Puglia vocational training programme

In early July 2026, trade unions warned that the vocational training system in Italy’s Puglia region had been halted and risked collapse. By the end of the month, regional officials reported that the same programme – the EU‑funded Guarantee of Workers' Employability (GOL) under the national recovery plan – had far exceeded its original targets. Instead of the planned 285,562 beneficiaries, 391,643 people received support; training was delivered to 75,900 citizens and 50,000 enrolled in digital‑skills courses, surpassing the goals of 69,000 and 32,000 respectively. The success was highlighted in a meeting in Rome with the national labour minister. Additionally, the region allocated €4.5 million from the Joint Transition Fund to a public call for training workers in Taranto facing corporate crises, with further €57 million and €15 million earmarked for related interventions.