Mission to Tunis to strengthen cooperation in vocational training

The Minister of Labor and Social Policies, Marina Calderone, went to yesterday tunisia for a mission dedicated to strengthening international cooperation between the two countries in the field of vocational training and work.

One year after the signing by the Foreign Ministers of the Memorandum between Italy and Tunisia which authorised the entry into our country of 4 thousand non-seasonal Tunisian subordinate workers per year and of the subsequent Executive Protocol signed by Sviluppo Lavoro Italia and ANETI (Agence Nationale pour l'Emploi et le Travail Indépendant) on March 5, 2024, the Minister's visit coincided with the inauguration of the program “THAMM Plus” and with the launch of the first training rooms for specialized workers in the construction sector within the Project “Building Talents and Crafts“, funded by the European Union and managed by the International Organization for Migration. The aim of the project, the insertion of two thousand workers in the construction sector in Italy in three years, trained in Tunisia both on technical-professional aspects and on Italian language and culture and on safety at work. An activity that looks to the mismatch between labor supply and demand with a proactive approach and aims to qualify the flow of workers entering Italy in the broader horizon of a shared development of the Mediterranean area, based on investing in human capital.

The Minister then participated in the First Italian-Tunisian Forum on Professional Skills and Work at the new Ibn Sina Construction Training Center. The Forum was an opportunity to Strengthen cooperation between Italy and Tunisia, two countries united by deep historical and cultural ties. But also to promote the virtuous circle of interaction with businesses and employers' associations. The Italian/Tunisian Forum was in fact the occasion for the launch of projects supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation on professional training in Tunisia, which will be implemented by Italian civil society organizations. Representatives of the AICS of Tunis, TAMAT, WW-GVC, COSPE, AVSI and also Confindustria, Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, CNA, Assolavoro, Anolf, Finanzieri, Federalberghi, Fondazione E4Impact, UMANA contributed to the work.

During the Forum the “Global Skills Partnership” between Italy and Tunisia, supported by the World Bank. The partnership aims to give new impetus to the numerous initiatives already underway between the two countries and is fully consistent with the Italian approach which aims to provide the tools to exercise the “right not to emigrate” through investments in training or, for those who wish, transmit the skills needed to undertake a work mobility experience in a regular and safe manner.

During his visit to Tunis, Minister Calderone then had talks with the Minister of Employment and Professional Training of the Tunisian Republic, Riadh Chaoued, and with the Minister of Social Affairs, Issam Lahmar, during which the experience of integration of the Tunisian community in Italy was valorised and it was reaffirmed joint commitment to managing regular flows of Tunisian workers, also reviewing the collaboration within the framework of the Social Security Convention between Italy and Tunisia signed in 1984.

“Cooperating in the Mediterranean means promoting stability and security, essential conditions for growth and development, also with a view to promoting circular migration and combating human trafficking – said the Minister Calderone -. Human capital and the promotion of professional skills are key elements for economic and social development that brings benefits to all those involved. We intend to continue to operate in this direction, involving Tunisian and Italian bodies and associations, as well as the business world, to build together an inclusive and sustainable development model”.