Alongside its core training activities, SFC designs and implements national and European initiatives, supporting the rollout of industrial policies while fostering innovation in production systems and skills development.
Established in 1987, SFC brings together a strong network of sectoral and regional industrial associations, universities, business schools, and vocational training providers operating across Italy. The consortium’s expertise is reflected in its contribution to corporate education innovation projects and in the technical assistance it provides to public administrations, supporting translate policies into practical tools that benefit businesses and citizens.
Expertise in gender equality and workplace safety
SFC approaches gender equality and workplace safety from the enterprise perspective. Creating social value through companies’ human resources management systems and combating gender-based violence is the mission that has led SFC to spearhead the Grapes of Change project. Its core expertise lies in designing training programmes and business services that help companies and business associations respond to evolving regulatory and market requirements, including the social dimension of Environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
Through EU-funded projects, SFC has developed methodologies for skills assessment, capacity building, and organisational change in sectors undergoing transition. We bring specific experience in working with business support organisations (employer federations, chambers of commerce, sectoral associations) to develop due diligence tools, workplace policies, and training actions.
SFC’s distinctive contribution to the Grapes of Change partnership is the direct link to the business world: the capacity to engage employers, industry representatives, and supply chain actors who need to implement change on the ground. SFC designs interventions that business associations can realistically adopt and sustain beyond the project lifecycle.
Inclusion through skills and education
At SFC, inclusion and gender equality are not treated as standalone priorities, but as integral elements in the design of training systems and labour market initiatives.
Over the years, we have implemented programmes supporting women’s entrepreneurship and analysed active labour market policies aimed at strengthening women’s access to employment and equal opportunities.
A recent example is GREENEFY (Erasmus+, 2024–2026), where SFC collaborates with partners from Bulgaria, Italy, Belgium, and Spain to develop STEM learning tools and a Sustainability Management Module tailored to girls and young women from rural areas and non-academic family backgrounds.
The project addresses a critical gap: while the green transition is generating new job opportunities, women remain under-represented in the technical roles driving this change. SFC contributes by equipping VET trainers and STEM educators with tools for gender-responsive career guidance, helping bridge the gap between education pathways and labour market opportunities.
This approach is consistent across our activities. For instance, within the AL-INVEST Verde programme in collaboration with Argentina and Latin America, social and gender inclusion were embedded in the green transition strategy—ensuring that the shift toward sustainable production models does not reinforce existing inequalities.
From Awareness to Action in the Wine Sector
Every worker in the wine industry deserves a safe workplace, free from violence and discrimination. SFC leads Grapes of Change because we know that business associations and training providers have both the responsibility and the reach to make that happen across European supply chains.
The wine industry needs to move from awareness to structured action. That means reliable data on the scale and nature of gender-based violence and discrimination across supply chains, because you cannot address what you do not measure. It means anti-bias policies that are not generic corporate statements but practical tools adapted to the realities of seasonal work, small producers, and fragmented supply chains. And it means that business associations, cooperatives, and employer networks take an active role in prevention and support, rather than treating gender-based violence as someone else’s problem.