Italian steelmakers recruit 30 Moroccan technicians to address skills shortage
Thirty Moroccan technicians have just arrived in Italy to work in the steel industry. Already qualified in Morocco, they will join seven major steel groups after completing a final training course. The Italian manufacturers are seeking to address their shortage of specialist staff.
Seven Italian industrial groups have decided to draw on Moroccan expertise for their steel plants. Thirty technicians, selected and trained in Morocco, have just arrived in Italy as part of the “Ponti d’acciaio” (“Steel Bridges”) programme. Their arrival was announced this Monday, October 12, by Umana, the Italian recruitment agency running the initiative with Riconversider, the training body of the steel federation Federacciai.
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The companies involved include some of the biggest names in Italian steelmaking: Feralpi, Duferco, Marcegaglia, AFV Beltrame, Acciaierie Venete, ABS Acciaierie Bertoli Safau and Asonext. They will take on the Moroccan workers at their industrial facilities after they complete their training.
Before leaving Morocco, the thirty candidates completed 120 hours of training in Italian, civics and workplace safety. They reached language level A1, the first step in preparing for professional work in Italy.
Italy’s industry faces a shortage of qualified technicians
Their training is now continuing in Italy, with a further 240 hours. The programme includes improving their Italian to A2 level, learning working methods in steel mills and strengthening their technical skills. The future employees will mainly work on the installation and maintenance of electrical and mechanical equipment.
For Antonio Gozzi, president of Federacciai, these hires address a growing challenge for Italian industry: finding sufficiently qualified technicians. He noted that the shortage affects both steel mills and metalworking companies. The arrival of the thirty Moroccans is expected to help the seven groups strengthen their teams in roles essential to their operations.
The initiative is supported by the European THAMM Plus programme, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with the approval of the Italian Ministry of Labour. The programme oversees the selection of candidates, their preparation in Morocco and then their integration into the workforce in Italy. It is part of an effort to promote legal recruitment and the mobility of skilled workers.
The initiative could be expanded. Paola Artioli, president of Riconversider, said she wants to offer companies new recruitment pathways, including for other industrial occupations. The thirty Moroccan technicians are the first cohort in this programme, which aims to meet the needs of Italy’s steel industry.
