The Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato, FS) has completed its inaugural workforce training and placement program in Tunisia under the framework of the Piano Mattei for Africa, a strategic initiative now fully operational with 76 projects spanning 18 nations and an initial allocation of €5.5 billion. Fourteen Tunisian workers have finished an integrated course covering language preparation, technical-professional training, and safety protocols, and are now employed by Trenitalia in Italy—marking the first concrete employment outcome of this new cooperation model.
What This Means for People Living in Italy
For residents across Italy, this initiative signals a practical response to labor shortages in the railway sector. The 14 Tunisian workers are now filling roles in Trenitalia's operations and maintenance divisions, supporting train services nationwide. This is part of a broader Piano Mattei strategy to address skill gaps in Italian industries, particularly in transport and technical maintenance, where experienced workers are in short supply. If the model scales across Africa's 18 partner countries, Italy could see thousands of skilled workers entering sectors from logistics to railway operations over the coming years. For passengers and communities relying on rail services, this means expanded capacity to maintain and improve connections.
First Tangible Results: A New Cooperation Model
The Tunisia cohort represents the first completed employment pipeline under Piano Mattei, a model that prioritizes professional qualification over traditional aid dependency. Unlike conventional training programs that end with certification, this initiative concludes with formal employment contracts in Italy—a concrete outcome rather than an aspirational one.
Giuseppe Inchingolo, Director of Institutional Affairs and Communications for the FS Group, emphasized during the "Welcome to Italy – Piano Mattei Tunisia" ceremony that the cohort of 14 embodies a fundamentally different approach to international cooperation. "This is not simply a transfer of knowledge," Inchingolo stated. "The goal is to strengthen local capacities and create value, putting professional qualification and employment at the center."
Participants completed a multi-phase curriculum: Italian language instruction tailored to workplace communication, technical-professional modules aligned with railway operations (covering maintenance protocols, signaling systems, and operational procedures), and mandatory safety training compliant with Italian labor standards. Upon completion, all 14 individuals transitioned directly into roles supporting Trenitalia's rail services across Italy.
Expanding the Model: Egypt's Capacity-Building Approach
While Tunisia's program centered on direct workforce placement, the Egypt initiative led by FS Engineering adopts a capacity-building model aimed at institutional partners. The program targets instructors and students at vocational institutes in Cairo and Alexandria, focusing on several strategic domains: railway signaling systems, infrastructure maintenance protocols, and energy transition technologies.
This pedagogical approach is designed to create a multiplier effect—by training educators, the program aims to establish a self-sustaining pipeline of skilled railway technicians in Egypt over time. The curriculum includes hands-on modules with FS Engineering specialists, covering both traditional systems and emerging technologies such as the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 1, a modern safety and signaling standard being rolled out on key Egyptian corridors.
Italian Business Opportunities and Infrastructure Investments
Beyond training, the FS Group's footprint in Egypt has expanded significantly through commercial and infrastructural agreements. Mermec S.p.A., a subsidiary, secured a contract worth approximately €130M with the Egyptian National Railways Authority for developing an advanced ETCS Level 1 signaling system on major railway corridors. Separately, Arsenale S.p.A. finalized an agreement for the creation of the "Guardian of the Nile," a luxury tourist train set to traverse routes from Cairo to Aswan starting in 2027, representing an investment of around €150M and featuring premium amenities.
In Tunisia, Italian commitments include the €770M ELMED electricity interconnection project, though competition from Chinese manufacturers remains significant in rolling stock and infrastructure contracts—reflecting broader geopolitical dynamics in African markets.
Scaling the Pipeline: What Comes Next
The Piano Mattei's railway initiatives in Tunisia and Egypt represent early, measurable outputs of a multi-year strategy. The dual approach—direct employment pipelines in Tunisia and institutional capacity-building in Egypt—demonstrates flexibility in tailoring cooperation models to partner countries' specific needs.
For Italian residents and workers, the immediate practical question is: when will the next cohorts arrive? Trenitalia and FS have indicated plans to expand the Tunisia program, though specific timelines and target numbers for additional workers have not been publicly confirmed. The model is designed to be replicable across the 18 partner African nations, potentially generating thousands of placement opportunities in Italian industries facing labor shortages.
Geopolitical Context and Domestic Questions
The Piano Mattei positions Italy as a logistical and strategic bridge between Europe and Africa, particularly in transport and energy infrastructure. For the country's economy, this opens opportunities for Italian engineering firms, manufacturers, and logistics companies. The railway component—part of a 19-project infrastructure pillar—aims to strengthen regional logistics in Africa while generating employment opportunities that, in theory, support the plan's secondary objective: reducing irregular migration by creating economic development prospects in origin countries.
However, this also raises questions about domestic labor market impact and integration policies that policymakers and residents should monitor. How will incoming workers be integrated into Italian communities? What are the wage and working conditions frameworks? These details have not been extensively publicized.
The Bottom Line
The 14 Tunisian workers now employed by Trenitalia stand as proof of concept—a small but tangible illustration of a cooperation model that, according to its architects, transcends the traditional donor-recipient dynamic and aims instead for mutual economic benefit and long-term partnership. For Italy, it signals a practical strategy to address labor gaps while strengthening economic ties across the Mediterranean. For people living in Italy, it means watching whether this initial success scales into a meaningful solution for workforce challenges in key sectors.
