The pilot project in Puglia addresses the gap between migrants’ skills and labour market needs. Led by the Fondazione SMILE Puglia, the initiative combines research, training, and employment services to support migrants’ socio-professional integration. More specifically, it aims to promote decent and regular employment for migrants living in Puglia, given the existing demand for labour in the region, which often goes unmet.
Key actions include:
- building a regional network that acts as a monitor and creates the conditions for the successful integration of beneficiaries into the labour market
- mapping labour demand in the region through research – See report below
- providing individual career guidance and skills assessment
- delivering bespoke vocational training for the identified professional profiles
The project promotes and supports partnerships with accredited employment agencies, employment agencies and enterprises to facilitate the beneficiaries’ entry into the labour market, including work placements. By improving migrants’ access to training, career guidance and decent work opportunities, the initiative supports a sustainable, rights-based approach to integration and full citizenship.
Implemented actions
A central pillar of the initial implementation phase was the production of a study of the labour market in Apulia. The study maps the demographic and occupational characteristics of the migrant population in Apulia, providing a granular overview of sectoral labour demand, recruitment difficulties, and qualification mismatches. The study also identifies key sectors for migrant employment such as agriculture, construction, tourism, and personal services. These findings have informed the next phases of intervention.
Study of the labour market in Puglia
The report was presented during a public event in Bari, on 31st October 2025, hosted by Fondazione SMILE Puglia. The event brought together project representatives, businesses, trade unions, employment agencies, associations and migrant communities in Apulia to showcase the results of the study and to present the training modules developed through the project.
The training programmes were designed based on data and insights from the labour demand research report and identified two professional profiles, one in the “Clothing and Fashion” sector and one in “Logistics and Transport”, drawn from the Regional Directory of Professions of the Puglia Region. The aim of these training courses was to provide participants with certified skills listed in the Directory, which may count as training credits in the future.
Fondazione SMILE Puglia has organized two courses focusing on the clothing and fashion sector, Production and alteration of garment; one course for the logistics and transport sector; Warehouse operations, as well as a training on how to establish, organise and manage cooperatives, Training for the creation of a cooperative.