Photo by Pexel - Armin Rimoldi
On May 28th in Rome, at the headquarters of SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria, an important bilateral meeting between Italy and Argentina took place, focusing on Technical and Managerial Training.
The event followed SFC’s working group’s visit to Argentina as part of the Industrias Argentina Sustentables initiative, led by the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) and co-financed by the European AL INVEST VERDE program.
The meeting in Rome served as a platform for exchanging experiences and discussing development perspectives, to foster international cooperation and improve the integration between education and industry.
The event began with an introduction to Argentina and Italy's economic landscapes and technical training systems. This provided an opportunity to identify shared challenges and potential collaborative projects in the dual education system. Vicente Donato, Director of Fundación Observatorio PyME, presented the Argentine context, focusing on the wood and metalworking industries in Virasoro and Mendoza.
These sectors, crucial to the local economy, have attracted investments from European multinationals, which increasingly demand a highly qualified workforce. However, in Argentina, 79% of industrial SMEs report difficulties in finding skilled technicians, revealing a gap in the country’s training system. The Argentine delegation highlighted the need to explore the Italian dual education model, particularly the ITS system, and emphasized the importance of adopting internationally recognized excellence models that could be replicated locally. This would foster better integration between the productive sector and technical vocational education.
In addition to youth training in Italy's ITS (Higher Technical Institutes), the key role of Interprofessional Funds in supporting lifelong managerial and technical training was highlighted by Massimo Sabatini, Director General of Fondirigenti. He presented the mechanism of setting aside 0.30% of INPS contributions from each company for training purposes, which was positively received by the Argentine delegation. They recognized this as a strong example of corporate social responsibility.
Another example of corporate responsibility in professional training was presented by Sabrina De Santis, Head of the Education Department at Federmeccanica. MetApprendo, a digital platform for continuous training, helps Italian companies and workers to constantly update their skills, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Italy's industrial system.
As part of its focus on dual education best practices, SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria also presented several projects realized under the Erasmus+ program. Among these, the 3LoE project stands out as a model of a Center of Educational Excellence with a strong emphasis on green skills and their application across various professional sectors.
The 3LoE project aims to define and develop the skills required for the green transition, facilitating a stronger link between vocational education and the labor market. By sharing innovative methodologies and pedagogical approaches, alongside comparing dual training systems and applied research, 3LoE has proven to be a model that can be replicated in different educational contexts. In particular, the project was cited as an example of excellence that could be transferred to Argentina, where international cooperation could help bridge the gap between the education system and the needs of the productive sector.
The meeting underscored the importance of technical and managerial training as a strategic lever to improve business competitiveness and youth employability.
Models of excellence, such as Fondirigenti’s strategic initiatives, Erasmus+-funded projects like 3LoE, and Federmeccanica’s initiatives, demonstrate that international collaboration and the sharing of best practices can promote the growth of an integrated educational and productive ecosystem. Through such projects, cooperation between Italy and Argentina represents a significant opportunity to foster sustainable and competitive development on a global scale.
On May 28th in Rome, at the headquarters of SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria, an important bilateral meeting between Italy and Argentina took place, focusing on Technical and Managerial Training.
The event followed SFC’s working group’s visit to Argentina as part of the Industrias Argentina Sustentables initiative, led by the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) and co-financed by the European AL INVEST VERDE program.
The meeting in Rome served as a platform for exchanging experiences and discussing development perspectives, to foster international cooperation and improve the integration between education and industry.
The event began with an introduction to Argentina and Italy's economic landscapes and technical training systems. This provided an opportunity to identify shared challenges and potential collaborative projects in the dual education system. Vicente Donato, Director of Fundación Observatorio PyME, presented the Argentine context, focusing on the wood and metalworking industries in Virasoro and Mendoza.
These sectors, crucial to the local economy, have attracted investments from European multinationals, which increasingly demand a highly qualified workforce. However, in Argentina, 79% of industrial SMEs report difficulties in finding skilled technicians, revealing a gap in the country’s training system. The Argentine delegation highlighted the need to explore the Italian dual education model, particularly the ITS system, and emphasized the importance of adopting internationally recognized excellence models that could be replicated locally. This would foster better integration between the productive sector and technical vocational education.
In addition to youth training in Italy's ITS (Higher Technical Institutes), the key role of Interprofessional Funds in supporting lifelong managerial and technical training was highlighted by Massimo Sabatini, Director General of Fondirigenti. He presented the mechanism of setting aside 0.30% of INPS contributions from each company for training purposes, which was positively received by the Argentine delegation. They recognized this as a strong example of corporate social responsibility.
Another example of corporate responsibility in professional training was presented by Sabrina De Santis, Head of the Education Department at Federmeccanica. MetApprendo, a digital platform for continuous training, helps Italian companies and workers to constantly update their skills, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Italy's industrial system.
As part of its focus on dual education best practices, SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria also presented several projects realized under the Erasmus+ program. Among these, the 3LoE project stands out as a model of a Center of Educational Excellence with a strong emphasis on green skills and their application across various professional sectors.
The 3LoE project aims to define and develop the skills required for the green transition, facilitating a stronger link between vocational education and the labor market. By sharing innovative methodologies and pedagogical approaches, alongside comparing dual training systems and applied research, 3LoE has proven to be a model that can be replicated in different educational contexts. In particular, the project was cited as an example of excellence that could be transferred to Argentina, where international cooperation could help bridge the gap between the education system and the needs of the productive sector.
The meeting underscored the importance of technical and managerial training as a strategic lever to improve business competitiveness and youth employability.
Models of excellence, such as Fondirigenti’s strategic initiatives, Erasmus+-funded projects like 3LoE, and Federmeccanica’s initiatives, demonstrate that international collaboration and the sharing of best practices can promote the growth of an integrated educational and productive ecosystem. Through such projects, cooperation between Italy and Argentina represents a significant opportunity to foster sustainable and competitive development on a global scale.