The European Social Fund (ESF) is the Union’s main instrument for supporting employment, helping citizens find better jobs and ensuring fairer job opportunities for all. To this end, the ESF invests in Europe’s human capital: workers, young people and job seekers. Thanks to a substantial financial allocation, the ESF contributes to improving the employment prospects of millions of European citizens, paying particular attention to those who have greater difficulty finding work.
Each Member State is largely responsible for the use and implementation of the ESF, according to a six-year plan. Each Member State defines its own strategy (Italy Partnership Agreement) and the related instruments (Programmes) to pursue the Union’s strategic orientations and objectives and in constant dialogue with the Commission.
Inapp, initially operated as Isfol (Institute for the development of workers’ professional training) and provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Labour and various community initiatives and programs, then directly as a beneficiary body of the European Social Fund. As a national research institute specialised in the fields of employment, education/training and social inclusion policies, Inapp has contributed to the development of systemic actions aimed at modernising the labour market, adapting the education/training, and innovating social policies. The interventions carried out by Inapp, consistently with its skills and institutional mission, were aimed at increasing the level of knowledge of social dynamics and processes, at implementing actions/interventions aimed at testing innovative services and solutions to support policies in the areas of competence.
In the 2014-2020 ESF programming, Inapp has further developed its role by becoming an intermediate body of the National Operational Program (PON) Systems of Active Policies for Employment (SPAO). The Management Authority Anpal*, through the stipulation of a specific Agreement, has entrusted Inapp with the management of part of the operational programme (Delegated Actions). Inapp’s activities as an intermediate body of the Pon Spao concluded, in accordance with the Inapp 2018-2023 Plan, on 15 November 2023.
In 2023, taking into account the activities, experience and results obtained as an intermediate body, Anpal confirmed this role to Inapp (Agreement of 31 March 2023) within the new national program ESF+ 2021-2027 Youth, women and Work.
*Since 1 March 2024, with the termination of Anpal, the function of Management Authority has been assumed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies.
