Employment allocates €7.1 million to new Youth Guarantee project funding round

The Canary Islands Government’s Ministry of Tourism and Employment has opened a new funding round for Training and Employment Alternation Projects – Youth Guarantee (PFAE-GJ) for 2026.

The initiative, delivered through the Canary Islands Employment Service (SCE), has a budget of €7,105,730.75, co-funded at 85% by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Canary Islands 2021–2027 programme. It will fund 17 projects benefiting 255 jobseekers across the archipelago.

The Minister for Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, highlighted the Government’s commitment to this section of the population, along with people over 45, who are the focus of her department’s efforts. “The Ministry’s work is not just about reducing youth unemployment figures, but about creating opportunities for the future so that no young person is left behind,” she said.

This means, according to the minister, “launching projects that provide young people with paid work experience and professional qualifications to help them access stable jobs. Youth Guarantee programmes specifically help improve their employability and, in turn, make it easier for them to enter the labour market.”

The Deputy Minister for Employment, Isabel León, said the combined training and employment programmes “respond to the real needs of the Canary Islands labour market and build a solid pathway for those who face the greatest barriers to finding work”.

“Our priority is to support and equip the most vulnerable young people, ensuring they acquire skills sought by the productive sectors on each island,” the deputy minister said.

PFAE-GJ projects combine formal learning with paid work on services or projects of social interest. Those selected will sign an 11-month alternating training and employment contract, spending 65% of their working hours on paid work and 35% on theoretical and practical training leading to professional certificates.

Participants must be unemployed, under 30 and registered with the National Youth Guarantee System. Priority will be given to those without previous formal qualifications.

More than 55% of places are also reserved for women, with preference given to victims of gender-based violence.

To ensure territorial cohesion, the funding round guarantees at least one project on each island. Tenerife and Gran Canaria will each have six projects and 90 participants, while Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro will each have one project and 15 places.