The Human Safety Net and Cisco partner to train refugees in Europe

Trieste / Milan – The Human Safety Net and Cisco have joined forces within the framework of the refugee programme currently active in Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland. The aim of the partnership is to create training opportunities and spaces for refugees who want to start up their own entrepreneurial initiatives in their host countries and to help those seeking employment to acquire the specific skills needed to enter the labour market.

The Human Safety Net Refugee Programme and Cisco Academy have found common ground for action with great potential that is already bearing fruit.

In Munich, Germany, The Human Safety Net and Cisco are already working with the ReDi School of Digital Integration as part of a refugee training programme involving other organisations including Munich City Council and Steelcase. This programme has led to the creation of a Hub for Digital Education and Integration, designed to provide refugees with digital skills that have become even more important over the past year, with the Covid-19 emergency radically changing the way we work and making new resources and tools necessary. The adopted method focuses on collaboration and co-creation, and combines face-to-face lessons and distance learning initiatives. To date, more than a thousand students have taken part in the programme. Work is already underway to replicate the same model in other countries where The Human Safety Net Refugee Start-up Programmes are present, with different local partners but with the same objectives and a common strategy.

“We are pleased to announce today the partnership between The Human Safety Net and Cisco”, commented Gabriele Galateri di Genola, Chairman of Generali. “From the start, the Foundation was set up as a network open to other organisations, companies and foundations that share our values and our desire to nurture a movement of people helping people. The choice of Cisco now enables us to develop new opportunities within our Refugee Start-up Programme, and to offer support and content to those who, even though vulnerable, want to fulfil their entrepreneurial aspirations and become key players in their host countries.”

"This project very well embodies our vision of technology as a tool to create an inclusive future, offering new opportunities”, said Agostino Santoni, Vice President of Cisco Southern Europe. “It is a shared collaboration at the highest levels of our companies, based on shared commitment, culture and passion in our intention to create value for the communities in which we operate. Digital is a tool that concretely helps to imagine a new future and express one's potential. I am sure that with the support of our collaboration technologies, The Human Safety Net can grow further and reach as many people as possible."