4,000 young hired every year worldwide to design, build infrastructure in safety, valuing the sector’s expertise and supply chain’s excellence

MILAN, November 8, 2021 – “Every year we hire throughout the world, on average, 4,000 people under the age of 30. Of the 25,000 to be hired by 2024, we foresee half of them will in fact be young people. For the next five years we expect to add 800 young people every year to the Italian workforce considering all the investments planned for Italy. Today, Webuild already has 43% of its staff under the age of 35, and we plan to bolster our investment in young talent in order to continue to pursue innovation and to become more competitive,” Webuild Chief Executive Pietro Salini said during the presentation of the “Premio Alberto Giovannini. Innovation and Digitalisation in Infrastructure”, an initiative promoted by the Group in memory of the former chairman of Webuild. It is designed to support graduates and researchers interested in studying innovation and digitalisation in infrastructure. It is a decisive gesture to encourage research and employment in the sector, favouring the entry of talented young people into the labour market and subsequently the implementation of the recovery plan for Italy.

“Our strength will increasingly derive from the combination of experience on the one hand with the creativity of young people, innovation and digitalization on the other. For the 2021-2022 period, we have set aside more than €1.2 million for young people. It is a commitment that we are relaunching with the “Premio Alberto Giovannini” today which is part of our comprehensive plan that also includes partnerships with 18 universities, Italian and foreign, STEM scholarships for women, as well as a research and innovation laboratory with the University of Genoa. In addition to these initiatives, we are launching a Trade School for young people, to build up a specialized trained work force which for us is essential and that in turn will train a new generation of specialized workers,” Salini continued.

“The infrastructure sector urgently needs trained and educated people. We are talking about some 100,000 resources needed for the public works under the PNRR. A lot of planning and preparation goes into our profession to guarantee the highest standards of quality and safety in what we do. There is no room for improvisation in our job” he said. “There is an urgent need to invest in training and reskilling particularly of unemployed resources. Collaboration between the public and private sectors must be simplified to facilitate the training of the resources required to rebuild Italy. We are ready and available to collaborate with all the involved players, educational institutions, public institutions and banks to carry out a National Plan.”

“The role of infrastructure is central to the post-pandemic recovery. In Italy, the PNRR has activated many resources, but it is necessary to guarantee that the projects are done within the timeframe allotted to them. Construction sites must be opened and activated immediately so as not to delay the national system. Many steps forward are being taken. But an acceleration in the assigning and starting of project is required. As a company, we are ready and willing  to contribute to a wider reflection on a long term growth strategy, a 2050 Vision for Italy.”