- The Webuild Group has launched training schools in Sicily and Calabria to integrate thousands of young people into construction sites.
- By 2026, the Group aims to hire 10,000 people, 8,000 of whom will be in Southern Italy.
- In Sicily, Webuild is involved in 7 railway projects to build 200 kilometers of new lines.
- Webuild has already hired 2,000 people from internal training programs.
- On April 8th, 45 young people began their training at the Calabria Region
In the complex and extensive framework of the major European infrastructures, the focus is shifting to Southern Italy, one of the regions in the continent that needs profound construction and modernization interventions more than others.
This considerable effort, financially supported by the Italian government and the European Union, translates into jobs, employment, and well-being on the ground. To address the need for qualified labor, the Webuild Group, currently engaged in numerous projects across Italy, plans to hire 10,000 people by 2026. Of these, 8,000 will be hired in the South with the aim of accelerating the construction of projects such as the Third Megalot of the SS106 Jonica Road in Calabria, the high-speed railway connecting the most important Sicilian cities and the high speed railway line that will connect Napoli and Bari in two hours. The Southern regions are facing a forced march, which is why, not by chance, they have been the protagonists of an innovative personnel selection and training program launched by Webuild, designed to expedite projects in Southern Italy.
WeBuild recruitments in Sicily for the island's infrastructure revolution
The future of Sicily rides on the train cars. Never before has the island been at the center of such a deep and extensive infrastructure development plan, which will enable high-speed connections between its largest cities, namely Catania, Messina, and Palermo.
To achieve this goal, Webuild is involved in the construction of 7 railway projects totaling 200 kilometers, with 175 kilometers of tunnels and 19 TBMs (tunnel boring machines) scheduled to be operational. This massive effort, spread across the entire regional territory, will require the employment of 7,000 people, in addition to the 1,700 already working. The projects, entrusted by RFI and Anas to Webuild, will also develop thanks to the memorandum of understanding signed between the Group and the Sicilian Region, which foresees the recruitment and training of thousands of young people. The main training center has been set up in Belpasso, near Catania, where 16 courses are planned between April and December, within a space dedicated to theoretical and practical learning, accompanied by the use of machinery and simulators.
To date, 6 courses have been started here and – between April and December alone – another 16 courses dedicated to mechanized excavation are planned.
In parallel with the center in Belpasso, Webuild has developed orientation programs through which 450 students have benefited from a total of almost 18,000 hours of training and project work, averaging 40 hours per student.
“We are working on most of the ongoing projects,” explained Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, “from sections of the high-capacity Palermo-Catania-Messina route to the Ragusa-Catania highway, and we have activated training programs to hire technicians we need in this region, such as those who will be able to operate the large TBMs digging the tunnels, thanks to the simulators specially built for our training center in Belpasso, near Catania.”
Calabria, launching the training school for new recruitment
Just like Sicily, Calabria is at the center of a profound infrastructure modernization plan involving roads (such as the new SS Jonica), high-speed/high-capacity railways, and, of course, the Strait Bridge project.
To support this plan, the Webuild Group – in collaboration with the regional administration – inaugurated two training courses for construction site operators in Calabria on 8 April. And so in recent days 45 young people have reached the Calabria Region (where two classrooms have been set up) to follow the training and work courses of the “Cantiere Lavoro Italia” program which will be held by the Group’s engineers and technicians.
“We must give our young people a future,” explained Pietro Salini, “and this is what prompted us to launch ‘Construction Work Italy’. The Group has already hired the first 2,000 people, also coming from Webuild’s training paths, more than half of them in the South, and in the next two years, we expect to reach a total of 8,000 hires in the South, mostly in Calabria and Sicily.”
The students who are now learning the profession of tomorrow will join the army of professionals currently involved in the 19 projects Webuild is implementing in the South. Modern and sustainable works that currently employ 5,450 people, directly and indirectly, and involve a supply chain of 4,300 suppliers. It’s the virtuous cycle of major projects that sets in motion and accelerates the development of Southern Italy.
