Safia and the other refugees, from the humanitarian corridors to the “passport” for work

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Caritas Italiana and Consorzio Communitas together with various strategic partners launched the pilot project “EU-Passworld: labor pathways”, financed by AMIF funds, which allowed the first refugees to arrive in Italy in May who will be placed to work in the companies that have joined the project. Their stories are very numerous and complex, such as that of the very young Afghan refugee, Safia, who, thanks to the collaboration of the Italian Accenture Foundation and its Readyforit training program (third edition), arrived in Italy last May with working corridors, she was able to attend the cyber security course while she was a guest in a safe house in Pakistan and completed it as soon as she arrived in Italy.

Thanks to ReadyforIT, over 40 refugee and migrant students already living in Italy were trained through the online course “IT Support & Cyber ​​Security” with CISCO certification and provided by Academy Rapido from March to June 2023 within the ReadyforIT Program. The course was promoted by the Italian Accenture ETS Foundation, The Human Safety Net Foundation and Generali and with the pro-bono support of Accenture, Asystel, Conad Foundation, Mail Boxes as well as with the collaboration of UNHCR Italy.

The aim of the project is to create a bridge with work and ensure that there is no aging of skills which often distances one from the labor market. Many refugees fleeing their countries of origin are in fact forced to rely on makeshift shelters and occasional jobs where the rule of exploitation is in force in order to survive, despite the fact that they often have work skills and professional qualifications. In the prolonged period of stay in countries of first asylum that do not offer real employment opportunities, they lose the qualifications and experience acquired and are forced to make the decision to move elsewhere. The lack of documents, entry visas and work permits necessary to move legally are a source of continuous vulnerability, also due to the irregularity in which they have to face travel.

The international community and Italy are globally committed to expanding safe and legal routes of entry to combat trafficking affecting the refugee population. The New York Declaration expresses the commitment to the mobility of refugee workers also by encouraging the commitment and action of the private sector, with training and professional integration courses, of which Readyforit is a concrete example.