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Inspire! shares vocational learning experiences with Italian delegation

Inspire! played host to a delegation from ENAIP, the vocational training foundation for the Lombardy region of Italy, headquartered in Milan but with a network of more than 30 centres across the region. Led by the Director of the ENAIP Foundation, Enzo Garofoli, the purpose of the visit was to share the experiences and challenges of preparing young people for the world of work in Hackney and Italy.

The delegation’s visit was arranged by leading financial services firm, UBS, which supports both ENAIP and Inspire! Patsy Francis, Director, Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Affairs at UBS, who accompanied the group, is a member of the Inspire! board of trustees.

The visitors listened to presentations about Inspire!’s key areas of work; primary, secondary and engagement – working with young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training) or at risk of becoming so. There were a number of similarities in the type of work of the two organisations, but also some clear differences. ENAIP, for example, receives funding from regional government but has limited links with business. Inspire! however, receives no core funding from government but businesses and their employees play a key role in helping the charity deliver its programmes, all of which are geared to raising aspirations about and developing skills for the world of work.

David Blagbrough, Director of Inspire! said: “It was fascinating to hear about the work of ENAIP and that they are now experiencing challenges, associated with deprivation, that we have faced for a long time but which are new to Italy’s culture. We are both in the business of preparing young people for jobs in an ever changing labour market in which the only constant will be its unpredictability. In such circumstances, the focus must be on transferable skills.  The European Union runs a funding programme for youth education and I am keen to explore opportunities where Inspire!, ENAIP and UBS might harness this to work together in future.”

Enzo Garofoli of ENAIP Lombardy said “Our visit has allowed us to compare ideas on training and vocational education and it has been particularly stimulating to see the role that Inspire! has on the labour market.”