The GOL program, acronym for “Worker Employability Guarantee,” is a reform initiative introduced by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) to relaunch employment and combat unemployment. This program provides a series of services for the reintegration of the unemployed, layoffs, disabled workers, women, young people, over 50 and other
disadvantaged categories.
According to estimates by Sviluppo Lavoro Italia SpA (formerly ANPAL), the program will involve a total of 3 million beneficiaries until 2025. In this clear and detailed guide, we see how the GOL program works, what are the objectives, who it involves, the data updated to 2024 and what actions it supports
.
What is the GOL Program
The GOL program is a set of tools and measures aimed at promoting employment in Italy. It is part of Mission 5, Component 1 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), dedicated to labor policies. The interventions are part of the reform project in the labor sector, connected to the Plan for the strengthening of employment centers (CPI) and the National New Skills Plan, for the strengthening of the dual system. The time horizon of the program is from 2021 to 2025, in line with EU funding
.
The GOL program was created with the 2021 Budget Law, which allocated the resources to establish the appropriate fund, implemented with the Decree of November 5, 2021. Following several supplementary and amendment interventions, the 2022 Budget Law has extended the advantages of the GOL program also to self-employed workers with a VAT number and has strengthened the training system with the help of local administrations, public and private entities and entities of various kinds.
The 2024 Budget Law also confirmed the measure for 2024, refinancing the program and linking it to measures such as Training and Work Support (active from September 1, 2023) and the Inclusion Check, which since 2024 has replaced Citizenship Income.
News about the GOL Program for 2024
The changes of 2024, introduced by the 2024 Budget Law, the Decree of 29 March 2024 adopted by the PNCT, the Ministerial Decree of 29 March 2024 and the Decree of 30 March 2024, are:
- Additional resources of 1 billion euros for active policies, in addition to the 4.4 billion euros of the PNRR.
- Involvement of accredited private operators for access to the GOL and expansion of the audience of beneficiaries, including recipients of income support measures such as Training and Work Support and Inclusion Allowance.
- Strengthening GOL courses with short training activities and elimination of the minimum limit of training hours.
- Extension of “on the job” training courses for all beneficiaries, including internships and internal training.
- Sviluppo Lavoro Italia SpA has formally replaced the former ANPAL.
The GOL Program Routes
The GOL program is divided into five differentiated paths based on work experience and the characteristics of the interested party:
- Job reintegration: For profiles with high employability and skills already required by the market.
- Upskilling: For profiles that need to adapt their skills through short and professional training interventions.
- Requalification (Reskilling): For profiles with a need for new skills through intensive training activities lasting up to 300 hours.
- Work and inclusion: For profiles with low employability, through collaboration with the network of territorial services (educational, social, health).
- Collective relocation: For those who are out of the labor market due to specific business crises.
The GOL Program Courses
The GOL program offers many types of courses available in specific regional catalogs on the institutional websites of each Region. Each course is specific to the sector and is connected to one of the paths of the plan: employment reintegration, updating (Upskilling), retraining (Reskilling), work and inclusion or collective relocation
.
GOL Program Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the GOL program are:
- Citizens with social safety nets in a constant employment relationship.
- Fragile or vulnerable workers: NEET youth (under 30), disadvantaged women, people with disabilities, mature workers (55 and over).
- Beneficiaries of social safety nets in the absence of an employment relationship: unemployed recipients of NASPI or DIS-COLL.
- Citizens receiving welfare income support: recipients of the Inclusion and Training and Work Support Allowance.
- Unemployed without income support: unemployed for at least 6 months, other workers with fewer employment opportunities (young people and women, even if not in fragile conditions), self-employed workers who cease their activities or with very low incomes.
- Workers with very low incomes (working poor).
- Self-employed workers with a VAT number.
Mandatory participation in the GOL Program
Participation in the GOL program is mandatory for certain categories of people, in particular for the unemployed who receive social safety nets, NASPI or DIS-COLL, as well as the Inclusion and Training and Work Support Allowance. Failure to participate results in the loss of the right to the related benefit.
How to Access the GOL Program
To access the GOL program, you must contact the Employment Centers (CPI) or employment services in the area of expertise. After funding to the Regions, these bodies are responsible for the implementation of the project with the support of Sviluppo Lavoro Italia SpA.
GOL Program Activities
Sviluppo Lavoro Italia has activated useful tools to analyze the demand for labor of companies, professional needs and evaluate the skills gap. Among them:
- LMI (Labor Market Intelligence): Interactive dashboard for analyzing labor market needs.
- SGA (Skill Gap Analysis): Tool for evaluating the distance between workers’ skills and those required.
- GOL Documentary Bank: Dynamic and navigable archive of the measures adopted for the implementation of the program.
Areas of Experimentation of the GOL Program
The GOL program is also a space for innovation and experimentation for small-scale projects adopted in agreement with the Regions. Some areas of experimentation include:
- Digital skills.
- Difficult to reach employment targets.
- Business acceleration for the creation of professional communities.
- Experimentation of forms of protected employment for people with severe disabilities or frail unemployed.
Objectives of the GOL Program
The objectives of the GOL program are:
- Involve at least 3 million beneficiaries by 2025, of which at least 75% must be women, long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, young people under 30, workers over 55.
- Involve at least 800,000 citizens in training activities, including 300,000 for strengthening digital skills.
- Comply with at least 80% of the CPI in each region the standards defined as essential levels in GOL.
GOL Program Monitoring and Resources
As of 30 June 2024, the GOL program has taken care of more than 2,570,887 beneficiaries. The total resources for the GOL national program amount to 4.4 billion euros, with an additional 1 billion euros from 2024 through the European RepowerEU program
.
The GOL program represents an important initiative to relaunch employment in Italy and support workers in difficulty. Through a series of targeted paths and activities, the program offers training and job reintegration opportunities for different categories of people. Participation in the program is mandatory for some specific categories, but open to all those who wish to improve their skills and find new job opportunities.