REN and APSA partner up for professional integration of young people with Asperger´s Syndrome

REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais and the Portuguese Asperger’s Association (APSA) have signed a protocol that will offer young members of the association the opportunity to have a learning experience at REN.

This partnership falls within the scope of APSA’s Project Casa Grande, which is dedicated to providing education, training in social skills, and temporary employment to foster social and professional integration, enabling these young people to build a future life project with greater autonomy.

The young participants will work in REN’s accounting, information systems and human resources departments.

For Piedade Líbano Monteiro, chairwoman of APSA’s board of directors, this partnership represents “an important step in providing the young people in APSA’s Casa Grande with training and professional experience in a real working environment. “In fact, APSA relies not only on its strength and determination to blaze trails and get work done, but also on something much more important - a feeling that, sometimes, only parents like us believe that everyone, even those with a different condition, should be able to exercise their rights, perform their duties and enjoy full citizenship. “REN believes as we do and has given us a vote of confidence, so this partnership is a great source of pride for APSA. We are going to show that our young people are up to the challenge of this commitment.”

Elsa Carvalho, director of human resources at REN, said “it is with great pleasure that REN is involved in this partnership and is playing an active role in integrating these young people into the work context. “Through this partnership, REN hopes to offer these young people an opportunity to develop a professional activity in a controlled environment, where space for individuality, sharing and the development of everyone will be a reality”.