Press release
20 million euros over three years from the Compagnia di San Paolo for work and
professional training
The Foundation intervenes to give new opportunities of growth to people, families
and the community
Torino, 1st April 2014 – Since 2010 the Compagnia has devolved more than 20 million euros for
projects to create solid opportunities for work and professional requalification and income support
for the temporarily and permanently unemployed and for the young, in three main ways: Mutual
Solidarity and Ancillary Work, Occupational Mobility Training and the Regional Guarantee for
Microcredit Fund.
Thanks to such actions there were roughly one thousand people in 2013 involved in ancillary work,
374 in internships, 265 with work contracts; 43 loans were granted through regional microcredit for
the creation of as many new micro-firms on the territory. Also in 2013 there was support to other
initiatives for work, of which 37 on the territory for an additional 1.3 million euros approximately,
and 20 relative to the prison projects (Progetto Libero) for € 950,000. Another significant
commitment was that of the ufficio Pio, which found internships for 123 people as part of its training
and work project.
The Compagnia’s measures must not be seen in terms of an additional sum to that already
devolved by public intervention to face the problems of employment, but rather as groundbreaking
experiments for setting up partnership networks, for the supply of services, for the assessment of
beneficiaries’ requisites and for the social consequences of the interventions.
“The Compagnia has been dealing with work issues for many years, facing the question with an
innovative and brave spirit . Today, with work being a major worry for governments, for families
and for the young, we need to optimize resources available and to adjust answers to needs coming
from the territories, working side by side with public employment policies” – said Luca Remmert,
Chair of the Compagnia di San Paolo – “Our commitment concentrates mainly on people:
expanding competences and favouring access to new opportunities, the aim being to improve
personal and economical situations, in view of a strengthening of social cohesion.”
www.compagniadisanpaolo.it
A brief description of the Compagnia di San Paolo’s three main projects
Mutual Solidarity and Ancillary Work: supports people affected by the crisis through contributions
to projects promoted by non-profit bodies active in community care activities, work paid with
vouchers in partnership with the City of Torino and 35 other towns in the surrounding area. The
regional headquarters of the INPS and INAIL (Pension Service and Health & Safety respectively)
supplied technical support. These measures are used to contrast families’ economic difficulties by
strengthening sense of belonging to the local community, thanks to the commitment of people in
socially useful jobs.
From 2010 to 2014 the Compagnia has allocated grants amounting to € 13,055,000; approximately
1,000 ancillary workers have been involved per year.
Occupational Mobility Training: created together with the Compagnia delle Opere, Fondazione Don
Mario Operti and Ufficio Pio, this is aimed at people looking for a job and offers accompaniment,
training and replacement with training programmes and internships in companies in the Torino
area.
The project is completely funded by the Compagnia, which allocated grants amounting to €
4,264,280 for activities between March 2010 to March 2014; during the same period 1,803 people
were assisted, 1,180 training programmes were set up, 942 internships were given out and 783
work contracts were undersigned.
Regional Guarantee for Microcredit Fund: the key player is the Regione Piemonte and it is aimed
at granting small loans (minimum sum €3,000, maximum €25,000) to set up enterprises or support
self-employment for people with no credit-rating, i.e. those who have no personal collateral and
who cannot get ordinary bank loans by themselves.
The project’s partners are: Fondazione Don Mario Operti, leader of a network of non-profit
organisations involving around 140 volunteers working on the whole regional territory, and
Confcommercio Piemonte, key player of a network of employers’ associations.
The fund was set up at Finpiemonte and amounts to € 4,030,000, financed in varying degrees by
Regione Piemonte, Compagnia di San Paolo, Unioncamere Piemonte and Fondazione Cassa di
Risparmio di Cuneo.
From 2009 to 2013 the Compagnia approved the allocation of € 1,301,500 worth of grants.
From the start of the project in 2010 to the end of 2013 1,942 interviews were conducted, 123
applications gathered and submitted for banking evaluations and 101 microcredits were granted.
The project is the evolution of an experiment made by the Compagnia di San Paolo between 2003
and 2009 in the areas of Turin, Genoa, Rome and Naples.
On the subject of Microcredit, the Compagnia has recently become part of the share portfolio of
PerMicro Spa, a microcredit company characterized by social aims and by a strong link with the
territory. It helps people who are socially and economically disadvantaged and who have cannot
access ordinary bank loans to finance the opening of new activities or for necessary family
expenses.