An agreement was signed today between the shipowners’ associations Assarmatori and Confitarma and the Ministry of Defense – General Secretariat of Defense and National Armaments Directorate (Segredifesa), to offer young discharged volunteers of the Armed Forces a qualified work placement pathway to let them using their professionalism, gained during their service.
The aim of the agreement is to facilitate the re-employment of those who have served in uniform, and as pointed out by Franco Lunerti, first Segredifesa Department Deputy director: “The world of the sea and the employment dynamics offer enormous professional opportunities and the skills, that enlisted personnel acquire during their service in the Armed Forces, can prove to be a welcome resource for this productive sector, which has been complaining of huge employment vacancies for some time.”
“I consider particularly important the signing of this agreement, which sanctions a mutual commitment to foster new job opportunities and career possibilities for discharged volunteers of the Armed Forces” says Luca Sisto, Confitarma Director General. This collaboration favours the meeting between job supply and demand, starting from the development of new skills. Moreover, it represents a concrete opportunity either for the discharged volunteers, so that they can successfully undertake the professions of the sea, or for the national Armed Forces, enhancing the seafaring tradition of our country”.
“We are proud to have signed this agreement, which goes exactly in the direction we had hoped for” comments Assarmatori’s Secretary General Alberto Rossi. “Indeed, our industry needs a workforce and we are convinced that those who have significant experience in the Armed Forces can exploit their skills on board by being employed on various services devoted to cargo and passengers. A maritime career can be very stimulating and satisfying also in terms of wage: from this agreement signature can benefit several actors, starting from the young people who will take this path”.
The agreement will also be the prerequisite for a systemic action aimed at enhancing the training paths of volunteers and at recognising their value and validity also for the professions of the sea in the labour market, with a civil society benefiting return.
