The “Networks for the Future” project is part of the Regione Piemonte strategy for social innovation WE.CA.RE,  and is funded with resources from the EU Structural Funds for Regional Development. It involves the Department of Economics and Business Studies at Università del Piemonte Orientale, with partners Consorzio Intercomunale per la gestione dei Servizi Socio-Assistenziali of the western Ticino region, the Municipality of Trecate, and Elios Società Cooperativa Sociale-Onlus. 

The project sets out to promote the reintegration of unemployed citizens back into the workforce (particularly vulnerable individuals).
 

Social innovation occurs in the attempt to expand collaborative networks between different organisations (public, private and social) which, by cooperating, find suitable strategies to reduce asymmetric information channels, promoting the alignment of supply and demand in the labour market.

Thanks to the cooperative network, plans have been made for training and career guidance activities for vulnerable categories (recipients of universal basic income, ‘REI’ adequate income sum, food vouchers, etc). The round tables involved employment agencies, companies, trade unions, training agencies, etc, who compared notes and suggested innovative methods focusing on co-planning of training initiatives that consider both supply and demand in the labour market, in order to:
 

1. Promote reflection among individuals on the concept and meaning of ‘work’
2. Optimise certain work skills, to facilitate the shift from “know-how” to “know-how to be” in the workplace (cross-sector abilities, or soft skills, which complement technical skills)
3. Improve digital skills and their use, also in the search for employment
4. Promote introduction to the workplace with internships, funded by the Networks for the Future project as of January 2020
5. Develop innovative procedures for co-planning (ex-ante) of internships, in such a way that takes into account the needs and preferences of both companies and individuals
6. Follow interns with active tutoring to help overcome any obstacles and/or emerging problems

As part of the project, a number of users will also be involved in workshop activity.

Analysis of the procedures and evaluation of the project results will allow initial (possible) indications of good practices that can be applied also to other contexts.