Italy: New guidelines strengthen Interprofessional Funds for continuing vocational training

A new regulatory framework for continuing vocational training

In Italy, 2026 began with a significant regulatory intervention in the field of CVET. Through Directorial Decree No. 8 of January 9, 2026, the labour ministry adopted new guidelines for the activation, operation and supervision of Joint Interprofessional Funds.

This measure replaces the previous guidelines in effect since 2018. It introduces an updated regulatory framework designed to address the economic, technological and organisational shifts of recent years. The primary objective is to consolidate the role of these Funds as instruments for promoting workers' continuing training and lifelong learning for adults.

Understanding Interprofessional Funds

Interprofessional Funds for CVET were established in Italy in 2000 under Article 118 of Law No. 388/2000. They represent one of the primary financing mechanisms for continuing training within the Italian system.

• This mechanism allows enterprises to allocate a portion of the mandatory contributions paid to the National Social Security Institute (INPS) to fund training activities for their own employees.
• The Funds are managed jointly by employers' organisations and trade unions.
• Their objectives include:
• Supporting the development of professional skills;
• Enhancing workers' employability;
• Strengthening the competitiveness and innovative capacity of companies.

Over the years, the regulatory framework has been progressively updated to align the operation of these Funds with the evolution of the labour market and emerging needs for lifelong skill development.

Key innovations in the new guidelines

The new guidelines set out the rules that Funds must follow while respecting their organisational and managerial autonomy. They establish clearer procedures and requirements to ensure the effective and transparent management of resources. Specifically, the Guidelines address:

• Procedures for the establishment and activation of Funds;
• The organisation and operation of activities;
• The utilisation of financial resources;
• The collection and transmission of data via the Vocational Training Information System (Sistema Informativo della Formazione Professionale (SI-FP)).

This information system, which is part of the broader Unitary Information System (SIU) for labour policies, enables the labour ministry to monitor funded initiatives and improve the transparency and effectiveness of CVET policies.

Strengthening monitoring and supervision

Furthermore, the new guidelines provide more detailed directives on the supervision and control activities carried out by the labour ministry over Fund management. Supervision is structured into two primary domains:

• Systemic auditing: concerning internal organisation and management processes and
• Expenditure auditing: relating to the use of resources allocated to training activities.

This reinforcement of oversight aims to ensure more efficient management of public resources and higher quality in the funded training activities.

An expanding role in active labour market policies

This new measure is a significant step towards deeper integration of Interprofessional Funds into the national system of active labour-market policies. The guidelines outline a potential expansion of the Funds' role, moving beyond the mere financing of training towards supporting skill development strategies and helping workers adapt to labour-market changes.

Within this context, the Funds continue to play a pivotal role in:

• Promoting lifelong learning;
• Supporting worker employability;
• Fostering corporate growth and competitiveness.

Read more (in Italian)

• Directorial Decree No. 8 of January 9, 2026
• Guidelines regarding joint Interprofessional Funds for continuing vocational training
• Interprofessional Funds Guidelines – Ministry of Labour and Social Policies
• XXV Report on Continuing Vocational Training in Italy. Years 2024-2025, Italian Parliament, MLPS, INAPP, 2026 (Forthcoming)
• XXIV Report on Continuing Vocational Training in Italy. Years 2023-2024, Italian Parliament, MLPS, INAPP, 2025