Disability: 6 million call for e-skills development

Support for people with disabilities or disabilities, in order to help them, with innovative and experimental interventions, to increase digital skills and foster social and work inclusion. This is the objective of Zenit, the new 6 million euro call for proposals promoted by the Digital Republic Fund, which is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Digital Republic Fund Social Enterprise and the Minister for Disability Alessandra Locatelli. "The initiative," say the promoters, "aims to strengthen personal autonomy through accessible paths that combine digital training (both basic and advanced) with accompaniment towards the labour market and personal fulfilment.

The starting point and strength of the call is the analysis of national and European data "which highlight the need for targeted interventions for autonomy and employability". Also in the light of the fact that in 2025 the share of people aged 16-74 with at least basic digital skills will be 54.3 per cent. This figure is far from the European target of 80% by 2030.

"In this context, EU data show that only 23.9 per cent of people with disabilities attain a tertiary education qualification (compared to 33.6 per cent of the general population)," the promoters point out. "In addition, in 2024, according to Eurostat, only 86 per cent of people with disabilities regularly used the Internet, a share that drops to 78.2 per cent among people with severe disabilities, compared to 93.5 per cent of people without disabilities". A situation that limits opportunities to acquire and consolidate digital skills, further reducing the possibilities of access to employment and full participation in social and economic life. For this reason, the call is aimed at people of working age between 17 and 67 years old, employed, inactive or seeking employment. The target group includes: people with physical, motor, sensory, intellectual, psychic or multiple disabilities; people with civil or labour disabilities or belonging to protected categories.

Proposals must be submitted by partnerships of a minimum of two and a maximum of five entities. The project leader must be a public or private non-profit organisation (third sector, foundations, associations), established for at least two years and with registered office in Italia. Possibility of participation of partners (public or private non-profit bodies) and Partners for Profit: "They may participate exclusively as partners for specialised contributions or to promote job placement, without profit-making purposes and managing no more than 30% of the budget". The contribution ranges from a minimum of EUR 250,000 to a maximum of EUR 500,000 per project, and the duration ranges from 12 to 24 months.