CELAV

The project

The CELAV (Work Mediation Centre) is a general service of the Municipality of Milan for the job placement of unemployed people which supports also the creation of networks with local services (e.g. social services) and oriented towards supporting the most fragile/vulnerable categories/at a disadvantage stage, including Third Country Nationals (TCNs), asylum seekers and International Protection Holders (IPHs). The aim of the service is to facilitate the job placement of unemployed people through information, guidance and orientation, as well as direct support. Particular attention is paid to disabled people and to all/and those living in conditions of social disadvantage, including people with migratory background, for which a specialised équipe is available.  

Specifically, the activities of CELAV are aimed to: 

• promote the professional integration of people, above all those who have the greatest need for support; 
• facilitate the matching between job supply and demand; 
• create training courses for users and establish links with similar initiatives implemented by other public and private bodies, including the Centro Fleming, a municipal training centre; 
• activate preparatory courses for work activities, such as internships and trainings on the job, so that there can be continuity between training and professional placement; 
• design and implement projects for the integration of specific categories, including TCNs.

Together with the orientation and support services for the final beneficiaries, CELAV offers consultancy and capacity building activities also to companies. For what specifically concerns TCNs, CELAV also promotes a consultancy service for companies who need to receive information and guidance on TCNs’ hiring procedures; the same is offered for asylum seekers and IPHs hosted in the reception centres managed by the Municipality. For all the above, CELAV is a well-known and recognized good practice which is multi-stakeholder, multi-level, age and cultural sensitive and which tries to involve the private sector as key actor for the objective it aims to.

The impact of the good practice

The Centre offers its services to more than 2.500 people a year among which 600 TCNs, who can benefit from:  

• orientation and guidance for the active labour research;  
• identification and recognition of skills;  
• matching of job demand and offer;  
• internships and training on the job programs;  
• valorization of competences, linguistic and civic education courses;  
• professional trainings.  

Thanks to the coordination of its network which includes companies, training centres, third sector organizations and employment agencies, CELAV can count on a comprehensive strategy to support TCNs labour inclusion. Yearly the Centre supports 2.500 beneficiaries, among which 600 TCNs; the internships/inclusion programs are around 1.500 and the employment rate is 30% (and up to 60% when it comes to youths).