Project RESTART: Career Coaching Sessions with Marco

In addition to the professional tailoring module, part of the RESTART project, funded by the 8x1000 grant of the Waldensian Church, was dedicated to career training sessions led by Marco, a professional coach who facilitated both group workshops and individual meetings with the participants.

A Path Towards the World of Work

The RESTART project was created with a clear goal: to involve unemployed and underemployed women who already had experience in tailoring and support their reintegration into the workforce. Alongside the technical training hours, the program included job-readiness modules led by Silvia, an art therapist, and Marco, a professional coach who guided the women through a journey aimed at helping them find “the right place.” “I am 59 years old, born in Milan, but for some time I have chosen to live in beautiful Pavia,” Marco introduces himself. “My professional career has been a journey through different worlds: I began working in the field I had studied, but after about a year I felt the need to explore new horizons.” He continues, “Midway through my career, I became passionate about coaching methodologies—and here I am!”

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Structure of the Sessions and Key Activities

Within the RESTART project, Marco coordinated both group meetings and individual sessions, “with the objective of facilitating the participants’ next steps and creating a ‘tailor-made’ approach for each of them, customized according to their needs and potential.” During the group sessions, “we explored together the specific challenges of re-entering the workforce: from age-related difficulties to salary expectations, from the need for flexibility to the technological and digital divide.” He emphasizes that it was also essential to work on “skills development, networking, and analyzing the labor market, particularly within the fashion and tailoring sectors.”

These collective discussions were followed by individual meetings focused on refining CVs, creating digital portfolios, and analyzing specific market opportunities. For those who wished, “we also engaged in targeted coaching paths to overcome internal obstacles that might limit certain career choices,” Marco concludes.

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The Group and a Word of Advice

The group of seven women in the RESTART project was diverse in age, background, and ambition. “It is always a privilege to listen to and engage in dialogue with people, especially when they are as special as those I met in this project,” Marco shares. He closes with a simple but powerful piece of advice: “Never lose heart.” Addressing the women directly, he adds, “You are truly talented and possess extraordinary strength that you must learn to recognize and use. During interviews, practice active listening and do not be afraid to highlight your distinctive qualities through dialogue—those are precisely what will make you unique and memorable.”

All Thanks to the Contributions From: