At Binario F, the final event of “Digital Connections for Work”
Last Wednesday, 11 June, the final event of the SMILE (SMart Innovative Learning for Employment) project, entitled Digital Connections for Work, came to an end at Binario F in Via Marsala 29H, Rome. The day was an important opportunity for training, guidance and networking between qualified candidates and companies, marking the success of a programme aimed at strengthening digital skills and supporting the integration of unemployed and unoccupied adults into the labour market.
The Smile project, selected and supported by the Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale - Impresa sociale (Fund for the Digital Republic - Social Enterprise), is promoted by Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS with Ifoa and Politecnico di Milano (through Metid Learning Innovation). It involved 200 unemployed or unoccupied people aged between 34 and 50, residing in Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Piedmont, Lombardy and Tuscany. The main objective was to help them re-enter the world of work by providing them with an up-to-date “professional toolkit” and digital skills that would enhance their previous experience. The free 120-hour training course (Smart Track) combined modules on soft skills, basic digital skills (including Microsoft 365 and generative AI such as ChatGPT), and specific professional training. The methodology adopted, the Politecnico di Milano's Smart Learning Design™, fostered the creation of a flexible and personalised learning community.
The final day, Digital Connections for Work, offered participants a unique opportunity to showcase their achievements and strengthen the link between training and professional opportunities. After a brief “pitch” to present their skills, experience and goals, participants had the opportunity to meet entrepreneurs, managers and third sector leaders in short, rotating interviews, inspired by the “speed date” format, both in person and in the metaverse. The day was also enriched by a training session dedicated to artificial intelligence and the jobs of the future, organised by the Politecnico di Milano.
The companies present expressed great appreciation for the initiative. Francesco Cammarota, Partner Attraction Manager at Engel & Völkers MMC Italia, emphasised the importance of events such as this in “building a bridge between the world of education and the world of business”. He added that the event offers, on the one hand, “a path to growth in the world of work” for people seeking professional opportunities after retraining and, on the other, “skills that can bring fresh energy to companies”, a fundamental aspect for their business, which in 2021 made a “very clear choice to move towards digitalisation”. Similarly, Leonardo Perronace, founder and CEO of Fagus Lab Srl, a company that deals with the digitisation of urban greenery and already works with artificial intelligence, highlighted the interest in “getting to know these new young people, these new people who want to get involved”. He reiterated the social role of business, stating that “we want to grow ourselves and we want to help others grow too, because we believe that the social role of business is truly important at this moment in history”.
The participants enthusiastically shared their experiences. Barbara Polidori, journalist and communicator, chose the social media marketer and AI course, highlighting the “transformative power” of artificial intelligence not only for her profession but for various market sectors. She expressed her hope that companies would embrace her “new professional toolkit”. Gianpiero Cervale, a participant in the Digital Marketer Essential course, found the course ‘very useful both for networking and for talking to other people who have taken our courses,’ appreciating the ‘highly knowledgeable teachers.’ Ina Cijevschim, a 48-year-old freelancer, also said she was convinced she would acquire ‘new practical skills that will give me a real advantage in the world of work,’ finding a ‘collaborative atmosphere’ with teachers and classmates. Delia De Lilla, 49 and looking for work, saw the training, including the use of tools such as Microsoft 365 and generative AI, as a ‘unique opportunity to update and expand’ her skills, hoping to build a professional network and receive support in finding opportunities.
A central theme of the day was artificial intelligence. According to an analysis by Randstad Research for the Randstad Foundation (2024), AI is not set to replace human resources, but requires a profound redefinition of skills, a crucial aspect given that Italy lags behind the European average in the adoption of AI. Susanna Sancassani, digital learning expert and director of Metidd - Task Force Learning Innovation at the Politecnico di Milano, during the training session, called for an understanding of new technologies, not only on a technological or functional level, but also in critical terms, analysing their limitations and negative effects in order to prevent them.
The Smile project and the “Digital Connections for Work” event are concrete examples of how investing in digital skills retraining can create new professional opportunities, actively contributing to the country's digital transition and overcoming the gap between labour supply and demand.
