The system of Higher Technical Institutes in Tuscany

Here is the translation:

Higher Technical Institutes (ITS) represent Italy’s first experience of tertiary-level vocational education. They broadly follow educational pathways that are already well established in other European countries and represent, today, the Italian approach to the dual system, whose aim is to train specialised middle-level professionals in the key sectors of the regional economy, drawing on the public-private, non-profit management model of the Foundation.

There are 7 ITS in Tuscany, established in two separate phases — 2010 and 2015 — and covering 5 of the 6 technological areas defined at national level: 3 ITS in New Technologies for Made in Italy (MITA, PRIME and EAT), 1 in Sustainable Mobility (ISYL), 1 in Energy Efficiency (EAEE), 1 in Innovative Technologies for Cultural Heritage and Activities – Tourism (TAB), and 1 in New Life Technologies (VITA).

The main strengths of the Tuscan Higher Technical Institute system can be summarised as follows: (a) a teaching approach centred on laboratory-based activities, which develops technical skills and replicates real business environments; (b) the opportunity to undertake relatively long work placements in companies during the course of study; (c) positive employment outcomes, both in terms of contracts secured and alignment with the training received.

A further significant advantage is the capacity to train human capital that can be immediately integrated into local businesses — which are, to a considerable extent, key economic actors in the surrounding area — thereby responding to the needs of the local productive system.

From the graduates’ perspective, completing an ITS programme means, on average, being able to enter the labour market both trained and young. This aspect is all the more important when one considers, on the one hand, the difficulties companies face in recruiting technically skilled staff in the very specialisations central to the Tuscan economy, and on the other, the burden of youth unemployment and the limited prospects facing new generations.

The main weakness of the ITS, particularly in light of these considerations, is undoubtedly their low impact on the education system in terms of the number of graduates. This holds true both when compared with the number of first-cycle university graduates, and when set against the number of equivalent-level graduates in other European countries — all within a broader Italian context in which the rate of higher qualifications remains below the EU average.

Awareness of the ITS among families and students is still too limited, and the name Istituto Tecnico — even with the addition of “Superiore” — tends to cause confusion, if not to actively discourage prospective students. It is therefore necessary to establish various communication channels directed at students nearing the end of upper secondary school, so that they come to regard the ITS as one of the possible paths available upon graduation, with a clear understanding of the type of training and the advantages on offer. At the same time, it seems appropriate to consider a process of “institutionalisation” of the ITS aimed at formally recognising them as an alternative and parallel pathway to a bachelor’s degree — one capable of providing young people with a clear and recognised qualification that carries weight in both the Italian and European labour markets, along with meaningful opportunities for professional growth.