The glass ceiling is hard to break. There are persistent gender gaps in companies in terms of general and job-related balance, assignment of top roles, pay and contribution differentials. Skills and cognitive capital are not distributed homogeneously, gender stereotypes are impactful: there is a "self-limitation" of the labor market, women are victims of cognitive biases that fuel traditional gender gaps.
Forema, a training company of Confindustria Veneto Est, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, the Veneto Region and Veneto Lavoro, has been chosen as project leader to create free training courses for small and medium-sized businesses in the Veneto region that wish to obtain certification for gender equality. These courses help to understand KPIs (the key performance indicators, ed.) of the practice “UNI/PdR 125:2022”, that is, the objectives that the regulator has set itself to reduce gender gaps and make entrepreneurs adopt a more inclusive and productive organizational model. In total, there are about 130 courses that will be held online and in person until June of this year with the aim of making Veneto companies more inclusive and competitive.
KPI4SIS, as the regional project has been named, provides a catalog of targeted and modular training courses, dedicated to exploring the objectives and areas of certification according to state law. Participation is free, and approximately 130 courses are expected to be activated in the coming months. To promote registration, training webinars have been organized to support small and medium-sized companies in the Veneto region in starting innovation processes for the organizational model, capable of improving the performance of "gender equality & inclusion", developing new skills and knowledge useful for adopting certification on gender equality.
“The goal is to help companies adopt a cutting-edge organizational model and create a more inclusive and productive work environment,” he explains. Roberto Baldo, responsible for projects funded by Fòrema and coordinator of the project. “All of this leads to concrete advantages for companies, from greater attractiveness and productivity of employees to higher scores when participating in public tenders and contracts. But it is not just about accessing new markets, there is also the goal of achieving ESG sustainability objectives and demonstrating the company's commitment to gender equality, attracting the best talent and offering them a stimulating and rewarding work environment. According to the numbers we have collected, in Veneto the company sites that have been certified are over 2.500, a real boom considering that in 2023 they were 800. In the Padua area there are around 500 companies; in the Vicenza area over 300 as in Verona; in the Venice area we are almost at 700. Emblematic numbers of a huge growing trend”.
I Recipients of the initiative of Fòrema and its partners are the key persons who deal with the organizational development of the company and its personnel: entrepreneurs, HR managers, administrative staff, CFOs, training and consultancy professionals, and function managers.
To let them know the methods and projects, some webinars have been organized, the first one, which will have to explain the legislation, will be on April 16th (registrations on www.forema.it) and will be held by Giorgia Zanin. On April 22nd, Ilaria Trinca will discuss “harassment and discrimination in the workplace: how to recognize and prevent it”. Specifically, the topic of violence and harassment in the workplace is now recognized as a “psychosocial” risk. The course aims to help people understand the phenomenon of gender violence and harassment in the workplace, providing guidance on how to prevent, recognize and manage it. It should also be noted that during these weeks, Fòrema will also be involved in managing a survey aimed at carrying out an in-depth analysis of Law 125 and its participation. The project and data will be shared with the Veneto Region and Veneto Lavoro. To participate in the survey and provide your opinion, you can fill out the questionnaire at this link.
In-depth information sheet – The entities involved
Fòrema will be the project's lead partner and will work mainly in the Padua area together with Ascom Servizi, a training company of Confcommercio Padova. In the Vicenza area, ForAction, a training company, and Niuko – a training company of Confindustria Vicenza will be operational. In the Belluno area, Metalogos will be present. Unisef, a training company of Confindustria Veneto Est, will operate in the Treviso area and Punto Confindustria, a training company of Confindustria Veneto Est, for the Venice and Rovigo areas. Finally, at the regional level, the Istituto Veneto per il Lavoro, a training company of Confartigianato Veneto, will be operational.
In-depth information sheet – UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification
KPI4SIS puts a catalogue of targeted and modular training courses is available, dedicated to deepening the KPIs and certification areas according to PdR 125. The activities are carried out by the territorial partnership in the period March-June 2025. Participation is free. Here are the modules that will be discussed.
KPI 1 – CULTURE AND STRATEGY Building the strategic plan for gender equality in the company, Managing internal audits for gender equality certification, identifying and enhancing existing practices.
KPI 2: GOVERNANCE Corporate governance and gender equality: models and practices of inclusive leadership, European legislation and corporate practices, Use of corporate data for transparency and continuous improvement.
KPI 3: HR PROCESSES Attracting human resources to the company: tools and methodologies for diversity management and gender equality in the company, personnel management and processes, preventing and combating harassment and stereotypes: the corporate community against abuse and gender violence.
KPI 4 – GROWTH AND INCLUSION Personnel management processes: gender assessment tools and practices, designing and supporting development paths for staff.
KPI 5 – GENDER PAY GAP The gender pay gap: how to measure it and intervention strategies, Pay transparency and gender equity.
KPI 6 – CONCILIATION Develop, implement and evaluate corporate welfare systems, Return from parental leave for men and women: organizational aspects and role of the HR manager, Gender equality and work-life balance, HR tools for Work Life Balance and Gender Equality
