DUO for a JOB in metropolitan Lyon:
People over 50 are actors in the socio-professional integration of young people
Lyon, January 29, 2025 — Being over 50, staying active and changing the life of a young person is possible. A member of the Mentoring Collective since 2021 and winner of a social impact contract (innovative financing mechanism), the DUO for a JOB association, already present in Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France and in the Marseille region, has just been established in the Lyon metropolitan area. Its objective? Offer an intergenerational and intercultural mentoring program to allow people over 50 to pass on their experience and to support young refugees or immigrants in their search for work.
The time to act
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La Lyon strategy for integration and employment 2024-2030, set up by the City of Lyon, gives priority to the fight against discrimination and the promotion of equality, in particular with the desire to prevent discrimination in hiring. In this regard, local businesses are tested on various criteria in order to make businesses aware of diversity issues and to support them in implementing more inclusive practices. At the same time, as part of his Metropolitan employment integration program 2020-2026, the MĂ©tropole de Lyon is developing targeted actions for the professional integration of specific audiences and the integration of young people in order to better meet their needs and promote their access to employment.
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It is in this context that the DUO for a JOB association, which supports young people with an immigration background, often recently arrived in France, in their professional integration, has chosen to settle in Lyon. She thus decided to set up in the brand new Learning and Becoming third place, located in La Duchère, a rapidly evolving neighborhood where many other associations contribute to creating a real solidarity ecosystem.
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Thanks to the DUO for a JOB program, seniors support young people on the path to professional life, by transmitting knowledge and skills to them. They thus value the achievements of a lifetime and contribute to building a more just and united society. Indeed, it is more necessary than ever to combat inequalities in access to the labour market, to promote exchanges and to strengthen social cohesion.
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Finally, it is important to remember that Lyon, after Paris, is the second city in France to welcome the largest number of newcomers, according to INSEE data. This characteristic reinforces the importance of local integration and support strategies adapted to this audience.
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Changing the future of a young person... and his own
DUO for a JOB offers an unprecedented intergenerational and intercultural mentoring program allowing young job seekers (mentees) to benefit from the free experience of a volunteer mentor over 50 years old. Each new mentor participates in initial training provided by the association, which will give them the tools of know-how and interpersonal skills in order to best understand the support. Then, based on their experience and personality, the mentor is then “matched” with a young person. This is the start of an adventure in which the duo met for 6 months for 2 hours per week.
The results are encouraging in terms of access to employment for supported young people: 70% of them find a job, an internship or a qualifying training after the program. The benefits for the mentor are also numerous: living a unique and rewarding human experience, developing new skills, remaining useful, enriching their vision of society and the world, or even joining an active network of mentors. ”When you are at the end of your career or retired, you sometimes have difficulty finding activities or initiatives that value your life and professional experience. And yet, it is often at this moment in our life that we are the most available, and when we want to get involved in a societal project.” testifies Véronique, mentor.
Besides, these are 8 out of 10 mentors who decide to renew the adventure at the end of their first support. ” It's really a win-win, a two-way exchange. We want to give people who do not live side by side in their daily lives the opportunity to get to know each other, to create relationships, and to learn to live together ” explains Simon Trivero, director of the Lyon branch.
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