Hire minors enrolled in high school as apprentices even in sectors other than that of the course attended. The Emilia Romagna Region, after discussions with the Minister of Labor and Social Policies, has obtained the positive opinion which will allow young people from the age of 15 (and up to 25 years) to take advantage of this opportunity. Just to give an example: very young people aged 15 to 18 will be able to work with a seasonal apprenticeship contract in tourist accommodation activities such as for example the beaches, where the owners of the bathing establishments have complained about staff shortages in recent years. And in fact they were among the first to rejoice. «Finally – explains the president of the seaside resort union Simone Battistoni – a response to the procession of parents queuing in front of the establishments to ask the lifeguards to take on their children”.
Opportunities for beach establishments
Battistoni therefore explains that the opportunity could be seized immediately by the owners of the bathing establishments. «The apprentice shows up on the beach when the setup is already set up», that is, at the beginning of the actual summer, when umbrellas and deckchairs are already set up. «It is – explains Battistoni – to carry out important collateral activities such as arranging sunbeds, which weigh little, and assisting customers. At the bar, apprentices cannot serve alcohol but on the other hand, for example, they can serve breakfasts.” And in compliance with the regulations, their daily work shifts must not exceed a pre-established number of hours on the beach. “Six, maximum seven a day,” she explains.
L’amendment to community law
The Region had in fact highlighted how the school-work alternation – compulsory for all students in the last three years of high schools, including high schools, constitutes an innovative teaching method, which through practical experience helps consolidate the knowledge acquired at school and test their aptitudes in the field, enrich their training and guide their study path and, in the future, work. Rimini regional dem councilor Nadia Rossi promoted an amendment to the community law in 2016 with which in Emilia-Romagna, the first among the Regions, apprenticeships for minors had been organized. «The satisfaction is great: a victory for young people who will be able to approach the world of work in a safe and protected way through the tool of seasonal apprenticeships for minors».
