The Finnova Foundation successfully held the “Future Skills Forum: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age” on October 17 at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). This forum brought together industry experts and key players to debate the digital transformation and the need for new technological skills, with special emphasis on industry and the challenges it faces in a digitalized environment. 

The main session, focused on the MANUFACTURING4ALL project, the discussion centered on how digital tools are redefining the future of work in the industrial sector. Lars de Nul, Deputy Head of the Industry 5.0 and Science Unit at the European Commission, highlighted the importance of sustainability and resilience as fundamental pillars for the renewal of European industry. 

Alongside de Nul, Hasan Suzen, CEO of Hybrid Core and member of the European Alliance for AI, spoke about the need to train workers to face the challenges of digitalization, while Massimiliano Dragoni, policy advisor at AFI, emphasized the crucial role new technologies play in creating a more flexible and adaptable work environment. Fernando Casado, Project Director at EFICAZE, also participated in the panel, offering his insights on the importance of attracting qualified talent in a rapidly evolving technological context. 

This event was part of the MANUFACTURING4ALL project, which aims to foster the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies to improve industrial sustainability and competitiveness. The Finnova Foundation remains committed to developing new skills in the field of digital transformation and industrial sustainability. 

On Thursday, October 17th, starting at 09:00 (CEST), MANUFACTURING4ALL will co-organize the «Future Skills Forum: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age» at the European Economic and Social Committee (Brussels, Belgium). This forum will become a crucial space for discussing the relevance of digital skills, ethics in the use of new technologies, and the transition to Industry 4.0 in Europe.

The event, organized by the Finnova Foundation, is presented as an opportunity to promote the project and bring together stakeholders dedicated to Industry 4.0 and digital transformation. Educational topics related to the integration of emerging technologies in learning will also be addressed, emphasizing the need to train students and professionals with the digital skills required to face the challenges of Industry 4.0.

We are honored to host several expert panelists at this event. The project will organize the third panel, ‘Future of Work & Industry,’ which will explore the skills needed to adapt to an advanced industrial environment where technology and innovation play a crucial role in competitiveness. Experts such as Hasan Suzen, President of Beyond the Horizon International Strategic Studies Group; Massimiliano Dragoni, senior official at the European Commission and external advisor to the Finnova Foundation; Lars de Nul, Deputy Head of the Unit for Industry 5.0 and AI in Science at the European Commission; and Fernando Casado, Project Director of EFICAZE, will discuss these topics.

This event represents a valuable opportunity to establish synergies and strategic collaborations between key players shaping Europe’s digital future. Moreover, organizing this event alongside the European LivAI project, which focuses on managing and ensuring ethical use of artificial intelligence, will allow our project to build connections with stakeholders in this sector.

The Erasmus+ project «MANUFACTURING 4 ALL,» aimed at digital transformation and youth employability, recently conducted a pivotal workshop in Onil, focusing on career guidance, digital skills, and the development of key competencies for Industry 4.0. The workshop, held from June 12th to 13th, 2024, brought together young participants, facilitators, and industry experts to explore innovative training methodologies and career guidance strategies essential for addressing the depopulation challenges in the region.

Workshop Objectives and Activities

The workshop’s primary objectives were to design an Innovation Laboratory tailored to the needs of Industry 4.0, understand the perspectives and aspirations of the youth, promote the importance of digital skills, and foster a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial spirit among participants. Activities included interactive sessions, real-time data collection, and collaborative group work, emphasizing the project’s commitment to leveraging digital tools for educational purposes.

Key Findings

There was a significant presence of high school students aged 16-19, highlighting the need for early intervention and career guidance to influence future career choices. Participants also exhibited a foundational level of technological engagement, with a strong familiarity with basic digital tools and an interest in learning advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and Big Data. There was a clear preference for online platforms and e-learning, reflecting the need for flexible and accessible digital training programs provided both by the local governments or the workplace. In the same way, Project-Based Learning and Apprenticeship Programs were also discussed for their practical benefits and real-world applications. Finally, participants expressed a generally negative perception of job opportunities in Onil, emphasizing the importance of aligning educational programs with industry needs to promote employability.

