Local Solidarity Workshop – Matera, Italy | October 16, 2025

Within the framework of the European PRO-MOTE project (Promoting Migrant Opportunities, Training and Employment), a Local Solidarity Workshop titled “The Power of Skills” took place in Matera, Italy, on October 16, 2025.

The event was designed and organised by Materahub, an organisation specialising in the development and training of entrepreneurial and transversal skills, in collaboration with Il Sicomoro social cooperative, a long-standing local partner engaged in daily reception and socio-labour integration pathways for migrants and refugees.

The shared focus of the day was a crucial and often underestimated theme — the power of skills, especially transversal (soft) skills. The objective was to explore how these abilities — frequently gained in informal or life contexts — can serve as a strategic key for social and professional inclusion in Italy.

Recognising the Invisible: Transversal Skills as a Bridge to Employment

The workshop addressed a dual challenge:

• the systemic difficulty of recognising skills acquired outside formal qualifications, and
• the limited self-awareness among migrants and refugees of the competences they already possess.

To tackle this, the day was structured as an interactive learning journey combining theoretical input, hands-on exercises, and inspirational testimonies. The goal was to foster reflection, self-confidence, and connection — empowering participants to see their experiences as valuable resources for the labour market.

Morning Session in Matera

The morning session, held at Il Sicomoro’s headquarters in Matera, brought together 24 migrants and refugees from different countries and backgrounds.

After an opening by Eleonora Santini (Materahub), who presented the PRO-MOTE project and its previous activities, Raffaele Giannella (Il Sicomoro) led an engaging session on transversal skills and their importance in employability and entrepreneurship. Through the interactive “Guess the Skills” workshop, participants shared their personal stories and jointly identified the soft skills hidden within their everyday experiences.

Later, Materahub introduced participants to European opportunities, including the Elyme project — an online hub offering free training resources for migrant entrepreneurs — and the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, which facilitates cross-border entrepreneurial exchange.

Lucia Scalera, President of Confapi Matera Young Entrepreneurs, joined to provide insights into the local labour market, funding opportunities, and the bureaucratic steps of starting a business. She highlighted how companies increasingly value transversal skills as indicators of adaptability and teamwork — often above technical know-how.

The morning concluded with an inspiring on-site visit to the shop of Al Omar Abdel Rahman Ahmad, a local entrepreneur who shared his personal journey of setting up a business in Matera, including both the challenges and successes along the way.

Afternoon Session in San Chirico Raparo

In the afternoon, the event moved to San Chirico Raparo, where 12 unaccompanied minors and other young refugees joined the session at the local reception community.

After a brief presentation of the PRO-MOTE project, Gianluigi Colaiacovo (Il Sicomoro) guided participants through a reflection on the different types of professional roles — from employee to entrepreneur — and helped them recognise their own hard and soft skills through another round of the “Guess the Skills” activity, this time using the interactive Mentimeter tool.

European training and mobility opportunities were presented once again, followed by the “I Have a Dream” activity, where participants expressed their personal and professional aspirations for the future.

The final thematic block, led by Luca Pecol Cominotto (Il Sicomoro), focused on employment opportunities and challenges in rural areas, exploring internships, training options, and access to funding.

The session closed with an emotional testimony by Fadwa Bouchhiwa, a Tunisian woman supported by Il Sicomoro who successfully opened her own café, Bar Bella Storia, in Castelsaraceno. Her story of perseverance, community support, and self-belief embodied the spirit of the workshop — transforming challenges into opportunities.

Looking Ahead: From Awareness to Recognition

Both sessions sparked meaningful discussions and strong engagement from participants, many of whom shared their struggles to navigate Italy’s complex bureaucratic and economic systems. The workshop helped them recognise and value their existing skills, planting seeds of confidence and motivation.

However, a key question emerged: How can these informal and life-acquired skills be formally recognised to become fully “marketable” in the labour market?This challenge remains a shared priority for the organisations involved. The event reaffirmed the importance of collaboration among local actors, from NGOs and cooperatives to training centres and employers, in creating inclusive pathways for migrants and refugees.