ITALY: Collaborative project provides technical education for 15 forklift operators – missionnewswire.org

Report on the “Ghana Project 2” Initiative: Fostering International Cooperation for Sustainable Development

Project Overview and Contribution to SDG 8

A collaborative initiative, titled “Ghana Project 2,” has successfully facilitated the arrival of 15 trained forklift truck operators from Ghana to Pordenone, Italy. This project directly addresses Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by creating a pathway for full and productive employment. The participants, having completed initial training at Salesian vocational centers in Accra and Sunyani, are now in Italy to enhance their technical skills and secure professional roles within the logistics sector. The program serves a dual purpose: it offers significant professional prospects for Ghanaian youth while simultaneously addressing the shortage of skilled labor in Italy.

Alignment with Key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The “Ghana Project 2” is a multifaceted program that actively contributes to several SDGs:

1. SDG 4: Quality Education: The project’s foundation is the provision of inclusive and equitable quality education. Participants receive advanced technical training, language instruction certified by the University for Foreigners of Siena, and civic education, ensuring they have the comprehensive skills needed for success.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: By providing young professionals from Ghana with access to advanced training and employment opportunities in Italy, the project works to reduce inequalities of opportunity between nations.
3. SDG 1: No Poverty: By equipping youth with in-demand skills and connecting them to stable employment, the initiative provides a direct route out of poverty. This aligns with the broader mission of Salesian programs, which support youth facing economic hardship and lack of opportunity.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The project exemplifies a powerful multi-stakeholder partnership, uniting organizations across sectors and borders to achieve common development goals.

Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Support Systems (SDG 17)

The success of the initiative is built upon a robust partnership between several key entities, demonstrating a commitment to SDG 17:

• Salesian Vocational Training Centers: Provided the initial technical and vocational education in Ghana.
• Confindustria Alto Adriatico: An entrepreneurial association that has endorsed the project’s model of combining training, employment, and integration.
• International Volunteering for Development (VIS): Managed crucial support services, including certified language training, psychological support, and cultural mediation to facilitate the participants’ professional and personal integration.
• Italian Private Sector: Two companies in Italy are directly involved, providing the ultimate employment opportunities for the trained operators.

This collaborative framework ensures that participants are not only trained but also comprehensively supported throughout their transition, maximizing the potential for long-term success and sustainable impact.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education – The project focuses on providing advanced technical, vocational, and language training to young professionals.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The initiative aims to create employment opportunities and professional futures for young Ghanaians in the Italian logistics sector.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The program facilitates safe and regular migration for employment, offering opportunities to young people from a developing country (Ghana) in a developed country (Italy).
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The project is a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving organizations from both Ghana and Italy to achieve its objectives.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
    
    Explanation: The article highlights that young Ghanaians undergo “advanced technical and language training” in Salesian vocational training centers to “strengthen their skills in their chosen field” as forklift operators, which are relevant skills for employment in the logistics sector.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
    
    Explanation: The “Ghana Project 2” directly addresses this target by taking young professionals who have started training in Ghana and moving them into advanced training and then employment in Italy, helping them “build a professional future.”

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
    
    Explanation: The project represents a planned and well-managed program for migration. It is described as a “course that combines training, employment and integration,” which includes language training, psychological support, cultural mediation, and civic education, ensuring the process is safe and responsible.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources.
    
    Explanation: The article describes a “collaborative project” involving multiple stakeholders from different sectors and countries. These include Salesian vocational training centers in Ghana, Confindustria Alto Adriatico, International Volunteering for Development (VIS), and two private companies in Italy, all working together to achieve a common goal.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for Target 4.4

  • Number of youth completing technical and vocational training: The article explicitly states that “A group of 15 forklift truck operators arrived in Pordenone, Italy, ready to complete the training course that they started in Ghana.” This number serves as a direct indicator of the project’s output.

• Indicator for Target 8.6

  • Number of youth gaining employment after training: The article implies this indicator by stating the young people are arriving in Italy “to be hired by companies in the North East” and to “build a professional future in the logistics sector.” The employment rate of the 15 participants would measure the project’s success.

• Indicator for Target 10.7

  • Existence of structured international training and employment programs: The “Ghana Project 2” itself is an indicator of a well-managed migration program. Its components, such as “language training certified by the University for Foreigners of Siena,” “psychological support services, cultural mediation, and civic education,” demonstrate a structured and responsible approach.

• Indicator for Target 17.16

  • Number and type of organizations involved in the partnership: The article identifies several partners: Salesian vocational training centers, Confindustria Alto Adriatico, International Volunteering for Development (VIS), and two Italian companies. The number and diversity of these partners serve as an indicator of a multi-stakeholder partnership.

4. SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: missionnewswire.org