Participants identified several factors that could make local companies more attractive: Time flexibility and innovative work models like a four-day workweek were highly valued; financial incentives remained a crucial factor; clear career development pathways and continuous learning opportunities were important; finally, a supportive and respectful work environment was essential.

Recommendations

1. The findings underscore the necessity for tailored technical training, digital literacy, and professional development support between teenagers.
2. Local companies should partner with educational institutions to provide mentorship, internships, and training opportunities, promoting a seamless transition for young people into the workforce.
3. To attract and retain young talent, companies should focus on offering competitive salaries, flexible work schedules, and clear career progression pathways.

In conclusion, the holding of the workshop with young people in Onil represents a further step towards improving youth employability in this rapid digital transformation in order to prepare them for industry 4.0 and 5.0. This event provided both career guidance and digital skills to young people, as well as highlighted the importance of aligning educational programs with labor market needs to foster employment opportunities in regions affected by depopulation. Collaboration between local businesses and educational institutions is vital to creating an environment of continuous learning and professional support. From the Manufacturing 4 All team, we defend innovative work models adapted to the needs of young people and industry.

About Manufacturing4all

«MANUFACTURING 4 ALL» is an Erasmus+ project dedicated to digital transformation and the development of Industry 4.0 competencies among youth. The project aims to tackle the challenges of depopulation in regions like Onil by enhancing digital skills and promoting new industries and entrepreneurial initiatives.

World Youth Skills Day has several objectives:

– Promote Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): Highlight the importance of TVET in developing skills that enhance employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people.

– Reduce Youth Unemployment: Tackle youth unemployment by providing young people with the necessary skills to integrate into the labour market.

– Foster Youth Entrepreneurship: To boost the capacity of young people to start and manage their own businesses, thus promoting innovation and economic development.

– Raise Awareness of Inequality in Education: Raise awareness of the inequalities and barriers faced by young people, especially those in vulnerable situations, in accessing education and training.

– Support Sustainable Development: Contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

These objectives are very much in line with the MANUFACTURING 4 ALL project, led by the Onil Town Council and a consortium formed by the Italian MESTIERI LOMBARDIA Consorzio di cooperative sociali S.C.S., the Norwegian FunkWeb Suksess for all and the Belgian Finnova Foundation, which has a budget of 60,000 euros funded by the ERASMUS + programme.

World Youth Skills Day underlines the need to invest in youth and their ability to contribute to socio-economic development. Providing young people with the right skills empowers them to meet the challenges of the labour market and promotes a more inclusive and sustainable future. Let´s continue to promote youth employment and support the World Youth Skills Day! 

About Erasmus+

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed program in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all educational sectors (School Education, Vocational Education and Training, Higher Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of over €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation projects for 10 million people of all ages and backgrounds.

About Manufacturing4All

Manufacturing4All is a European project dedicated to transforming small municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship, to combat sectoral disconnection and youth exodus.

MANUFACTURING4ALL project’s partners have gathered for the first-time last week (June 11-13) in Onil (Alicante) as the municipality from this municipality organised a series of workshops and interactive activities. This three-day event has been a meeting space for local youth and industry 

On the first day, EFICAZE and IBIAE team provided attendees with key facts about the current situation in Onil. Despite economic prosperity, Onil is facing considerable challenges, such as urgent needs on digitalisation and automation, especially in the context of the move towards Industry 4.0 in neighbouring regions. In addition, communication problems with neighbouring municipalities and Alicante persist, making collaboration and joint development difficult. Young people encounter difficulties in accessing study centres, highlighting the need to improve accessibility and facilitate the enrolment process for educational and employment programmes, such as the EURES or Youth Guarantee programmes.

Throughout the second day of the event, a series of workshops were held with young people in vocational education and training (VET) and those interested in doing VET to identify their needs and interests, attracting them to Onil’s manufacturing industry. During these workshops, surveys and activities were carried out, explaining how to use artificial intelligence tools and design sustainable products following circular economy models. Furthermore, some innovative ideas were presented, such as reusable bottles without caps, using AI for their design. In the afternoon, the attendees visited the facilities of Muñecas Paola Reina, one of the largest doll companies in Europe and the only one that carries out the entire production cycle by hand.  

