PUOI Plus is a systemic action aimed at promoting the socio-labour inclusion of unemployed or job-seeking refugees and other vulnerable migrants. It is promoted by the Directorate-General for Migration Policies of the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and implemented by Sviluppo Lavoro Italia S.p.A.. The initiative is funded with €60 million from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) under the National Programme for Inclusion and the Fight Against Poverty.
Through collaboration between institutions, public and private labour market actors, the Third Sector, and businesses, PUOI PLUS supports migrants who are particularly distant from the labour market by guiding them through personalized pathways that improve their employability and foster social connections, ultimately leading them toward independence. The program addresses both the needs of migrants and the labour demands of the host society’s production system.
Over five years, PUOI Plus will create 6,200 socio-labour inclusion pathways for individuals with international, temporary, or special protection status, asylum seekers, stateless persons, victims of trafficking, labour exploitation, or gender-based violence, unaccompanied foreign minors transitioning to adulthood, and former unaccompanied foreign minors. Beneficiaries—identified in coordination with reception and integration actors—will receive specialized guidance services and skills assessments, and will participate in a six-month non-curricular internship. During and after the internship, they will be supported in pursuing further employment or training opportunities.
The pathways are promoted and managed by public or private entities authorized or nationally accredited to provide employment services, or regionally accredited bodies recognized as promoters of non-curricular internships. Businesses play a key role by hosting interns, offering experiences that enhance both skills and interpersonal relationships. Individual budgets cover the services provided by pathway promoters, internship allowances for migrants, and contributions to businesses for tutoring activities.
Crucial to the implementation, sustainability, and replicability of the intervention model is the collaboration among numerous public and private stakeholders involved in migrant integration at various territorial levels. PUOI Plus therefore also invests in activating and strengthening regional networks, capacity building, and governance improvements involving regional and local authorities, public employment centres, private labour market actors, training organizations, social partners, the Third Sector, and migrant associations.
Sviluppo Lavoro Italia has published a public notice for the promoters of the 6,200 pathways, open until March 28, 2028. Eligible entities may apply for internship approvals via a rolling application process, with four time windows between 2025 and 2028. The notice, operational manual, and all related documents are available on the website of Sviluppo Lavoro Italia S.p.A.
For more information on PUOI Plus, contact: puoiplus@sviluppolavoroitalia.it.