Description

Country
Focus area

The instrument, implemented by Isfol (the National Institute for Employees' Training, now National Institute for Public Policies Analysis) and Istat (the National Institute for Statistics), provides data and information about professions' contents, quantitative relevance, short and medium term trends, characterising competences and vacancies. The available data and information are targeted to the general public, but also to policy makers.

Implementation level
At what level is the initiative implemented?
National
Starting period
TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?

Since 2010

Policy area
To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
Funding
How it is funded?
Funded by national government
Funded by the EU

ESF

Skill mismatch

Skill mismatch target
What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
Skills matching focus
How does  the initiative address skills mismatches?

The website is aimed at providing data and projections on training and employment needs at regional and national level.

Methods

Methods
What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
Skills forecasting

Forecasts are constructed on the basis of the 'scenario methodology', in a process of identifying trends and drivers that are used in the exploration and prefiguration of the most likely scenarios among those possible.

Skill audits

The survey, carried out using the CATI (Computer assisted telephone interviewing) technique, aims to collect qualitative information on the needs of enterprises in terms of lack of specific knowledge/competences related to professional figures present in private enterprises.

Other

Employee survey: the interviews, carried out using the Capi (Computer assisted personal interviewing) technique, aim to collect information useful to represent the characteristics of the professions, with particular reference to the content of the work carried out and the organisational context in which it takes place

Stakeholders

Main responsible body
Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
National agency

INAPP (National Institute for Public Policies Analysis, once ISFOL)

Other involved organisations
Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
National ministry

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy oversee the project.

Chambers of Commerce

Unioncamere (the national network of the Chambers of Commerce), together with INPS (National Institute for Social Security) and INAIL (National Institute for Safety at Work) provides detailed information on the labour market situation.

Research centres, universities

ISTAT and other national research institutes provide data to update the site periodically.

Beneficiaries
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
Other

The intended beneficiaries of the instrument are, in general, all those who are interested in the instrument's contents concerning the Italian system of professions and jobs. This means that the intended beneficiaries include: individuals (students, employees; unemployed, employed) aimed at knowing in detail the skills/competences and trends of a specific profession/job; education and training providers, aimed at knowing the most demanded skills/competences in the labour markets; guidance, counselling and job-matching operators, aimed at having updated information on professional trends and dynamics for giving job-seekers a better service; policies' decision makers, aimed at having the availability of updated data/evidences in order to define more informed programmes and interventions.

Sustainability

Success factors
SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation

The main factor improving the success of the instrument was the integration of data/info and having different sources using the Istat National Classification of Professions (CP2011) as communication protocol.

Barriers
BARRIERS in the implementation

The main barrier to the implementation, largely overcome, is the voluntary basis of the cooperation among the various stakeholders/partners that provide data/information to the System. In fact, on top of INAPP and Istat, all the network's partners have the production of the data/info they pass to the system in their mission, but they do not have the obligation to pass them to the System. This sometimes caused delays in the transmission of data/info by the partners to INAPP and Istat with the consequence of the System not being promptly updated.

Monitoring and evaluation
MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?

The indicators used for measuring the progress of the instrument are: the number of professions/jobs fully included in the system (also as a rate of the total number of professions/jobs mapped in Italy); the number of visit to the System's website; the number of stakeholder/partners cooperating in the regular feeding of the System (also as a rate of the universe of those entitled); and the updating of the data/information included in the System. The instrument's progress with reference to these indicators is regularly measured by INAPP as the System's responsible agency.

Updates
UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
No
Effectiveness
EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?

Due to the instrument's characteristics and objectives (a support-decision system), its effectiveness and impact are not assessed. With reference to the most relevant instrument's progress indicators, the main figures are as follows: about 800 so-called "professional units" are described in the system using more than 300 variables; and for all the Italian Regions/Autonomous Provinces and all the economic sectors (as classified by Istat), updated occupational forecasts are available. The benefits and beneficiaries largely correspond to those expected. No relevant unexpected benefits or costs derived so far from the instrument's implementation.

Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?

The instrument is going to continue in the next years, because its updating and functioning is part of the missions of all the partners who are involved in its implementation and of INAPP and Istat. The widening of partners'/stakeholders' network, on one side, and the inclusion of the Public Administrations' professions, on the other side, are the two most relevant developments expected for the System in the short time.

Other instruments in Italy