(ANS - Turin) – The Salesian Family is always engaged in training young people and helping them to find work. For the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco (1815 to 2015), it launched "GIOB200", an ambitious project to encourage the recruitment of 200 young people in the course of 2015. Already by mid-October the target has been surpassed with 295 young people taken on in twenty-one Piedmontese companies. They are already looking to the future.

This result was made possible by close collaboration between schools, organizations, associations and private companies.

Fr Enrico Stasi, Salesian Provincial of Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Lithuania said: "Don Bosco was personally involved in helping young people to find work. His dream was to give every young person a job and he was a pioneer in getting employers to sign a contract. The first apprenticeship contract in history was signed in February 1852."

He went on to say: "The Salesian Family is engaged today in vocational training, through the CNOS-FAP, and now with GIOB200 has launched a challenge to itself and all who have joined this project – to whom we are very grateful – to go further.

"The results achieved by GioB200 are extraordinary” said Gianna Pentenero, Councillor for Employment, Education and Training of the Region of Piedmont.   “Not only have 295 young people found employment in twenty-one companies from Piedmont – which is highly significant at a time like ours, coinciding also with an important anniversary – but it shows also how cooperation between different agencies represents, now more than ever, a key resource for growth."

Councillor Pentenero continued "The Piedmont Region is pleased to have contributed to this important milestone with the Youth Guarantee programme. This represents only the beginning of a project that is expected to grow and consolidate over time."

Companies that want to offer job opportunities for young people looking for work can still contact “GIOB200”.

In any case, the initiative is only a first step towards collaboration that can yield even greater results in the future. The Office of the Salesians which oversaw the project will continue to be involved also in 2016 with "JOB16", an initiative where businesses and young people can meet to talk about work, school and training.

Published 28/10/2015