The association”Duo for a Job“, which puts young job seekers with an immigration background in contact with volunteers over 50 years old so that they can support them in their efforts, is continuing its expansion in Wallonia with the opening, in Charleroi, of its third branch in the south of the country, after Liège and Verviers.
Since 2018, the association - created in 2013 in Brussels - has allowed more than 500 young Walloons looking for jobs from immigration (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation) to be accompanied by a volunteer mentor of more than 50 years.
At the end of six months of support, one in three young people finds a lasting job, i.e. a contract of at least 3 months. A year later, half of young people are employed. If we add young people who find their way through training or through a professional internship, the DUO mentoring program leads to a positive result for more than 70% of participants, recalled the Walloon Minister of Employment, Christie Morreale.
”This program gives real results in the fight against discrimination and in the employment of young people. In total, nearly 850 duos are already ambitious by 2024 with, I hope, as many jobs as possible behind.“, she commented.
”Duo for a job is showing great results. The opportunity of this free and personalized support promoting intergenerational and intercultural issues is a real asset for our city and perfectly suited to our desire to make Charleroi an ever more inclusive city.“, for his part, underlined the mayor of the city, Paul Magnette, while the Secretary of State for Relaunch Thomas Dermine mentioned,”A positive signal for the economic and social development of the region”.