Finally, the event concluded with a second session of activities with young people, organised by Mestieri Lombardia and Eficaze. After learning about the needs of the manufacturing industry and identifying the profile of young people, the last session delved deeper into the interests of young people in the region, investigating what they value in a company and what would make them choose one over another. The results showed a clear preference for flexible working hours and opportunities for personal growth, often considering a pleasant working environment and salary essential.

About Erasmus+

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed program in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all educational sectors (School Education, Vocational Education and Training, Higher Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of over €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation projects for 10 million people of all ages and backgrounds.

About Manufacturing4All

Manufacturing4All is a European project dedicated to transforming small municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship, to combat sectoral disconnection and youth exodus.

The Spanish municipality of Onil (Alicante) will host the first on-site event of the MANUFACTURING4ALL project between 11 and 13 June 2024. This event will consist of a series of workshops and interactive activities aimed at different target groups in Onil and nearby towns, through which methodologies such as the Innovation Laboratory, developed mainly by Mestieri Lombardia (Italy), will be used.

The first day of events will serve as a presentation of MANUFACTURING4ALL related agents, followed by meetings with different local stakeholders to understand the reality of the community and its needs. The second day, Wednesday 12, there will be an interactive workshop around TikTok creation content and validation activities focused on education and youth employment in the context of Industry 4.0. Also, on this day the presentation of the best practice guide developed to help companies adopt sustainable and efficient practices in the digital age will take place. Lastly, on Thursday 13, there will be a workshop focused on sustainability and circular economy offered by EFICAZE.  

Moreover, the meeting will serve to increase the impact and general dissemination of the project in Onil, as well as for the partnership to evaluate the progress of the project, the results obtained since October and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the project.

About ERASMUS+

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed program in the fields of  education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all  educational sectors (School Education, Vocational Education and Training, Higher  Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more  inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and  diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget  of over €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation  projects for 10 million people of all ages and backgrounds.

About MANUFACTURING 4 ALL

Several localities throughout southern Europe, specifically small municipalities, are ceasing to be an economic and social attraction for people, thus being doomed to abandonment by its inhabitants. To try to counteract this situation, the European project MANUFACTURING 4 ALL has been initiated, which seeks the transformation of small municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship.

28/05/2024- Brussels, Belgium. Last Wednesday, May 15, the Erasmus+ project MANUFACTURING4ALL presented, in a dissemination webinar, the Best Practices Guide, an essential document for the digital transformation of small municipalities and the training of young people to include in industry 4.0.

Organized by FunkWeb Kompetanse in collaboration with Mestieri Lombardia Consorzio di cooperative sociali S.C.S. (Italy), Finnova (Belgium) and the Municipality of Onil, attendees of the event had the opportunity to interact with FunkWeb experts, who broke down in detail the Good Practice Guide, one of the main results of MANUFACTURING4ALL. In addition, the collaboration and joint effort of all the project partners to achieve the objectives set was highlighted.

The Best Practice Guide provides a strategic roadmap for digital skills development and career guidance. This guide is structured in three key points: Planning, Correspondence and Support, which include the assessment of the unemployment landscape, the identification of essential skills for Industry 4.0 and the creation of communication and social media strategies to facilitate the labour insertion of young people, respectively.

MANUFACTURING4ALL is a European project dedicated to the implementation of good practices based on digital competences and the transformation towards Industry 4.0. With a budget of €60,000 funded by the Erasmus+ programme, it seeks to revitalise small municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship.

This initiative, which has a duration of 14 months, has as its main objective to promote the inclusion of unemployed young people in the industrial field and to train them for the transition to Industry 4.0. In this way, the European project offers innovative solutions to counteract the industrial recession, the exodus of young people to large cities and negative population growth in certain regions. The initiative also focuses on improving the training of technical and support staff in the field of guidance and socio-occupational integration of young people in Industry 4.0.

Next Steps

During the webinar, the next steps to be taken were established. In June, an Innovation workshop will be held in Onil, where the concepts and methodologies developed during the project will be put into practice. This workshop seeks to train young people in digital skills and provide them with effective tools to integrate into Industry 4.0.

About ERASMUS+

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed program in the fields of  education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all  educational sectors (School Education, Vocational Education and Training, Higher  Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more  inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and  diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget  of over €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation  projects for 10 million people of all ages and backgrounds.

