Work

Employability projects, 2 billion 50% committed

The planned 'Worker Employability Guarantee' resources amount to 932 million out of 2.08 billion allocated. Expenditure already incurred is less than 70 million

by Gianni Bocchieri

30 August 2024

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The latest report on the NRP made by the government to parliament states that the resources of the 'Workers' Employment Guarantee' (Gol) already programmed amount to 44.8 per cent of those allocated to the regions. That is, more than 932 million out of 2.08 billion allocated. The expenditure already incurred is less than 70 million.

Although the same report assures that this trend is in line with typical procedural management timeframes, as reporting takes place after the achievement of the result and the completion of control activities, it is clear that a change of pace is needed to deploy the almost EUR 5.5 billion of NRP resources earmarked for active labour market policies and training.

These are unprecedented resources for the actors of the labour market organisational model designed almost 10 years ago by an implementing decree of the Jobs Act (Legislative Decree 150/2015). Like the only previous national programme 'Youth Guarantee' and some other regional experiences, Gol maintains the customised approach to active policies, with different paths according to the different needs of unemployed workers. Their division into strata is done by applying quantitative and qualitative profiling methodologies. Each audience can access one of five alternative support pathways: re-employment, upskilling, reskilling, work and inclusion, collective outplacement. Constructed through the combination of services in customised baskets (Dm 4/2017), the pathways constitute essential levels of services (LEP) that can be demanded by each worker.

Implementing parties

The territorial implementation of Gol is entrusted to the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, which adopt Regional Implementation Plans (PARs) in accordance with the national framework revised a few months ago. With the first ministerial decree adopting the programme, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies distributed 20 per cent of the funding, amounting to EUR 880 million, to the regions. For 2023, 1.2 billion was distributed.

Objectives to be achieved

Together with the resources, each Region was assigned the target of recipients to be involved in the Programme, the target of total trainers and the target of e-skills trainers. The overall objectives are to involve 3 million people as recipients of Goal measures and to train 800,000 people, of whom 300,000 in digital skills.

In order to make the Programme's implementation smoother and to adapt it to the changed regulatory context (Decree-Law 48/2023 and amendment of Decree-Law 150/2015), the initial Gol rules were revised by an interministerial decree of the Minister of Labour and Social Policies and the Minister of Economy and Finance published in the Official Gazette 120 of 24 May 2024.

The first amendment broadened the range of beneficiaries of the programme to include recipients of unemployment benefits and the new anti-poverty measures (Adi and Sfl), in order to ensure the full achievement of the reform objectives. Secondly, the definition of the programme beneficiary as the recipient of a minimum set of activities (services) suitable to increase its chances of reintegration into the labour market has been clarified. Finally, the apprenticeship has been emphasised as a useful activity of the active policy pathway and therefore accountable within the framework of Gol and the fundamental role in the provision of activities has been recognised to the Third Sector Organisations as bodies capable of taking on beneficiaries with a particular need for help to enter the labour market.

To take advantage of these novelties, the regions must hasten the updating of their Pars, starting with the decisive involvement of the beneficiaries of the measure 'support for training and work' (Sfl) replacing the citizenship income, for whom the disbursement of the monthly allowance of 350 euro for 12 months can only be made by Inps after demonstrating participation in a training course and not having unjustifiably refused job offers.