1. The Province of Milan …is one of the 12 provinces in the region of Lombardy …is a local government authority representing 134 towns and municipalities, including the city of Milan; …promotes the development of local communities through administrative activity and services; …administrates the vastest metropolitan area in Italy and is situated in one of the most densely inhabited areas in Europe.

2. The area of Milan / 1 Area: 1,575 Km 2 (6,6% of regional territory) Total population: 3,156,059 (32% of the entire population of Lombardy) Density: 2,000 inhabitants x km 2 (10 times higher than the national average) Working age pop.: 2,031,360 Foreign residents: 318,811 (10,1%) The territory of the institutional Province of Milan has been reduced in the last years due to the creation of new provinces: the Province of Lodi and more recently the Province of Monza and Brianza. (Source: Istat, September 2009)

3. The area of Milan / 2 The territory of the Milan Metropolitan area has deeply changed over recent years, giving rise to a unique urban area which is increasingly spread out and integrated. The economy of the area (counting about 350,000 enterprises) is based on a dense network of small-scale businesses, flanked by a limited number of medium and large scale companies.

4. The area of Milan / 3 Turning from its traditional industrial vocation during the last two decades, the area is now the capital of Italy's creative activities, particularly in the service sector, including high- tech and process innovation business. These characteristics make of the province the nation's primary crossroads in the flow of economic and industrial production, posing new challenges and offering great opportunities for a larger area in the region and beyond.

5. Competence of the Province Culture Sports Employment Vocational Training Social Policies & Services School building Protection of nature and parks Territory & City planning Transport & Roads

6. Social policies Since 2004, a gradual process has been implemented with technical, professional and economic resources of the Province invested in supporting local welfare programs, carried on in a close collaboration with the 134 municipalities, non-profit organizations and associations. The provincial administration promotes the following activities:  Care and social integration of aged people  Support to disadvantaged families and minors  Support to unmarried mother or mother in difficulties  Family mediation services  Training of health workers and social welfare workers  Support to non-profit organizations in social inclusion actions  Support for young people with disabilities

7. Employment & Training The Province of Milan… …has un important role in the planning and implementation of labor and training policies in the area, through a direct link with the larger network system of public and private entities authorized to operate in the province. …is holding several functions related to the governance and the monitoring of labor market policies: certification of state of unemployment, guidance and support for job seekers, employment incentives, legal registration of new workers hiring, placement of people with disabilities, administrative procedures for ‘temporary nonoccupation compensation scheme’ and for workers in job-to-job transition.

8. Agencies for Training, Guidance & Employment Services directly delivered by each Agency: Administrative and certification services. Job guidance, skill assessment and work-experience. Matching of labor supply & demand. Vocational training courses. Employment integration for disadvantaged people. The Province of Milan has recently implemented a new organizational scheme for the governance of labor policies at local level, based on the separation between the functions of ‘policy planning’ and ‘services management’ through the creation of 6 Agencies for Training, Guidance and Employment).