Handicrafts protagonist at the 'Made in Lombardia' festival

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - The 'Made in Lombardy' Festival, which made its debut on 20 September in Milan in the square of the regional palace, was organised to celebrate craftsmanship and 'Lombard know-how'. It is an event dedicated to young artisans, desired and organised by the Lombardy Region and Unioncamere in collaboration with 'Eccellenza Italiana', the start-up committed to the digital promotion of Made in Italy companies. For the entire day of 20 September, 26 young masters of 'savoir faire' from the various Lombardy provinces worked in the square, showing what it means to be artisans today. The event is aimed at high school students and undergraduates with the objective of enhancing the figure of the artisan among the new generations: inspirational speeches, workshops and interactive meetings with experts in the various sectors of the industry, from fashion to design, from food and wine to entertainment, took place on the main stage.

"It is essential to trigger a change of approach to the world of craftsmanship, which must once again become attractive to young people, so as not to dissipate Lombardy's enormous heritage of knowledge and ingenuity," said Lombardy Region Economic Development Councillor Guido Guidesi, the event's creator. "It is necessary to valorise the many positives that these trades hold and to tell the success stories of great craftsmen who today, for example, export all over the world. As a region, we wanted to bet on young people, on their enthusiasm and their ability to get involved; today we have yet another demonstration that, if stimulated, young people have extraordinary potential. Lombardy expresses a unique 'savoir faire', the result of an extraordinary work culture that has enabled our region to excel, economically and socially, in Europe and beyond,' Guidesi explained. "Our support for the craft sector is absolute and takes the form of specific measures and instruments to support business investment, as well as the supply chain strategy to facilitate connections between the production world, the academic and scientific world, and training institutions. But we also need a change of pace in terms of mentality: working in the craft sector often means choosing a solid professional stability, having the satisfaction of doing, expressing oneself through creativity and becoming interpreters and guardians of unique traditions by innovating and renewing them,' he added.

The event is a live account to describe the fascination of ancient and modern trades that, in many cases, are at risk of extinction. Research by Altagamma predicts that more than 300,000 quality craft professions will disappear in the next 10 years. Confartigianato itself is sounding the alarm about the serious shortage of skilled labour and young people willing to bet on a solid future in manufacturing excellence. A study by Gi Group holding Skuola.net also indicates that more than 61% of Italian students rule out taking an interest in technical or practical trades for their future employment. According to the young people, the 'blame' also lies with the orientation activities carried out by Italian schools, which tend to emphasise university courses over Its (higher technical studies); over 76% of the young people claim to have been directed mainly in this direction and only 29% of high school students say they are familiar with these training courses.