10,000 people to be hired by 2026, 8,000 in the South

First two courses start for 45 site operators to join the 1,200 people already working with Webuild in Calabria

Milan, 8 April 2024 – The start-up of the first two courses for construction site workers marks the launch today of the Webuild training and recruitment school in Calabria, organised in collaboration with the Regional Authority. Around 45 people are starting a new training course at the Cittadella Regionale in Catanzaro as part of the “Cantiere Lavoro Italia” program, in addition to the 1,200 direct and indirect workers already occupied in the Region. The Group is working at the Third Megalot construction site on State Highway 106 Jonica, a strategic project that will help connect the Ionian coasts of Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia by closing the loop between the A14 and A2 motorway axes.

The training activities in Calabria will also continue in May and June with the start-up of new pre-recruitment courses, again at the Region's headquarters. Webuild's new training and recruitment School was presented this afternoon at a press conference attended by the Chair of the Calabria Regional Authority, Roberto Occhiuto, Pietro Salini, CEO of the Webuild Group, the Councillor for Employment and Vocational Training, Giovanni Calabrese, and the Chair of the Eurolink Consortium, Gianni De Gennaro.  

"I am delighted," said Mr Occhiuto, "because just a few weeks since we talked about it in Calabria with CEO Pietro Salini, today, thanks to the commitment of Webuild and the Region, we are here to welcome 45 of our young people, 80% of whom will find jobs at Webuild, one of the world’s most important companies. For us, it is very important to offer our contribution and support to a company like Webuild that will give these young people the chance to work close to home and, above all, the opportunity to contribute to the construction of the infrastructure in their region. Many will also have the chance to go abroad, because this is a company that offers great career openings, and it is our duty to give them the opportunity to make contact with this important reality. There will be other initiatives of this kind,” Occhiuto continued, “because the program drawn up by the Region, under the guidance of Councillor Calabrese and in collaboration with Webuild, includes two more opportunities for personnel selection. I would like to see Webuild commit to training not only people who will work in this important company, but also many other young people from Calabria to be employed in the construction of other important infrastructures that are beginning to take off in Calabria, such as hospitals and railroad electrification works. Compared to other southern regions, we have managed to profile all the people without jobs in Calabria through the Gol program, and create a database that tells interested companies about the skills offered by the unemployed in Calabria. This is a way of implementing active labour policies. For all these reasons, I am delighted that the work put in over the past months is now bearing fruit.”

“We have to give our young people a future,” Salini explained, “and this is what prompted us to launch “Cantiere Lavoro Italia”. The Group has already hired the first 2,000 people including graduates from the Webuild training courses, more than half of them in Southern Italy, and in the next two years we expect to reach a total of 8,000 employed, primarily in Calabria and Sicily. Calabria was one of the first regions where the Webuild Group organised training to recruit skilled labour, and the launch of the courses today is just the first operational step in our ambitious training and hiring program for young and unemployed people. After years of stagnation, Italy's infrastructure sector is experiencing a new phase of expansion, thanks in part to the investments funded by the national recovery and resilience plan. By acting in synergy with the institutions, just as we are doing here in Calabria, we can create skilled employment for the realisation of current projects and meet the present and future needs of the infrastructure development that the country wants to undertake.”

“In just a few days,” Calabrese said, “thanks to the commitment and the professionalism of the officials of the regional Department of Labour and the Employment Centres operating in Calabria, to whom I extend my public appreciation and thanks for the important work they do on a daily basis, we have made 300 aspiring workers who have already been profiled through the Gol orientation and training program available to the Webuild group. You all had the opportunity to see for yourselves at last week's Recruiting Day the seriousness and professionalism of the Webuild group, with whom we have discussed a strategy for the training and job placement of many Calabrians, also considering the mega construction site of the bridge over the Strait, which will open up new scenarios and further employment opportunities. So today sees the start, in the Citadel, of the training course funded by the Forma.Temp fund for training and income support for temporary workers. Fund set up by the Associations representing the Assolavoro and Assosomm employment agencies. We are going to sign an important protocol with Assolavoro on 23 April to develop synergies for the creation of new job opportunities. The regional government's objective,” concluded Councillor Calabrese, “is to support quality training courses and incentivise serious companies that want to provide real work for Calabrians, or migrants living in Calabria, and stem the negative population drain, with about 8,000 people leaving Calabria every year to go and live in other regions and even abroad.”

Webuild plans to hire 10,000 people by 2026, over 80% in Southern Italy. The Group has hired the first 2,000 people including students from the Webuild training courses, more than half of them in the South. In Calabria, a total of almost 280 people have been reached since November 2023, and around 40 people have been hired in the region.

The two new vocational courses starting today, aimed at recruitment at Webuild, will train students as TBM multi-purpose operators (mechanised excavation), TBM electrician helpers (mechanised excavation), TBM assistant electricians (traditional excavation), assistant excavators (traditional excavation), and assistant shotcrete pump operators (traditional excavation).  

The “Cantiere Lavoro Italia” program was launched by Webuild in Italy in November, with a particular focus on the South. It offers specialised training and employment to talented young people and the unemployed. For people selected for the program, the Group offers basic training and recruitment, skills training, with a contract already in the training stage, free board and lodging during skills training, and a specialisation certificate. 

"Cantiere Lavoro Italia" is divided into three types of schools: the Territorial School, in collaboration with employment agencies, to attract resources to the sector and provide basic training; the Trades School, to provide workers with specialised technical skills; and the Professions School, for more advanced skills for construction site workers. The schools address a variety of targets, from young people to the unemployed. With this program, the Group aims to train and recruit various professional figures, including skilled workers (excavators, electricians, plant engineers, etc.) and staff personnel (including buyers, works accountants, TBM engineers).

In Southern Italy and the islands, Webuild is carrying out 19 projects to help provide the Mezzogiorno with modern, sustainable infrastructure. Its construction sites already employ 5,450 people, including direct and indirect personnel, and involve a supply chain of 4,300 companies since operations began.