Project aims to turn apprenticeships into contracts

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education (CNOS-FAP), a network of technical and vocational institutions in Italy, has launched a professional skills training project. The project is in collaboration with Renner Co. from Bologna, which is a wood, metal and plastic coatings company that faces the shortage of a skilled workforce.

The project for 12 students provides a 32-week training course and a housing placement program for former unaccompanied minors already trained by the Salesians. The training covers all areas of the company, from logistics to production, with a focus on safety and citizenship. The aim is to turn the apprenticeship into a contract.

Lindo Aldrovandi, founder and CEO of Renner, said, “We have renovated a building we own, investing about 300,000 euro to obtain eight lodgings. They are reserved exclusively for young people selected by the Salesians, who sign a housing transition pact lasting three years.”

The first two tenants are Suleyman, from Gambia, and Bassirou, from Guinea. They will soon be joined by a third young man from Nigeria. The monthly rent is paid entirely to the Salesian institute and used to finance scholarships.

At Renner, foreign workers make up about seven percent of the workforce and the housing project is still in its initial phase. “But the impact has been positive,” said Aldrovandi. “The enthusiasm of these young people has brought energy into the departments. And thanks to the experience of the Salesians, we can count on well-structured placements, without improvisation.”

“The educational part is fundamentals,” explained Carlo Caleffi, director of the Salesian Center in Castel de’ Britti. “We are not a temporary agency, and we do not take money for this. Our goal is to give these young people a happy life. That’s why we select them carefully, support them even after they are hired and take care of the living situation.”

The model has already attracted the interest of other companies. A company in Ozzano has rented a flat to be used as guest quarters, and two dioceses, including that of Piacenza, have contacted the Salesian center to set up similar collaborations.

Caleffi concluded, “Our hope is that the project will become part of a system, with collaboration between the private sector and professional training. Companies have a potential that the public does not have, they can make a difference.”

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Italy – Renner and the Salesian project, home and work for young migrants

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy