Young people and the future according to Gentili from Confindustria
In the video interview Claudio Gentili, Education Manager at Confindustria, speaks of the importance of guidance for youth regarding the possible training paths they can follow. If a thoughtless choice can lead to future unemployment, guidance is crucial for tomorrow’s workers, to face and reduce the mismatch of skills, i.e., the gap between skills companies want workers to possess and those which candidates actually possess.
According to a survey conducted by Unioncamere and Anpal, The mismatch between supply and demand employment has increased from 16% in 2016 to 21% in 2017. In other words, more than one company out of 5 in Italy is struggling to find the resources it needs, not so much in terms of quantity as of quality, due to the gap between skills required in the company and those possessed by candidates.
The task of guiding the youth consists in helping them understand how to face and handle the choice of high school and of academic studies that will impact their professional future, and especially in making them aware of the need to cultivate the so-called soft skills that really make a difference in the world of employment (such as team building, problem solving, time management, etc.).
The high rate of skill mismatch can be reduce with vocational training that is in step with innovation. But it is important to promote and present this to the youth through guidance and more besides. School-work alternation, first level apprenticeship and Technical Colleges are all opportunities youth have to personally approach the employment framework and to better understand which skills they need to develop to acquire the demanded know-how.
Gentili says that guidance places youth one step ahead, and helps them "understand how to reconcile their talents, desires and expectations with the world of employment and with a project for the future." Hence, to prevent the problem of unemployment, it is essential to choose the type of studies that most suits their inclinations. A careful analysis of the labour market is also required to understand how to direct their professional future towards employability.
Both schools and companies can cooperate to draw youth closer to employment, and Gentili considers them "two allies". In the interview he explains the importance of both parties, and how school-work alternation is essential to strengthen "the capacity of youth to also find employment as adults".
"Skills are the real guarantee for the future" and, according to Gentili, only these allow to focus on 'employability.