Minister wants schools that are dedicated to Made In Italy
Italy’s minister for economic development, Adolfo Urso, has said he is working with his colleagues in the ministry for education to set up dedicated ‘Made In Italy’ high schools.
Mr Urso, who is also the country’s first ever minister for ‘Made In Italy’, made the comment during a recent interview with leather-industry publication La Conceria.
He said he was conscious of the size of the challenge Italy faced in terms of professional skills training, adding: “I would define it by saying it’s almost a revolution we need.”
The minister said his aim was for the people working in Italy’s main artisan sectors to become a new group of talented professionals. This has happened in other sectors, he pointed out, saying: “Our cooks have become chefs and our tailors have become designers.”
It is to help drive this change in sectors such as leather and leathergoods manufacturing that he wants to set up dedicated schools in which young people will learn techniques and skills as part of their high school education.
“It will be a school programme that will meet the needs of the professions by creating a new generation of people with the high level of competence and the profile required to maintain the excellence of Italian manufacturing,” the minister said. “And these new generations will be increasingly able to compete in global markets.”
Image: High school students visiting the Settebello tannery in Tuscany as part of an established industry outreach programme.
Credit: Conceria Settebello.
