After living in Switzerland, Libya, South Africa and Poland, Martha Tirelli joined the ITCILO in 1979. In 1994, she joined the Centre’s Training Department. Due to her in-depth knowledge of both Polish culture and the Polish language, she was asked to assist a World Bank project for Poland on adult education in 1995. She spent nine months in Poland, administering the Project.

In 1997, she won a competition to become country manager for Poland, Albania and Estonia at the European Training Foundation. There, she worked on the management and administration of vocational education and training programmes financed by the EC in those countries.

In 2000, she returned to the Centre as an administrative assistant for the Employment and Skills Development Programme. She has since moved to the Programme for Workers’ Activities, where she is an administrative assistant.

Martha undertook Slav studies at Turin University. She now works in English, French, Spanish and Polish.