There are more than 150,000 young people between the ages of 14-18 in the municipal area of Milan (January 2022 data). Despite the territorial context having an average employment rate above 60%, the COVID-19 period has left profound consequences on the labor market, especially in sectors where the presence of young workers with little experience is greater: in 2020 there was recorded the increase of the inactive, (+50,000) discouraged by the situation or employed with untraced black contracts. In the last two years in Milan, people under 29 who do not study and do not work have increased by +2%. The 14-18 age group has specific features, compared to NEETs in the older age group, to be related to the data on abandonment, dispersion and repetitions, in many cases experienced as a “failure” which leads to self-expulsion from the educational context. For this reason, the second edition of the MIG WORK project was created, Unexpected paths for adults of the future, to respond to the need to start training and job placement courses for Milanese boys and girls. The aspiration is to provide concrete and timely support to this age group, through territorial experiments carried out by partners who have a long experience of presence and actions with young people through territorial socio-educational facilities. The project sees the participation of a large partnership made up of 10 organizations all active in the Milan area and, in addition to the partnership network, the proposal provides for the involvement of institutions and services capable of contributing to the objectives envisaged with a specific focus dedicated to profit realities. The intervention is part of a broader strategy carried out by the Municipality of Milan, that of putting an integrated city system into operation aimed at intercepting and accompanying young people who find themselves in the condition of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) in a journey of discovery of one’s aptitudes, aspirations, desires and abilities for reintegration into a school path or for entry into the world of work.
To access the project site, visit https://www.migwork.org
The aim of the project is to reduce the number of girls and boys in the 14-18 age group who are in the NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) condition or are about to enter it, through the development and implementation of an integrated city system of flexible and modular interventions aimed at promoting the human capital of the young people reached.
The objectives therefore are to create and strengthen a network capable of intercepting young people falling within the condition with the intention of reactivating motivation and skill development in these young people through pathways designed specifically to meet their needs, aspirations and talents.
The project also aims to facilitate the entry of young people into the world of work, including through a better relationship with companies and the deconstruction of prejudices and the strengthening of collaboration between public and private entities in the Milan area to better take care of their needs.
The beneficiaries of the project are:
- 800 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 intercepted, taken in charge and involved in training activities
- 100 families intercepted
- 125 citizen/s (volunteers, teachers, social workers, educators, trainers) involved in the interception and accompaniment of the NEET youth/s
- 10000 people involved in events and awareness-raising events on project issues
Project activities
- The first area concerns the interception and engagement of NEET youth. To implement this action, the project will rely on the combined work of partners with strong territorial roots and expert knowledge of the realities already present in the municipalities where they operate.
- The second macro-area, on the other hand, gathers the legacy of previous experiences carried out in the Municipality of Milan and concerns the creation of a city case management system capable of implementing personalized individual intake interventions. The activities will aim to provide support to boys and girls in the extracurricular sphere, building together an ongoing relationship over time and based on trust, listening to needs and the definition of a path that includes epowerment, skills assessment and accompaniment towards adulthood
- Closely related to this will be the third macro-area that provides for the design and implementation of motivational pathways, empowerment and acquisition of soft skills and competencies: training, volunteer and job placement experiences will be activated that should respond to needs at the individual, social and labor market levels. These experiences will be implemented with participatory methodologies and also designed together with businesses and for-profit entities.
- The fourth macro-area will concern cultural awareness actions aimed at and for young people, the educating community and the entire citizenry aimed at deconstructing prejudices and commonplaces pertaining to the theme of work, professions and future prospects.