To empower long-term unemployed women through tailored training, employability support, and social inclusion strategies, fostering sustainable access to the labour market and economic independence.
Context
Across Europe, long-term unemployment remains a persistent challenge, particularly affecting women who have spent extended periods outside the labour market due to caregiving responsibilities. These women often face multiple barriers when attempting to re-enter employment, including gaps in their professional experience, outdated or unrecognized skills, and limited access to tailored support services.
Caregiving roles, while socially valuable, are rarely acknowledged as sources of transferable skills. As a result, many women struggle to translate their life experience into employability assets. This leads to reduced economic independence, increased risk of social exclusion, and limited participation in the labour market.
Additionally, labour markets in countries such as Spain, Italy, and Cyprus present structural challenges, including skills mismatches, lack of inclusive employment pathways, and insufficient collaboration between employment services and local stakeholders.
In this context, SKILLS2EMPLOYMENT addresses these gaps through a social innovation approach, aiming to support long-term unemployed women—particularly those with caregiving experience—by transforming their informal skills into recognized competences and facilitating their integration into the labour market.
Objectives
- Facilitate the transition of long-term unemployed women into the labour market
- Recognise and valorise skills acquired through caregiving and life experience
- Provide personalised training, guidance, and employment support
- Strengthen cooperation between employment stakeholders and local communities
- Promote inclusive and sustainable employment pathways for women
- Build the capacity of professionals working in social inclusion and employment
Activities
- Mapping and research on long-term unemployment among women and related challenges
- Development and testing of innovative methodologies for skills recognition and employability
- Delivery of personalised training and coaching programmes for women
- Organisation of job placement and employment support activities
- Capacity-building activities for social inclusion professionals and stakeholders
- Engagement with employers and local actors to create job opportunities
Resources
- Training programmes tailored to women with caregiving backgrounds
- Methodological tools for skills identification and validation
- Guidelines for employment services and social inclusion professionals
- Research reports and mapping studies on women’s unemployment
Impact
- Improved employability and labour market integration of long-term unemployed women
- Increased recognition of informal and caregiving-related skills
- Enhanced capacity of employment and social inclusion professionals
- Strengthened collaboration between local stakeholders and employers
- Development of scalable and transferable social innovation practices
- Contribution to more inclusive labour markets and reduced gender inequalities
Partners
- Fundación Santa María La Real del Patrimonio Histórico (Coordinator, Spain)
- CARDET – Centre for the Advancement of Research & Development in Educational Technology (Cyprus)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- Cyprus Labour Institute of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour – PEO (Cyprus)
- COT Ristorazione SRL (Italy)
- Confesercenti Provinciale di Palermo (Italy)
