Until 1972, vocational training activities fell under the competence of the Ministry of Labour, which was involved through the intermediary of both public and private institutions financed by resources from the Fund for the Vocational Training of Workers (Fondo per l'Addestramento Professionale dei Lavoratori - FAPL). When Decree 10/72 of the President of the Republic came into force, implemented by the Law of Delegation 281 of 16.5.1970, responsibility for vocational training was transferred to the regions and the Ministry of Labour was only responsible for the remaining functions. However, the FAPL continued to be responsible for financing all activities up to 25%, with the regions providing the remaining 75%.
Following Decrees 616 and 617 of the President of the Republic of 24.7.1977, the remaining responsibilities of the Ministry of Labour were further reduced, while the Directorate-General for Vocational Guidance and Training of Workers (Direzione generale orientamento e addestramento professionale dei lavoratori) was abolished and an internal reorganisation of its departments was planned.
As a result of the adoption of Law 845 of 21.12.1978, which can be termed a Framework-Law since it definitively regulates the new structure of measures in this sector, it was possible to determine the spheres of competence of the state and the regions, while specifying their respective functions and regulating the corresponding methods of financing. Furthermore, the FAPL was abolished.
In particular, the regions regulate the following areas through their own laws:
- planning, setting up and financing vocational training activities;
- vocational qualification of the disabled and people who are unfit for work;
- training activities in prisons;
- training and retraining of personnel employed in training activities.
The Ministry of Labour has retained the following responsibilities:
- defining and regulating the various categories of vocational functions in order to guarantee uniformity of employment contracts;
- relations with the regions as regards exchange of information and documentation;
- relations with the European Social Fund and with foreign institutions active in the area of vocational training;
- launching and financing initiatives in the area of vocational training of Italians abroad;
- setting up and financing training activities of personnel for technical assistance and cooperation programmes in developing countries;
- study, research, documentation, information and experimental activities;
- transmission to the EU or other international institutions and additional financing of training programmes which may benefit from Community or international funding;
- technical assistance and financing of vocational training initiatives, in agreement with the regions and through them as intermediary, in the event of serious local imbalance between labour supply and demand.
The Ministry of Labour carries out the above functions through the Central Office for Vocational Guidance and Training for Workers, the structure of which was reorganised by an ad hoc Decree of 10.3.1990.
Thanks to the extensive freedom which the regions enjoy as regards organisation, vocational training differs so much from region to region that it is more realistic to talk of multiple systems. It is difficult therefore to define a unique curriculum model since the regions have delegated their functions more and more to local administrative bodies (provinces, municipalities) while retaining responsibility for coordination and control.
The public structures can furthermore run their programmes based on agreements with private institutions. Here, various types of management for courses of vocational training are becoming discernible (listed in order of decreasing importance):
- according to private law agreements (especially with institutions of a religious or trade union nature);
- public:
- direct (by the region itself);
- according to public law agreements (public training institutions);
EU – European Commission DG EMPL/A/2 J
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