Italy and Piemonte Region are characterized by a very high unemployment rate among young people. In spite of this, the enterprises often find it difficult to find highly specialized workers. Another problem in Italy is the poor offer of non university third level education.
Superior Technical Institute for Sustainable Mobility, Mechatronics and Aerospace is a high technical institute whose aim is to train highly specialized technicians in some sectors that are strategical for the piedmontese economic development. In particular the courses related to mechatronics are located in Torino, as mechanical, automobile and production machinery industries are traditional specializations of Torino’s area. These sectors need to be revitalized also through the training of highly specialized workers.
The institute is managed by a foundation that is constituted by public administrations (among them Città Metropolitana di Torino), the Politecnico di Torino, some private vocational training centres, two second level high schools and some employers’ organizations. Its courses are dedicated to students that have already a high school diploma, they last two years and are free of charge for the participants. It releases a Superior Technical Diploma that is recognized both at national and international level. It is characterized by a strong collaboration with the enterprises: about one third of the lessons takes place in the enterprises premises and more than 60% of the teachers are from the enterprises. All the courses include an internship that may be made abroad with Erasmus+ programme. The final examination gives you a EQF (European Qualification Framework) fifth level diploma.
Superior Technical Institute for Sustainable Mobility, Mechatronics and Aerospace is financed by Piemonte Region with European funds (ESF) and national funds. The cost for every course is about 300.000 Euro.
The most important indicator of the success reached by Superior Technical Institute for Sustainable Mobility, Mechatronics and Aerospace is done by the employment rate after diploma. After one year, almost 100% of qualified people have got a job that is coherent with the studies in the local enterprise ecosystem.
The main difficulties are related to the need of further funds that would allow to organize more courses in order to give an answer both to the request by young people and to the enterprises’ demand of specialized technicians. Sometimes the administrative fulfilments have been too heavy.
The Superior Technical Institute model permits a more effective transmission of knowledge thanks to the collaboration among the different institution involved. All European countries have a strong need of high technical training and the mutual exchange among the different experiences could lead to a common European model.
