Italy is maintaining its professional training and internship programs through Decreto Flussi 2023. The participants will be able to get benefits from this program if they get a chance under the set-aside quota stream. The main requirement for this immigration program is that foreign applicants can arrive in Italy after having carried out this type of activity in their country of origin.
1- Internship programs
The internship consists of a period of job orientation and training, which does not take the form of a subordinate employment relationship. The applicants who have to enter or re-enter the world of work, it is an active policy training measure that allows trainees to have temporary experiences within work contexts to promote direct knowledge of a profession or trade. The internship represents a real filter through which the intern is oriented towards his own professional choices and, at the same time, is trained directly in the workplace, enriching his own baggage of knowledge.
Article number 23 of the Flussi Decree provides for the possibility of reserving an entrance fee for non-EU foreigners and non-residents in Italy who have completed training and education programs in their country of origin.
One of the greatest advantages of carrying out training programs is that passing the courses allows those who pass to access job offers in Italy with the consequent permesso di soggiorno. The biggest benefit of these programs is also that they can be carried out not only in the private sector but also in public administrations.
Types of internships
Curricular internships: These are included in the study plans of universities and schools on the basis of regulatory provisions, or envisaged within an education or training course as tools for alternating school-work (PCTO).
Non-curricular or extra-curricular internships: These are aimed at people looking for employment and aimed at promoting direct contact with the host entity. These experiences are aimed at enriching the trainee’s knowledge base, acquiring professional skills, and job placement or re-entry. Furthermore, following the issue of the Guidelines of May 2017, those who are already employed, but still looking for a new job, are among the subjects in favor of whom an internship can be activated.
Requirements of internship programs
To carry out an internship, an agreement is required between the promoting body (such as, for example, universities, public and private high schools, employment agencies, public vocational training and/or guidance centers) and the host organization (company, professional studio, cooperative, public bodies, etc.), accompanied by a training project drawn up by the host organization and the trainee in which the respective rights and duties are established.
2- Training programs
What is Italy’s training program?
Vocational training (initial, continuous or permanent) is aimed at all those who have completed their schooling obligations and are about to enter or are already entered into a working context.
In most cases, this program works under these projects whose goal is to provide professional, civic, and linguistic preparation and training to non-EU applicants before they leave for Italy to carry out work or fill jobs. In this sense, the organization of these programs and courses corresponds to local entities, both regions or autonomous provinces, and other entities such as associations that work in the immigration sector, Universities, non-profit civil business organizations, etc.
As far as the professional training system is concerned, the responsibility lies with the Regions and Provinces which, through public tenders, program the financing of courses at all levels, which can be provided by accredited training institutions. The professional training courses are financed with state, regional and provincial funds and with the co-financing of the European Social Fund.
Requirements for the training program
To be able to participate in the training programs, Italian legislation and also that of the country of reference must be respected. Likewise, the economic sectors where these training programs are usually organized are:
- agriculture,
- gardening,
- agri-food,
- construction,
- logistics,
- tourism, and
- restaurants.
Upon completion of the training program, a final exam is scheduled. The participating organizations make sure that the candidate has reached a language level of at least A1 in Italian, with the release of an official certificate.
After attending at least 80% of courses and lessons, a final exam with a written test, practical test, and oral test whose approval allows you to obtain a certificate of attendance indicating the skills acquired.
The skills and professional qualifications acquired are recorded in the citizen’s training booklet which can be considered the Italian equivalent of Europass, or a sort of “skills passport” valid both in Italy and abroad. It is the business card that the worker presents to the company and was designed to collect, summarize and document the various learning experiences of working citizens, as well as the skills they acquired in various sectors (school, training, work, daily life) . Furthermore, the Consolidated law on prevention and safety at work provides that the skills acquired in carrying out training activities are recorded in the book.
The initial training is aimed at young people approaching the world of work for the first time; continuous training allows the acquisition of the skills required by the labor market or the improvement of one’s professional qualification; lifelong learning consists of learning throughout the working life.
With regard to continuous training, the worker can participate in training activities independently or following the preparation by the employer of training actions aimed at adapting or raising the professionalism and skills of his employees in consideration of the technological and organizational innovation of the production process.
When to apply for training and internship programs?
Starting at 9.00 AM on 27 March 2023, all applications for seasonal or nonseasonal work can be submitted according to Decreto Flussi program. This means that interested applicants from selected countries will be able to apply from 27 March or their employers can do this on their behalf.
The quota of the training and internship programs
About 1,000 non-EU citizens residing abroad, have completed training and education programs in their countries of origin pursuant to art. 23 of the legislative decree 25 July 1998, n. 286 can apply for the training program. On the other hand, for conversion, 2,000 residence permits for study, traineeship, and/or professional training are allowed.