Cantabria opens call for 1.28 million to improve employability

The Government of Cantabria has opened the 2026 call for grants for the development of actions to improve employability, endowed with 1,280,000 euros and aimed at local entities and non-profit organizations. The call is approved by Order IND/49/2026, of September 23, published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria no. 188, of September 30, 2026 (CVE-2026-7518), with an extract in the same issue (CVE-2026-7523). Applications may be submitted within ten business days starting from the day following the publication of the extract.

The order is based on the regulatory bases established by Order IND/31/2025, of June 27 (BOC no. 127, of July 3), and complies with the 2026 Annual Plan for the Promotion of Decent Employment, within its Axis 1: Guidance. The program seeks to improve the employability of people requesting employment services through vocational guidance actions, information and advice on hiring and support measures for it, and the acquisition or improvement of transversal competencies and specific training.

The Governing Council authorized the call on August 27, 2026, as the expenditure exceeded the 1,200,000 euro threshold provided for in Cantabria Law 10/2006, of July 17, on Cantabria Grants. The signature corresponds to the Minister of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Trade, Eduardo Arasti Barca. The call is registered in the National Grants Database with the identifier 927056.

Financing and beneficiary entities

• Total amount of the call: 1,280,000 euros.
• Local entities: 800,000 euros, charged to application 13.00.241N.461.
• Non-profit entities: 480,000 euros, charged to application 13.00.241N.488.
• Maximum amount per beneficiary entity: 80,000 euros.
• Maximum number of beneficiary entities: sixteen.

Beneficiaries may include municipalities and supramunicipal local entities of Cantabria, as well as their dependent or linked entities, and non-profit entities, including public universities and official chambers of commerce, industry, services and, where applicable, navigation. Previous experience of at least one year in the last five years in employment guidance actions for unemployed persons, executed directly and not subcontracted, is required.

Eight territorial sub-areas and 1,500 hours per project

The call establishes eight areas of action corresponding to the administrative management units of the Regional Network of Employment Offices, within areas such as Santander, Torrelavega, Camargo, Colindres, Castro Urdiales, Reinosa, and San Vicente de la Barquera. Each entity may submit a single application per area or sub-area, equivalent to 1,500 annual hours, and the number of guidance hours per technical guidance person amounts to 1,500 per year.

The actions must be executed over a twelve-month period. The amount per counselor per year is broken down into 44,583 euros for technical guidance personnel costs, 15,417 euros for other expenses, and 20,000 euros for actions to improve transversal competencies and specific training.

Priority groups and specific training

• People receiving the Basic Social Income with a social incorporation agreement that includes a labor insertion itinerary.
• People with disabilities.
• Long-term unemployed people.
• Beneficiaries of the Youth Guarantee National System.
• Women, preferably with low qualifications.
• Unemployed people over 45 years of age.

Annex II lists 37 specific training actions, including food handler, butcher and fishmonger assistant, forklift operator, crane operator, sign language, advanced Excel, citizen services, or preparation for the CAP for goods and passenger road transport. Actions for obtaining a driver’s license are subsidized up to a maximum of 80 hours of theoretical classes and 40 hours of practical training per person, at 15 euros per hour.

The resolution must be issued within a maximum period of three months from the publication of the summary, and payment will be advanced, for 100% of the amount in a single payment, without the need to provide guarantees. Interested entities must submit their application exclusively electronically through the CONVOCA application, accessible from the electronic headquarters of the Government of Cantabria and from the EmpleaCantabria website.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 188, of September 30, 2026, section 6, pp. 48538-48564 (official reference: CVE-2026-7518 and CVE-2026-7523).