In 2007 Sapienza University built a cooperation with the University of Roma Tre and with six other universities (Tor Vergata, Cassino, Viterbo, LUMSA, Academy of Fine Arts, Foro Italico) to participate in the call launched by the regional ROP Lazio ESF 2007 / 2013.
The goal was to build, through a new advanced computer system, a close network of collaboration to address the complex issue of placement and transition from university to labor market of students and graduates. To this end, the partnership agreements have been extended to the Inter-University Consortium for Supercomputing Applications, University and Research – CASPUR (now merged with the CINECA Consortium) who oversaw the IT implementation and commissioning of the online portal www.jobsoul.it. The placement offices and employment guidance of universities Sapienza and Roma Tre provided CASPUR – currently CINECA – all the content and functionality of the elements of the computer system taking care of, over time, the management and updating.
Through the portal www.jobsoul.it, Sapienza University puts in contact students and companies, offering to young people a concrete opportunity to enter the labor market.
SOUL portal immediately had a large response. Currently (July 2016) SOUL web portal has more than 162.290 registered users and more than 11.800 companies, (including foreign companies) that have posted 14.554 job opportunities.
Contact information of the main actors involved in the initiative
- Name and surname : Valeria Grisanti
- Position : Administrative Officer
- Organisation : Sapienza University of Rome
- Address : P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome
- Telephone : 0649707502
- Email : valeria.grisanti@uniroma1.it
- Website : www.jobsoul.it
- Name and surname : Claudia Silvaggi
- Position : Administrative Officer
- Organisation : Sapienza University of Rome
- Address : P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome
- Telephone : 0649690437
- Email : claudia.silvaggi@uniroma1.it
- Website: www.uniroma1.it
Relevance of the development of initiative in its specific context
The web portal www.jobsoul.it offers information on initiatives and services for job placement of graduates and internship training activities. The portal provides the matching between the demand for employment opportunities by registered companies and the supply of employment of undergraduates and graduates who post on the website their professional profiles (CV). The companies can register freely in the website, but they are able to include job opportunities and view the curriculum of the candidates only after formal approval by the Back office and in agreement with the candidates.
The first extension built for the portal was the software for the management of internships embedded in the curriculum of the students. This software computerizes the administrative procedures necessary for the activation of curricular or postgraduate internships. Through this system, companies can get the necessary documents to the university, post internship opportunities, select candidates and fill in internship agreement. The universities may approve the requests of internship activation from companies and manage all the procedures through the offices delegated to these functions.
Regarding the services offered directly by the operators of SOUL system, in each universities there are active central offices (back office) that coordinate the activities and follow the relationships with the companies and the other office of universities (faculties). The back offices also draw up the contents of the portal and coordinate a network of guidance front offices for a direct contact with professors, students and graduates. In particular, these front offices are dedicated to all those students and graduates finishing the university courses that need personalized guidance about career choices. Moreover, SOUL is committed to promoting and organizing events for work placement (workshops, seminars, career days, etc…) in order to facilitate a closer relationship between students/graduates and companies.
Visibility of the action
The goal of communication is to reach the largest number of students and graduates and companies, providing them with all relevant information on the labor market and on existing opportunities.
To this end, the website has pages issues of employment contracts, insights, interviews with experts, news about announcements and competitions and periodic monitoring. Moreover, the press office send regular newsletters (one for each faculty) containing all the information about the last job/internship opportunities published by the companies.
The Press Office collects, selects and publishes daily news related to information about the labor market, guidance and career day events, training courses, job offers and internships, scholarships, and other opportunities in Italy and abroad. To assist the user in the choice of the information to be displayed, each news is characterized by identifying an icon that allows you to easily recognize the type of published news (education, foreign, contests, events, etc.).
Moreover, Soul uses also various social channel, as Facebook (almost 1900 likes), Twitter (890 followers), You Tube.
The steady growth in registrations on the website and the number of people following social channels shows that the communication system is able to achieve the goals.
Transferability
The organizational and technical model allows the transfer and implementation in any higher education institution having the same goals and needs. In fact, the model is characterized by a central coordinating structure that cooperates and assists decentralized offices, which can customize the tools at their disposal.
Sustainability
The project is still operating, integrated with the administrative procedures of Sapienza University for both matching demand / job offer activities for the management of internships in Italy and abroad for students and graduates.
The project is financed by universities, institutions (Region, Chamber of Commerce of Rome), ESF funding awarded through Region call and finally by national projects (eg. FIxO – Formazione Innovazione per l’Occupazione).
Innovative character
The collaboration between the universities involved and the institutions has been a key success factor that has allowed a steady growth of users and companies reached with the service, accessible and free for all.
Moreover, the website provides services for all courses at the Sapienza and standardized procedures for companies looking for candidates.
Impact
The office has become a point of reference for both students and recent graduates who are entering the labor market and for companies, especially SME, which are looking for qualified personnel through an institutional service.
Nevertheless, the staff has created a network of relationships with local institutions (Ministry of Labour, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) which allowed the development and continuous improvement of services offered.