About MANUFACTURING 4 ALL

Several localities throughout southern Europe, specifically small municipalities, are ceasing to be an economic and social attraction for people, thus being doomed to abandonment by its inhabitants. To try to counteract this situation, the European project MANUFACTURING 4 ALL has been initiated, which seeks the transformation of small municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship.

• One of its principal objectives is to fight against: the disconnection of the industry, youth exodus, and the loss of business fabric.

The last decades the development and use of new technologies have increased drastically. Nowadays we live in a globalised society which is leaving no room for small regions and their respective industries. Obviously, most of the business’s fabrics are ubicated on the big cities, which means that many regions are facing new challenges to maintain the business stability and the population growth.

Again, are the young people who suffer the most consequences, the lack of work and the disconnection of the industry have damaged their future expectations. Consequently, most of the young people have had to abandon their houses in order to search new employment opportunities or educational expectances. Most of them go to the big cities looking for better salaries and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Manufacturing 4 ALL is a Project that aligns with Industry 4.0 principles, focusing on digital skills training for industry transformation. These skills will empower youth, bolstering local business structures and attracting new companies to the region. A win-win fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the project also focuses on fighting against problems that endanger the survival of the small municipalities.

The first big problem the project faces is the disconnection of the industry, which poses a significant threat to small municipalities due to its potential economic and social repercussions. Industries serve as pivotal pillars in these communities, providing employment opportunities, driving local economies, and fostering a sense of community. When industries disconnect or relocate, it can lead to a loss of jobs, economic decline, and a subsequent exodus of skilled labor, particularly affecting the younger population. This shift can ultimately destabilize the social fabric of these towns, impacting infrastructure, education, and overall community well-being. Therefore, maintaining a thriving industry within these small municipalities is crucial for sustaining local livelihoods and fostering community resilience.

Consequently, a second problem appears, the youth exodus. This poses a significant threat to small municipalities due to its potential ramifications. As young individuals migrate towards larger cities seeking better employment opportunities and diverse experiences, it leads to a dwindling workforce and a drain on talent within these smaller communities. This exodus results in a demographic imbalance, hindering local growth and sustainability, impacting community vitality, and limiting innovation and development prospects. Small towns face the risk of losing their future leaders, skilled labor force, and the vibrancy essential for their long-term prosperity and resilience.

The third challenge lies in the loss of business fabric within small municipalities, presenting a critical concern. As businesses disengage or close their operations, it disrupts the economic ecosystem of these communities. This disruption translates into increased unemployment rates, reduced revenue streams, and limited entrepreneurial opportunities. Consequently, the local economy faces a downward spiral, adversely affecting its growth potential and resilience. Preserving a robust business network is vital for sustaining economic stability, fostering innovation, and ensuring a solid economic foundation within these smaller towns.

Manufacturing 4 ALL compromises itself to take care of those problems and support ideas and initiatives that look forward to solutions. Through the formation of the young people the project wants to provide the municipalities enough qualified workers to stimulate the economic situation. If this works, enough opportunities will be created and young people will have motives to stay in their municipalities and establish their lives. A better economic situation through the implementation of new technologies and the use of digital competences also invites new people to invest and create new innovative and entrepreneurial projects.

About Onil Town Council

Onil is a municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is part of the historical and natural sub region of Hoya de Castalla (Foia de Castalla). The municipality is attached to the judicial district of Ibi and is known as the cradle of dolls. It currently has 7569 inhabitants (INE 2021). At the point of industrial recession and ageing/population trend in which the municipality finds itself right now, the town of Onil needs to boost job creation, especially in the young public, promoting youth entrepreneurship and training young people as an incentive to make a life here. This is one of the main objectives of the municipality, to strengthen youth employment by creating new jobs and training.

About MESTIERI LOMBARDIA

Mestieri is a consortium of Social Cooperatives covering different Italian territories working in all of them for the social and labour inclusion of people with disabilities. Mestieri Lombardia is a non-profit regional employment agency. Through a network of 15 local offices, it provides all kinds of employment services (guidance, recruitment, matching, selection, outplacement, etc.) paying attention to the social aspects of labour market functioning, ensuring person-centred attention in the process and raising awareness of decent work as the main tool to promote social inclusion and cohesion. Mestieri Lombardia wants to find suitable job opportunities for all, ensuring fairness in the conditions of access to the labour market, with particular attention to young people, women and groups disadvantaged in access to the world of work.

