Eight non-EU citizens are ready for a new job thanks to the 'School of Crafts' supported by the municipality of Palermo.
The small-scale project offers practical know-how while promoting social integration by helping students find long-term employment. The project is known as "Scuola dei Mestieri" (School of Crafts) and is promoted by a leading Italian group working in the facility management sector, Navest, along with the human resources company Randstad Italia.
The program is also actively supported by Palermo's municipal government, which coordinated SAI (shelter and integration system) centers.
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Initiative launched in 2024, employment starting in June
Launched in 2024, the initiative involved eight non-EU citizens who successfully completed a professional training program aimed at their employment, starting in June, as housekeepers and cleaners in the Navest Group's companies.
The 120-hour-long course combined theory and practice, providing participants with technical knowledge while helping them develop inter-personal skills.
Particular attention was devoted to soft skills, which are crucial professionally, including team work, time management, relations with clients and professional behavior, organizers said.
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Satisfaction and commitment
"We are proud of having promoted a serious project, able to mix training, integration and concrete employment opportunities", commented Maria Costa, director of human resources at Navest.
"The School of Crafts represents a virtuous model enhancing people's know-how and shows our commitment for a more open society that respects everybody," she added.
"This experiment of concrete integration, which responds to the needs and desires of the young by offering training and job opportunities, is only the beginning of a path which we will extend over the coming months to the many young people who find a home in our city and many other youths of their age," said the councillor for youth policies and relations with migrant communities for Palermo city council, Fabrizio Ferrandelli.