The agreement signed by ministers Matteo Salvini and Giuseppe Valditara and by FS CEO Luigi Ferraris aims to counter the mismatch of skills between supply and demand in the world of work
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), the Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM) and the Italian State Railways Group (FS) have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote initiatives and collaborations between schools and the world of businesses so as to identify concrete solutions to address the growing problem of misalignment between the skills required by businesses and those resulting from school and training courses. A difference between supply and demand which in 2022 involved over 2 million people and which constitutes an obstacle to the search for competent and trained personnel.
The interinstitutional agreement was signed at the MIT headquarters by the Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, by the Minister of Education and Merit Joseph Vallettara and by the Chief Executive Officer of the FS Italiane Group Luigi Ferraris.
The three-year agreement provides for various initiatives to promote information, dialogue and the co-planning of paths and tools that respond to the need to train professional profiles suited to employment needs and to promote operational projects with schools and the regions . The goal is to progressively build an increasingly integrated chain of professional training.
The main tool is the strengthening of the link between the school world and the business world through moments of discussion, which will have the aim of contributing over time to bridging the gap between the skills required by businesses and those acquired at the end of the school career, promoting greater awareness employment prospects and future growth for the professional figures in the sector. The protocol also provides for the promotion of training courses that use laboratory teaching to develop strategic skills and the creation of a monitoring between the Ministries on the experiences activated and the results achieved.
The initiatives envisaged by the agreement are part of a context in which the phenomenon of the mismatch between supply and demand for labor is constantly growing. The phenomenon has been accelerated by the pandemic and affects about 1,3 billion people worldwide, with the risk of reducing productivity globally by 6%. It is estimated that, at a national level between 2023 and 2027, 34,3% of the employment requirement will require personnel with a tertiary, university or professional level of training and 48,1% will concern profiles with a second level of secondary training technical-professional level.
The interinstitutional agreement marks the beginning of a new strategic and sustainable cooperation, constituting an important step towards the construction of a more inclusive, solid and aligned working future with market needs.