The memorandum of understanding on the "Cresciamo il futuro" project has been signed for the creation and development of the largest national network of nurseries, accessible to all employees of participating companies.

In compliance with the corporate social responsibility, this represents a concrete action through which leading Italian companies aim to counteract the phenomenon of low birth rates affecting our country.

A group of companies committed to parenting issues has worked over the past year to implement this ambitious project, which aims to offer a fundamental support to families, facilitating the balance between work and private life and improving the quality of life for working parents.

In the presence of the Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Marina Calderone, the agreement was signed by the Head of the Department for Labour, Social Security, Insurance Policies, and Workplace Health and Safety of the Ministry, Vincenzo Caridi, along with the companies A2A, Engineering, Eni, FiberCop, Fincantieri, Intesa Sanpaolo, ITA Airways, Leonardo, Open Fiber, and Towers Watson Italia.

The project will undergo a trial phase in 2025 before becoming fully operational the following year. Meanwhile, a centralized digital platform will be implemented to connect corporate and private nurseries, integrating innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to enhance efficiency and management. This platform will be accessible to all employees of the participating companies.

This initiative aims to provide parents with a tool that enables them to stay connected to the workforce even after the arrival of a child. The national nursery network will allow employees to choose the most suitable facility for their children among those belonging to the various companies adhering to the agreement, based on their workplace or residence and in alignment with new smart working modalities.

A project with the ambition of bringing together, over time, a significant number of companies and employees across the country, including Public Administration, to improve work-life balance and parental experience.

KEY POINTS OF THE INITIATIVE

• The virtuous synergy between public and private sectors will act as a catalyst for enhancing existing nurseries and constructing new facilities.
• Nurseries, with verified quality standards, will benefit from a consolidated user base and expand it, improving organizational efficiency while fostering the growth of the entire system.
• The project's governance is ensured by a steering committee composed of the founding companies, supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, which will oversee the implementation of the protocol.

Internal communication initiatives within companies will be launched immediately, marking the official start of the project and the beginning of procedures for enrolling children in the facilities.