Thousands of kilometres separate the District of Bugesera in Rwanda from the headquarters of SMF Group in Fagagna, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Yet the connection between these two places is very concrete: transforming vocational training into a real opportunity for growth, employment and autonomy.
This is the vision behind the international internship project promoted by Fondazione Marcegaglia together with SMF Group, Società Metalmeccanica Friulana, which has brought two young Rwandan students, Boniface Tuyizere and Sylvester Habumugisha, to Italy for a technical training experience within a highly qualified industrial environment.
For both students, this is not simply a first work experience abroad, but the continuation of a path that began in Rwanda at the Marcegaglia Vocational Training Center (M-VTC), the vocational training centre established by Fondazione Marcegaglia in Rilima in 2022.
From the vocational training centre in Rwanda to hands-on experience in Italy
The M-VTC centre was created to respond to the educational and professional needs of young people in the Bugesera District, offering specialised courses in several fields, including welding, construction, tailoring, multimedia, automotive maintenance and hairdressing.
Boniface and Sylvester, aged 21 and 22 respectively, attended the welding course and distinguished themselves through their commitment and skills. Thanks to the collaboration with SMF Group, which supports the centre with a total donation of €30,000 for the 2024-2026 period, they were given the opportunity to complete their training through a practical experience in Italy.
The internship officially began on 13 February, following their welcome at the company’s headquarters in Fagagna, and will continue over approximately six months for a total of more than 1,000 hours of training.
Technical training: drawings, welding and new production processes
During these first months, the two young trainees have already taken part in several training activities: from health and safety courses to learning the basics of reading and interpreting technical drawings and production cycles, as well as gaining their first practical welding experience.
One of the most significant aspects of the programme is the opportunity to work with technologies, machinery and production methods that differ from those they had previously encountered during their training in Rwanda. As Sylvester explains: “What we have learned here is completely new for us, especially the machinery we are using. The welding processes are also new to us: we are mainly working with MIG/MAG welding, together with technical drawing interpretation.”
The experience within the company therefore allows them not only to strengthen technical skills they had already acquired, but also to come into contact with different industrial standards and production processes, significantly expanding their professional background.
Italian language, daily life and integration into the local community
The project is not limited to technical training alone. Alongside their work experience, Boniface and Sylvester are also following a personal growth and daily autonomy path.
With the support of Oikos ETS, the two students are improving their knowledge of the Italian language, with particular attention to technical terminology related to the metalworking sector. At the same time, they are learning how to manage practical aspects of everyday life, from grocery shopping to using public transport, as well as carrying out simple administrative tasks.
The support programme also includes opportunities to explore the local area, civic education activities and practical workshops designed to help the students adapt to a completely new environment and culture.
This too is a key element of the project: building professional skills also means strengthening personal autonomy, adaptability and the ability to navigate different contexts.
A collaboration between training, industry and local organisations
The international internship experience of Boniface and Sylvester is the result of a collaboration between organisations that share a common goal: investing in education and vocational training as a concrete driver of development.
Fondazione Marcegaglia developed the project together with SMF Group, while Fondazione Salesiani FP – INE – i.s. oversees the monitoring of the training programme and relations with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. Oikos ETS supports the students throughout their language-learning and local integration process.
This network makes the project more structured and effective, combining vocational training, practical work experience and educational support.
As Carolina Toso Marcegaglia, President of Fondazione Marcegaglia, explains, “investing in education means creating concrete tools of autonomy, dignity and development for younger generations and for their communities of origin.”
For SMF Group as well, the project represents a concrete investment in qualified training. As CEO Loris Maestrutti points out, welcoming Boniface and Sylvester means “not only contributing to their professional growth, but also opening our organisation to an intercultural exchange that enriches both the company environment and the local community.” An experience that demonstrates how education, industry and collaboration can generate concrete opportunities and shared value for all those involved
Skills to bring back to Rwanda
Boniface and Sylvester’s experience will conclude on 31 July. At the end of the internship, the two young trainees will return to Rwanda with new technical and professional skills developed within an international industrial context.
The goal of the project is not simply to offer a temporary experience abroad, but to strengthen professional pathways that can become long-term opportunities for employment and personal growth.
This is where training, industry and cooperation come together: creating real conditions in which skills and knowledge can become tools for personal autonomy and future development.
Supporting training and autonomy pathways
The international internship project developed together with SMF Group is part of Fondazione Marcegaglia’s broader commitment to vocational training, inclusion and the autonomy of vulnerable people.
Discover all the projects supported by Fondazione Marcegaglia
The contribution of companies can also play an important role in developing training and professional initiatives capable of generating concrete long-term impact.
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