About

SKILLS2EMPLOYMENT is a transnational European project dedicated to reintegrating long-term unemployed women into the labor market across Spain, Italy, and Cyprus through tailored training and direct job placements.

The project specifically targets vulnerable working-age women, including those with informal caregiving experience, single parents, migrants, and residents of rural areas. By aligning the existing, often unrecognized, transversal skills of these women with the pressing labor shortages in local industries—such as the socio-sanitary, food, hospitality, retail, and manufacturing sectors—the project addresses both social exclusion and economic demand.

It operates through a multi-phase approach that includes localized research, the establishment of local employment committees, and the delivery of highly tailored transversal and technical training. Furthermore, the initiative emphasizes capacity building for social inclusion professionals across Europe and measures its long-term success through a rigorous, scientifically backed social experimentation framework.

Project aim

To facilitate the sustainable transition of vulnerable, long-term unemployed women into the formal workforce by providing individualized support, market-aligned skills training, and direct employment opportunities.

Specific Objectives

Conduct targeted research

Map the specific training needs and realities of long-term unemployed women in the partner countries.

Provide tailored training

Deliver customized transversal and sector-specific training adapted to local industry demands.

Secure direct employment

Achieve direct 1-year job placements for at least 50 women while providing ongoing support for a control group.

Foster local partnerships

Establish Local Employment Committees to build strong networks between NGOs, municipalities, and employers.

Build professional capacity

Develop and launch a multilingual MOOC to train 150 social inclusion professionals and educators.

Evaluate impact

Utilize a social experimentation framework to scientifically measure the outcomes of the interventions and share findings via the EU Social Innovation Match (SIM) database.

Outputs

Research & Mapping Report:

A comprehensive analysis of long-term women’s unemployment and training needs in Spain, Italy, and Cyprus.

Transversal & Specific Training Manuals:

Curricula and teaching methods tailored to help women bridge the gap between their informal experience and formal market demands.

Digital MOOC Platform:

An e-learning platform titled “Empowering Women Employability” aimed at upskilling social inclusion professionals.

Direct Job Placements:

Concrete employment contracts for 50 participating women within specific local industries.

Project Website & Media Assets:

A centralized digital hub, promotional videos, and master infographics to disseminate results and recruit participants.

Impact & Social Experimentation Report:

A scientific evaluation comparing the outcomes of direct placement versus ongoing support.

Methodology

The project’s methodology is rooted in the adaptation, transfer, and scaling up of proven employment frameworks developed by the Lead Partner, FSMLR. It shifts the focus from a one-size-fits-all training model to a highly individualized, supportive approach. Central to this is the recognition and formalization of transversal skills—such as problem-solving and time management—that many vulnerable women have acquired through years of informal domestic and caregiving work.

Following the transversal training, participants receive specific technical training designed in direct collaboration with local employers in sectors facing critical labor shortages. This ensures that the skills being taught are immediately applicable and highly sought after in the regional job markets of Spain, Italy, and Cyprus.

Finally, the methodology incorporates a rigorous social experimentation component. During Phase II, the project tracks two distinct groups: one receiving direct job placements and another control group receiving continued, individualized mediation and support. By comparing the outcomes, the consortium will generate evidence-based data to validate the model’s effectiveness, ultimately uploading these validated practices to the European Social Innovation Match (SIM) database for EU-wide scalability.