Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, was in Bologna this week as part of a visit to Italian projects that support social economy in the Emilia-Romagna region. His tour of the area provided the opportunity to meet with representatives of ‘Fare Impresa in Dozza’ (‘Doing Business in Dozza’), a project that provides prison inmates with a real chance at reintegration into society. The project receives financial support from the European Social Fund (ESF).
Founded in 2010 – and implemented since 2012 as a workshop within the Bologna prison – the aim of the ‘Fare Impresa in Dozza’ (FID) project is to facilitate detainees’ successful move back into society through training and job experience. FID seeks to grow the capabilities of prisoners during their sentence, allowing them to acquire new skills before completing their prison term.
Within FID, the ESF has funded the training project ‘Azienda in carcere’ (‘a company within a prison’), that provides participants direct, one-to-one tutoring from skilled individuals who have retired from their jobs in the field of packaging and industrial automation. The inmates are involved with the processes of assembly, installation and adjustment of mechanical components in a workshop inside the prison and operate like any other small business – with procedures in line with the national collective agreement and Trade Unions agreements. Inmates are selected, trained and have a regular employment contract, respecting the delivery times indicated by the companies which support the project.
With the addition of coursework, detainees can acquire new skills related to machine tooling and automation job profiles, recognised and regulated at regional level. This training strengthens the process of complete rehabilitation, recognising the importance of qualifications as a path to work – a fundamental element of social integration for people leaving the prison system.
After completion and a final examination, the participants move toward successful completion of a 3rd-level EQF (European Qualification Framework) certificate, but support does not stop there. The project is unique in Italy through its collaboration with businesses, institutions and vocational training providers, closely integrated with services across the Emilia-Romagna Region. These connections offer participants a real chance to change their lives, choosing a path away from social exclusion.
The project is exemplary at breaking the cycle of re-offending: only seven percent of participants have re-entered the prison system, the significant majority going on to find jobs after re-entering society.
Commissioner Schmit stated, 'The social integration programme at the Dozza Prison in Bologna is inspiring. Led by retired company workers who volunteer, inmates learn incredibly skilful techniques. Importantly it means a fresh start when they leave prison. I am very pleased that European social funds support this worthy rehabilitation project.'
