“Deal with contradictions”: this was the cross-cutting theme that was the subject of the 12th edition of the Salone of the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Social Innovation 2024, held on October 9,10 and 11 at the Università degli Studi Bocconi in Milan.

The first contradiction we addressed, with the participation of our General Director Ilaria Catastini, was the mismatching between job search and job offer experienced by young generations today, in the panel “How the world of work is changing” - during the second day of the Salone. If we add to this supply/demand mismatch the data on the aging population and declining birth rates, and the growing need for integration of migrant flows, the problem spreads like wildfire and requires solutions.

This is the scenario in which the Fondazione MAIRE - ETS proposes itself with its social impact training projects and with its research: from the MAIREmpower
call for scholarships for bachelor's degrees in STEM subjects, to the “climate goals” research to the call for funding research grants for socio-economic studies on the relationship between energy transition and migration flows.

There is a common thread linking all these activities: promoting energy transition as a valuable opportunity for job creation, to have a more diverse supply composition in the labor market, and to outline concrete opportunities for social inclusion and integration.

The paradigm we propose is that of the humanist engineer, that figure with high technical background at the same time endowed with the soft skills required in today's labor market (critical thinking, problem solving and knowledge of sustainability issues). And it is this figure that we aim to train with our training initiatives.

The IEA data highlight the need to train more than 30 million workers to implement the energy transition. Talk about “news skills” turns the lights on the second contradiction addressed: talking about opportunity and inclusion, in the face of the jobs that are being “dispersed” in the implementation of this transition. Professional jobs once in demand in the fossil fuel energy production sector come to mind, to give one example. But there is a solution: the reskilling of professional jobs. New competences can be acquired but the greatest value remains the people, with their experience, which should not be dispersed, but re-employed in a new sector.

There is a need for cultural reskilling, like a major revolution in mindset, to address the climate emergency today. A challenging and complex metamorphosis, but one that is possible.

Proof of this is our group, MAIRE, which was born and is positioned as a leader in the transformation of natural resources, today a pioneer in the development of new technologies for decarbonization through innovation and digitalization, with a close connection between sustainability strategy and industrial plan. A direction that goes along with an ever-increasing active involvement of local communities with a view to bringing everyone on board for a “just transition” that activates virtuous processes of participation in a more systemic change, as Valentina Grieco, MAIRE Group Social sustainability manager, recounts while telling about the Group's CSR projects in the panel “Territories in transition” during the third day of the fair.

As every year, the Salone of CSR and Social Innovation was a rich time for discussion and exchange between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, both aimed at a single goal: creating shared social value.

Until next year!

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