WISE: Staff Training on the AI SkillLab Tool in Milan and Sofia
28/11/2025
EARLALL is pleased to highlight a significant capacity-building milestone within the WISE project. In October 2025, project partners SkillLab, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Animus Association Foundation (AAF) convened in Milan and Sofia for dedicated training sessions.
SkillLab – a provider of AI-driven solutions that empower governments and employment services to create more equitable labour markets – delivered two in-person trainings: one for eleven IRC staff members in Milan, Italy, and another for six AAF staff members in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The WISE project aims to strengthen the socio-economic inclusion and well-being of Ukrainian refugee women in Italy and Bulgaria through the pilot and scale-up of Holistic Support Centres (HSCs). These centres combine mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) with essential employment services enhanced by a contextualised AI tool.
Training Objectives and Context
The two training sessions were designed to provide implementation partners with a strong understanding of SkillLab’s AI Tool, its value proposition, and practical guidance on using the platform. By building the capacity of frontline staff, the project ensures that employment support services can be delivered more efficiently and effectively. This work is particularly important given the mismatch between the educational backgrounds of many Ukrainian refugee women and the types of jobs currently available. Although a large share hold higher-education degrees in fields such as business, economics, IT and law, barriers such as limited language proficiency and split schedules continue to hinder their entry into the labour market.
Day 1
The first day of the training focused on introducing participants to SkillLab’s Theory of Change and value proposition, highlighting how the platform supports skills-based career guidance and labour-market integration. Trainers then presented an overview of the user application, demonstrating how individuals create profiles, assess their skills, and explore suitable career paths. Participants had the opportunity to practise using the application themselves by creating profiles and navigating its main features. The session concluded with an open Q&A and troubleshooting segment, allowing staff to raise practical questions and address any technical challenges encountered during the hands-on work.
Day 2
The second day opened with a presentation of the labour market assessment conducted for the WISE project, providing important context for the use of the AI tool. This was followed by a detailed training session on the administrator and counsellor portals, covering user management, report generation, and recommended best practices. Participants also explored the education content module, learning how to create courses and map them to relevant skills and career pathways. The day concluded with practical exercises in the administrative portal, enabling staff to test key functionalities and consolidate their learning.
The training sessions delivered in Milan and Sofia mark an important step in strengthening the capacity of frontline staff involved in WISE. By gaining a deeper understanding of the AI tool and practising its use in real scenarios, staff are now better equipped to support Ukrainian refugee women in identifying their skills, navigating employment pathways, and accessing opportunities that match their competences.
As a partner in the WISE project, EARLALL is proud to contribute to initiatives that strengthen labour-market inclusion and support the socio-economic empowerment of Ukrainian refugee women.
