In the first quarter of 2013, according to ISTAT data, the unemployed in the range 35-44 years are 400 thousand and 349 thousand those between 45 and 54 years old, numbers which show that unemployment is far from being exclusively a youth problem. The conclusion of the crisis is far away and appropriate intervents are needed to solve the difficulty of finding employment and reintegrating into the labor market many people with previous experience and skills gained during the course of life and business. A labor crisis that threatens to turn into a crisis of identity of persons who have lost or are at risk of losing that source of livelihood. A crisis which creates difficulties in the assessment on their job prospects but also on their skills, competences and tools needed to activate in order to raise their professional skills necessary for a re- working. The experiences and skills should be valued and capitalized through active labor market policies that can understand the needs and abilities of adults and to accompany them in paths that allow them to spend their skills in the current labour market, even in fields other than those from which they come. The project AWARD Adult and Work an Aid to Reduce the Distance intends to diversify the supply of the services of active labor market policies for unemployed adults through the exchange of good practices between operators from different EU countries. The policies are addressed to the unemployed in age over 30 years, including workers in the IGC and mobility, with previous work experience, gained through insecure jobs in different economic sectors, paying particular attention to the scope of the manual trades and artisans. The project will last 24 months adn is addressed directly to the guidance counselors and vocational training operators who deal with active labor market policies, the indirect beneficiaries are adults escaped from the world of work. The parties involved in the partnership are: the Consortium So & Co ( consortium of social cooperatives ) , Lucca CNA ( National Chamber of Crafts and Small and medium enterprises ), the Directorate for Education Sanliurfa (Turkey) , the Agency for the labor and Employment Sanliurfa (Turkey) , the Cooperative ADREP (France), which is in the vocationa training field and Non-Governmental Organization My World (Bulgaria) that deals with small and medium-sized enterprises . Operators will be able to familiarize themselves with the systems of training and rehabilitation for adults adopted in several European countries and will have the possibility to improve their working methods. Will be identified samples of adults to test the best practices identified in the fields of guidance and reintegration. The project aim to strengthen basic skills, professional and relational employable in the labor market and to build pathways agreed with the adults, local services, social partners and businesses is to share and experiment new models of entrepreneurship, of educational models and methodology. The results will then be shared with other organizations in the territories involved (government agencies, trade associations, etc. ..) in order to propose new tools and strengthen the links between the fields of training and entrepreneurship.
In the first quarter of 2013, according to ISTAT data, the unemployed in the range 35-44 years are 400 thousand and 349 thousand those between 45 and 54 years old, numbers which show that unemployment is far from being exclusively a youth problem. The conclusion of the crisis is far away and appropriate intervents are needed to solve the difficulty of finding employment and reintegrating into the labor market many people with previous experience and skills gained during the course of life and business. A labor crisis that threatens to turn into a crisis of identity of persons who have lost or are at risk of losing that source of livelihood. A crisis which creates difficulties in the assessment on their job prospects but also on their skills, competences and tools needed to activate in order to raise their professional skills necessary for a re- working. The experiences and skills should be valued and capitalized through active labor market policies that can understand the needs and abilities of adults and to accompany them in paths that allow them to spend their skills in the current labour market, even in fields other than those from which they come. The project “AWARD - Adult and Work an Aid to Reduce the Distance” aimed to differentiate the offer of services in the active labor market policies for unemployed adults, through the exchange of good practices between operators from different EU countries (Italy, France, Bulgaria and Turkey). AWARD addressed in particular to the unemployed in the age group above 30 years, with previous work experiences, also gained through temporary jobs, in different economic sectors. Particular attention was given to the field of manual and craft trades. The project had a total duration of 26 months. It addressed directly to the operators of the active labor market policies, guidance counselors, vocational training operators and consultants for start up projects and enterprise managements who work or collaborate in the project partner organizations. As indirect beneficiaries it had the same adults got out of the labor market. Parties involved in the partnership: So. & Co. Lucca (consortium of social cooperatives), CNA Lucca (National Chamber of Crafts and small and medium enterprises), the Directorate for Education of Sanliurfa (Turkey), the Agency for Work and Employment of Sanliurfa (Turkey ), the Cooperative ADREP (France) that deals with vocational training and the non-governmental organization My World (Bulgaria) that deals with start-up and development of small and medium-sized enterprises. In the first step of the AWARD project, partners have been analyzing the situation of women and men in their thirties, who got out of the labour market, but who also had some previous work experience and previous skills and the policies that each state has put in progress regard to this target. The analyzes have been shared in the Transnational Project Meetings and served as a working framework for viewing good practices in guidance activities, training, starting up enterprise to be played in other contexts, in order to face the raised issues and to find new solutions. During the study visits, lasting a week each (in Marseille and in Lucca), operators were able to see the most significant projects first-hand, projects that have been implemented to promote the re-employment of unemployed adults. Study visits were interesting and engaging and operators have been able to acquire new knowledge to improve their working methods. Identified common points: the need for a customized approach to the user, to support him/her in cross proficiencies and technical skills, by alternating group training, coaching and consulting, projects planning in a medium-term (6-12 months), financial support for people with the greatest difficulties, the ability to activate self-employment paths with a strong initial help. The identified results were shared by each partner with other local bodies involved in WARD project such as government agencies, trade associations, etc. The goal was to propose new instruments and to strengthen the links between the fields of education, entrepeneurship and the the labor market in general.