation in creating employment for people with disabilities in new business sectors
• The promotion of universal accessibility, equal opportunities and non-discrimination to help people with disabilities, especially those with more challenging handicaps, find quality employment
• Improvement in employability of people with disabilities, especially those with greater difficulty gaining quality employment
• Excellence in managing people and developing skills at special employment centers or institutions that meet the requirements of Royal Decree 364/2005, of April 8.
• Job-creation initiatives at special employment centers that contribute quality and innovation
• Initiatives and projects that, eligible to participate in this award, give rise to job opportunities for people with disabilities which contribute to sustainable development and environmental protection.
• Involvement and cooperation with companies to hire people with disabilities under equal opportunities and quality conditions, provided this is effective in creating jobs and is innovative in this respect
• R&D&I in applying advanced technology in promoting personal autonomy and employment for the disabled
• Dissemination, awareness and training programs to encourage a culture of quality employment for disabled workers
• Other areas which constitute an advance in creating quality jobs for the disabled and furthering equal opportunities and quality of life

Projects are assessed bearing in mind their coherence with the established objective.  They must meet the innovation, value creation and quality criteria for creating jobs for the disabled.

The award panel comprises people appointed by BBVA, the Spanish Committee of Representatives for People with Disabilities (CERMI), the ONCE Foundation, la Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities (COCEMFE), the Spanish Confederation of Organization in favor of Intellectual Disability (FEAPS), and the Spanish Business Federation of Associations of Special Centers for Employment of the Disabled (FEACEM). There is also a Technical Advisory Committee comprising renowned individuals in the area of disabilities and employment.

The deadline for nominations is December 3. The panel’s verdict, which cannot be appealed, will be announced by the end of April 2010. For more information, go to http://rrc.bbva.com

BBVA Integra I

At the first edition of the BBVA Integra awards, the top prize went to “Taller de tejido manual” by Teixidors S.C.C.L. Six other innovative, value-adding projects were honored, with each receiving up to €50,000. These projects were as follows:

• AFENMVA (Valencia Association for People with Neuromuscular Disorders and their Families).  Project: Center for Assistance and Integration of Neuromuscular Disorder Patients and People with Other Major Physical Disabilities
• APTITUD Association.  Project: La Mancha theater troupe
• Castilla y León FEAPS. Project: Social Entrepreneurship Project for the Recovery of Used Vegetable Oil in Castilla y León.
• PRODIS Foundation (Madrid). Project: College education program for bringing young people with learning difficulties into the workforce.
• Foundation for Assistance to People with Chronic Mental Illness (FAECROMEN).  Project: RUTASMONACALES.COM Business Project for Workplace Integration of People with Chronic Mental Illness.  
• Gustauria SCCL. Project: Industrial Project for Central Kitchens of Cold Catering Business

The BBVA INTEGRA Plan

This Plan promotes the integration of people with disabilities into society and the workplace, as well as equal opportunities, non-discrimination and access for all in Spain.

Another objective of the BBVA INTEGRA Plan is to encourage full financial integration and accessibility of the disabled. As well as raising awareness of the needs and potential of this group, the initiative aims to promote full workplace integration by applying and rolling out innovative policies.