About FunkWeb

Since its foundation in 1997, FUNKWEB has been working for labour inclusion. FunkWeb started as a vocational school specialising in ICT and ICT-related subjects. Since 2005 they have also been working with IT production, HR and career services for companies and individuals. As an event organiser for the Norwegian employment service, they have experience in organising relevant practical training actions, working with real projects in a real working environment.

About Finnova

Finnova is the European Foundation that works for the constant pursuit of business innovation and applied knowledge excellence through talent development and its international and interregional connection. To this end, it promotes multiple networks and high-level events in order to seek resources and European funding related to technology transfer, modernisation and competitive development of public and private entities at all levels at international, regional and local level. Its headquarters are located in the heart of Brussels (Belgium) within walking distance of the institutions of the European Union. It also has a delegation in Spain with a presence in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia and the Basque Country.

The MANFUCATURING 4 ALL project will contribute with the municipalities to train young unemployed people in digital skills in order to improve and rebuild the entrepreneurial fabric. To this end, an educational and recruitment model for unemployed young people will be devised to prepare and equip future generations with sufficient knowledge. In this way, the aim is to ensure the supply of skilled workers and workers with whom to face the current threats on the labour market.

The main priority of the initiative is to combat the lack of long-term projects on the part of public bodies and local historical enterprises. To this end, it will be necessary to overcome the lack of competent and qualified personnel, to address the intense wage competition offered by nearby urban locations, and to promote and create innovative and multidisciplinary approaches in the labour market.

MANUFACTURING 4 ALL has a budget of 60,000 euros funded by the ERASMUS+ programme, which focuses on education, youth training and sport. This programme promotes internationalisation, inclusion, digitalisation and sustainability, core values that will guide every step of this project. MANUFACTURING 4 ALL is committed to transmitting and applying these principles to all its participants, seeking to drive digital transformation, diversity and environmental protection at every stage.

Changes in the business dynamics of the toy industry in Onil, driven by globalisation and decentralisation of companies, have affected industrial stability and population growth in the area. This impact is notable among young people, who are forced to look for job opportunities outside the region due to these changes in the industry. In parallel, in the Province of Sondrio, where Mestieri Lombardia operates, a similar phenomenon of depopulation is observed in the small municipalities, especially among young people who move to larger cities in search of job prospects.

The European project MANUFACTURING 4 ALL aims to transform small municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship. The main objective is to implement best practices in digital skills training for the transformation towards Industry 4.0 and to improve the training of technical and support staff in the field of training, guidance and socio-occupational integration of young people in Industry 4.0. Therefore, it is essential that innovation and technological companies in the areas close to the municipalities collaborate in the development of the project, since they will be able to «invest» in a more qualified workforce.

Source: https://www.foro-ciudad.com/alicante/onil/habitantes.html#MapaAntiguedadEdificios

About Onil Town Council

Onil is a municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is part of the historical and natural sub region of Hoya de Castalla (Foia de Castalla). The municipality is attached to the judicial district of Ibi and is known as the cradle of dolls. It currently has 7569 inhabitants (INE 2021). At the point of industrial recession and ageing/population trend in which the municipality finds itself right now, the town of Onil needs to boost job creation, especially in the young public, promoting youth entrepreneurship and training young people as an incentive to make a life here. This is one of the main objectives of the municipality, to strengthen youth employment by creating new jobs and training.

About MESTIERI LOMBARDIA

Mestieri is a consortium of Social Cooperatives covering different Italian territories working in all of them for the social and labour inclusion of people with disabilities. Mestieri Lombardia is a non-profit regional employment agency. Through a network of 15 local offices, it provides all kinds of employment services (guidance, recruitment, matching, selection, outplacement, etc.) paying attention to the social aspects of labour market functioning, ensuring person-centred attention in the process and raising awareness of decent work as the main tool to promote social inclusion and cohesion. Mestieri Lombardia wants to find suitable job opportunities for all, ensuring fairness in the conditions of access to the labour market, with particular attention to young people, women and groups disadvantaged in access to the world of work.

