• The new website is part of the LEADER cooperation project "+Companies+Employment+Rural" made up of 11 Local Action Groups from Castile and León.
• The portal launches with 60 job offers and more than 5,000 people have registered.

Cooperation is one of the seven principles of the LEADER approach . Therefore, Local Action Groups (LAGs) can voluntarily cooperate with other LAGs or other local groups—whether public or private—that are implementing local strategies, in order to enhance the potential of their territories.

The "+Companies +Employment +Rural" project is an example of LEADER cooperation between 11 LAGs in Castilla y León, and was established with the purpose of supporting employment and entrepreneurship initiatives being carried out in that region.

To this end, they have created the web portal " Rural Employment " - a web platform dedicated to the comprehensive management of employment services in Castilla y León thanks to:

• Direct access to job offers from the 11 participating municipalities
• Information on training courses , grants and subsidies
• News related to employment, businesses, and entrepreneurs

Operation

The portal offers a free registration service for:

• Job seekers
• Companies offering vacancies

Both profiles, once registered, have the following services :

• Job Exchange .
• Personal space from which to keep the application updated.
• Possibility of registering for active job offers and participating in open selection processes.
• Digital newsletter with up-to-date information on news, job openings, and training.
• Information on business resources available in each affiliated territory.

The following are participating in the project: the Segovia Sur Association , Honorse Tierra de Pinares and CODINSE from Segovia, the Tierras del Cid Association from Soria, AGALSA , ADECOAR and CEDER Merindades from Burgos, the Cuatro Valles Association and POEDA from León, ADECOCIR from Salamanca and the Tierra de Campos Rural Development Collective Association in the province of Valladolid, which is the coordinating entity of the “+Companies +Employment +Rural” project.

In the words of María José Mulero, project coordinator, "the website aims to support and improve the employment intermediation we provide through the cooperating GALs through digitalization, so that job guidance and business advice continue to be provided through personalized attention."

LEADER and employment

The eleven LAGs participating in the project work in their rural areas for sustainability, employment and entrepreneurship, through information, advice and monitoring aimed at unemployed people, entrepreneurs and companies and the creation of alliances and cooperation networks between companies and institutions, within the framework of measure 19.3. (LEADER) of the Rural Development Program of Castilla y León, co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) , the Regional Government of Castilla y León and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food .