Training

A degree to train craft and SME managers is born in Palermo

The new master's degree course at the University of Palermo, born from the alliance between Mur, the University and Confartigianato, will be presented at the Steri. Objective: to bring managerial, digital and internationalisation skills into the productive heart of Made in Italy

by Nino Amadore

15 May 2026

L’artigianato del futuro è sempre di più la somma di competenze e di conoscenze manageriali

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The bet is clear: to transform craftsmanship from a sector to be protected into a platform for growth, innovation and new skilled employment. And to do so starting from Palermo, in a Mezzogiorno that needs managerial skills as much as it needs investment.

The new master's degree course in Economics and Management of Craft and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, which will be presented today starting at 11 a.m. in the Aula Magna of the Steri Monumental Complex, in Piazza Marina, as part of the 'ArtigianIA' event, stems from this need. The course will be illustrated by Marcantonio Ruisi, director of the Department of Economic, Business and Statistical Sciences at the University of Palermo. The meeting will also be attended by the President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, and the President of Confartigianato Imprese Sicilia, Emanuele Alessandro Virzì.

The initiative is the result of an alliance between the Ministry of University and Research, the University of Palermo and Confartigianato and represents a novelty on the national training scene: a master's degree course designed to train figures capable of guiding the transformation of craft and small and medium-sized enterprises, bringing together production culture, innovation, digitalisation, generational transition and opening up to international markets.

The Minister for Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, emphasises the strategic value of the initiative: 'The university's task is not only to transmit knowledge. It is also to indicate paths, open visions, build opportunities for the future of young people and, at the same time, for the future of the country and its excellence. This degree course embodies exactly this mission: a university that listens, that dialogues with the production system, that teams up with companies to build new and increasingly strategic skills. On the ability to accompany Italian craftsmanship in the processes of innovation, managerial growth and opening up to international markets also depends the protection of a heritage that guards our history and represents a fundamental lever for the future of Italia'.

The debut in the academic year 2026-2027

The course will make its debut in the 2026-2027 academic year at the University of Palermo and is part of the Master of Science in Economic and Business Sciences, LM-77. The objective is to train highly qualified profiles in the governance and management of small businesses, SMEs and craft enterprises, which are a fundamental component of the productive fabric of Italia and, in particular, of Southern Italy.

The starting point is a paradigm shift: craft enterprises are no longer just local or traditional businesses. They are increasingly embedded in global supply chains, export-oriented, product and process innovation, called upon to adopt advanced digital technologies and to measure themselves against complex markets. In this scenario, 'artisan value' does not disappear, but is transformed: know-how remains a competitive advantage, but it needs new skills to become growth, organisation and the ability to stay in the markets.

Digital, Investment and Skills

The president of Confartigianato, Marco Granelli, links the new course to the need to strengthen the production culture of companies. "The new degree course stems from the desire to bring universities and companies together in order to strengthen the age-old production culture of our entrepreneurs in a training course that is useful for possessing the essential tools to face the opportunities offered by technological innovation, green and digital transitions, and competition on world markets".

This need is also confirmed by the data of the 5th Craftsman Radar, prepared by Censis for Confartigianato. By 2025, 64% of craft businesses were using digital technology on a permanent basis and 48% were already using it in the planning stages. In recent years, 80.5% of artisans have made strategic investments, but 67% of entrepreneurs still report major difficulties in finding qualified labour and adequate management skills.

With this new degree, the University of Palermo and Confartigianato aim to build not only an academic qualification, but a real skills infrastructure. The course envisages constant interaction with the production system and innovative teaching methodologies, such as project work and field experience, to ensure training that is consistent with the real evolution of the labour market.

A path for changing enterprises

For the Rector of the University of Palermo, Massimo Midiri, the new course strengthens the University's role in the relationship between education and the territory. "For our University today is an important day. It represents the addition of a precious piece that enriches a training offer oriented towards innovation, without, however, renouncing the traditions and peculiarities of our territory, which deserve to be supported and accompanied in their development. Putting the training needs of young people at the centre means offering them concrete tools to face the challenges of the labour market, creating study paths capable of being competitive at a European level. Palermo, moreover, occupies a strategic position in the Mediterranean and can become a fundamental hub for dialogue and the exchange of professionalism and skills'.

The training plan will have a multidisciplinary slant. Among the subjects envisaged are the analysis of local production systems and entrepreneurial networks, supply chain management, Made in Italy, digital marketing and artificial intelligence, performance measurement systems for SMEs, corporate contract law, statistical methods for the analysis of big data, corporate finance for SMEs, sociology of consumption, the economics of agrifood systems, and the organisation of human resources.

The outgoing profiles will be entrepreneurs, managers, business consultants, managers of trade associations, and operators of institutions and public administrations involved in supporting the economic development of territories. Figures called upon to govern internationalisation, technological innovation, digital and ecological transition, financial management and organisational development, without losing the link with the typical characteristics of SMEs: territorial rootedness, strong integration between ownership and management, complex relational networks.