About FunkWeb

Since its foundation in 1997, FUNKWEB has been working for labour inclusion. FunkWeb started as a vocational school specialising in ICT and ICT-related subjects. Since 2005 they have also been working with IT production, HR and career services for companies and individuals. As an event organiser for the Norwegian employment service, they have experience in organising relevant practical training actions, working with real projects in a real working environment.

About Finnova

Finnova is the European Foundation that works for the constant pursuit of business innovation and applied knowledge excellence through talent development and its international and interregional connection. To this end, it promotes multiple networks and high-level events in order to seek resources and European funding related to technology transfer, modernisation and competitive development of public and private entities at all levels at international, regional and local level. Its headquarters are located in the heart of Brussels (Belgium) within walking distance of the institutions of the European Union. It also has a delegation in Spain with a presence in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia and the Basque Country.

The MANFUCATURING 4 ALL project seeks the transformation of small deindustrialised municipalities through digital education and entrepreneurship. Led by Onil Town Council, with the collaboration of MESTIERI LOMBARDIA Consorzio di cooperative sociali S.C.S. (Italy), FunkWeb Suksess for all (Norway) and Finnova (Belgium) as main partners, it will seek to implement good practices in digital skills training. The main objective is to train unemployed young people in order to contribute to the transformation of the affected municipalities towards Industry 4.0.

The improvement of the training, orientation and socio-occupational integration of young people in Industry 4.0 is one of the fundamental pillars of the project. In order to continue contributing to the reconstruction and progressive improvement of the business fabric in the municipalities, an educational and youth recruitment model will be designed that is entirely focused on learning digital practices. 

The teaching methods will always be governed by the premises of interactivity between teachers and students, coworking, the application of practical knowledge and multitasking. All the contents elaborated by professionals and experts in the field will be collected and distributed in two different documents, with the intention of contributing to the multiplicity of these digital skills and competences: «Guide of good practices in Europe on education in digital competences for the transformation to Industry 4.0; «Implementation Guide of the Innovation Lab». Both versions will be available in digital format and will implement training courses for young people in the process of transformation and digitalisation.

The project has a budget of 60,000 euros funded by the ERASMUS+ programme, focusing on education and training for youth and sport. A more international, more inclusive, more digital and greener ERASMUS+ that fights for digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change.

About Onil Town Council

Onil is a municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is part of the historical and natural sub region of Hoya de Castalla (Foia de Castalla). The municipality is attached to the judicial district of Ibi and is known as the cradle of dolls. It currently has 7569 inhabitants (INE 2021). At the point of industrial recession and ageing/population trend in which the municipality finds itself right now, the town of Onil needs to boost job creation, especially in the young public, promoting youth entrepreneurship and training young people as an incentive to make a life here. This is one of the main objectives of the municipality, to strengthen youth employment by creating new jobs and training.

About MESTIERI LOMBARDIA

Mestieri is a consortium of Social Cooperatives covering different Italian territories working in all of them for the social and labour inclusion of people with disabilities. Mestieri Lombardia is a non-profit regional employment agency. Through a network of 15 local offices, it provides all kinds of employment services (guidance, recruitment, matching, selection, outplacement, etc.) paying attention to the social aspects of labour market functioning, ensuring person-centred attention in the process and raising awareness of decent work as the main tool to promote social inclusion and cohesion. Mestieri Lombardia wants to find suitable job opportunities for all, ensuring fairness in the conditions of access to the labour market, with particular attention to young people, women and groups disadvantaged in access to the world of work.

About FunkWeb

Since its foundation in 1997, FUNKWEB has been working for labour inclusion. FunkWeb started as a vocational school specialising in ICT and ICT-related subjects. Since 2005 they have also been working with IT production, HR and career services for companies and individuals. As an event organiser for the Norwegian employment service, they have experience in organising relevant practical training actions, working with real projects in a real working environment.

About Finnova

Finnova is the European Foundation that works for the constant pursuit of business innovation and applied knowledge excellence through talent development and its international and interregional connection. To this end, it promotes multiple networks and high-level events in order to seek resources and European funding related to technology transfer, modernisation and competitive development of public and private entities at all levels at international, regional and local level. Its headquarters are located in the heart of Brussels (Belgium) within walking distance of the institutions of the European Union. It also has a delegation in Spain with a presence in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia and the Basque Country.