Lombardy Region represents the fourth-largest region in Italy. It is one of the Italian regions with the highest participation in the labour market (data: 2015):

• active population rate: 70.8%;
• employment rate: 64.6% (female: 57.1%);
• unemployment rate: 8.6% (female 9.5%);
• youth unemployment rate (15-24): 31.2% (vs. Italy: 44.9%).

“Dote Unica” is the new model for employment and training policies in Lombardy, designed to accompany all people throughout their whole active life with the aim to increase the effectiveness of the welfare system in Lombardy. For each person in need of support, a number of services from a defined set of services may be activated.

The main actions and phases of the Dote Unica Lavoro model are:

1. People access “Dote Unica” through the network of public and private accredited employment agencies;
2. People are assigned to a specific aid intensity cluster, related to their situation in the labour market;
3. People define with the employment agency a personalised plan, composed of employment and training services picked from the list of services regulated by Lombardy Region;
4. People are provided with services in order to achieve an employment result; and
5. Most services are reimbursed only upon the achievement of an employment result; otherwise the person is encouraged to define a new plan with a different agency.

The services include:

• basic services (first access to services, specific interview, personal plan definition);
• welcome and orientation services (competency mapping, creation of a support network, orientation and training to job search);
• services aimed at consolidating skills (training, coaching tutoring and training on the job, skills certification);
• job placement services/self-employment support services.

Employment status is taken as a proxy of the individual career and is corrected by three other variables which may affect the likelihood of finding a job. Each variable receives a score on the basis of which the person is assigned to a specific cluster and obtains a related budget:

• Employment status: the person gets points related to distance from the labour market (more points for longer unemployment);
• Age: more points for older workers;
• Educational level: less qualified people get more points;
• Gender: women older than 35 get more points. 

Since October 2013, more than 67 000 personalised plans have been activated, corresponding to an amount of more than 129 million Euro.

51% of the participants are disadvantaged people who belong to the “High aid intensity cluster” that is assigned to people who need more support.

Almost 47 000 participants (approx. 77% of the participants) have already started a work experience (a contract longer than 6 months, a short-term job or an internship).

For the almost 19 000 people who got a contract longer than 6 months (31.1% of the participants who started a work experience), details of the contracts are already available:

• 16% obtained an apprenticeship contract,
• 65% a temporary contract,
• 18% a permanent contract.

(Data: July 2015)