Good practice:

OF- Opus facere. Make to understand. Territorial Employability Laboratory

In the regional innovative high-profile production space, the aim of the Opus Facere Lab is to put the schools at the centre of a new model of educational and training, to develop advanced teaching practices in synergy with local employment and business policies. The network includes, in a proactive way, the local institutions, the University, the Research Centres and businesses of the territory: a new training chain available to several schools in the vast area of Bologna Metropolitan City.
"OF-Opus make to understand" is addressed at students, teachers of secondary schools, families and citizens in the metropolitan area of Bologna. The goal is to provide career guidance, support talent development, to create new entrepreneurial ideas and promote open innovation. The laboratory focuses on "learning by doing" method, about the most advanced drivers of local development: health and wellbeing, mechatronics and motoring, agro-food, new materials research, automation, ICT development and Big Data in all areas considered (according to local S3).
In the territorial Laboratory students can find solution of practical problems and develop creativity; they can respond to concrete challenges, product and process, realize business ideas, research projects and prototypes. Moreover, in order to sensitize the local population on the activities of “Opus Facere, annual events are organized, with activities managed by the same students.

Funding of €750,000 by Ministry of Education, University and research (Law 107/2015). The total investment is €2,5M for 9 high schools and more than 35 public and private entities.
The Lab is equipped with cutting-edge equipment and technologies.

Every year thousands of students of the region takes part in several courses and school’s labs.
From 2016 to 2019 the activities of the laboratory involved totally 8.015 students and 151 teachers. At projects about peer education activities took part 783 students; 3583 students attended carrier guidance laboratories (twenty different typologies); open innovation activities involved 1049 students. 2494 people participated in public initiatives.

Main difficulties: to manage a wide range of activities without specific funds to pay teachers; to design-implement-coordinate activities involving different schools and for open class groups.
Success factors: setting up a real "over-school" team, building relationships and smooth information flow.

The good practice requires the commitment and active involvement of all 4-helix actors: local institutions and schools, research centres, business, citizens. This allow the activation of a continuous mutual learning and open innovation process. The good practice has a high level degree of adaptability and transferability since contents and tools are based on the offer of local actors and local specializations. The key aspect is to make working together different actors.
The experience of Opus Facere represents a good practice for the valorisation of technical-scientific culture and its strategic importance in the economic and social development and, more specifically, in the new manufacturing and production system. The Opus Facere Lab method is a valuable tool to enrich and enhance the virtuous relationship between the educational system and the territory, focusing on the productive excellence, the cultural system, the environment and the local welfare.