In Perugia, the polytechnic academy that promotes youth work

It is the first, and to date the only, polytechnic academy. We are talking about the Its Umbria Academy, which for 2025/27 has 15 training courses on the track, from mechanics to tourism, from cybersecurity to IT, passing through materials chemistry, sustainable agriculture, graphics and marketing.

'Our courses are two-year courses,' says the director, Nicola Modugno, 'lasting 1,800 to 2,000 hours, 800 of which are company internships. We train talents in the area of high-tech and digital education, guaranteeing a rapid qualified entry into the world of work'. The employment rate one year after graduation is close to 100%, which is why the Institute, chaired by Marco Giulietti, ranked first in the Indire 2025 monitoring.

Founded in 2011, the Its Umbria Academy has grown a great deal: it now has about 450 new enrolments per year (in all, the institute is attended by over a thousand young people), and there are more than 400 partner companies that collaborate in the design of the courses, teaching, and hosting the students in apprenticeships. The courses, which are financed by the Foundation, are delivered in the area in the state-of-the-art campuses and laboratories of Perugia, Foligno, Terni, Città di Castello and Montefalco. One 'treat' concerns former students: "Seven of them," adds Modugno, "are on contract with us. Even the company Bazzica Engineering, which integrated the technological equipment purchased for Factory 4.0 in the mechatronics laboratory, has employed three of our former students. In recent weeks they have returned to their former Its laboratory as technical consultants, and have integrated the system for the benefit of other students. In short, a unique opportunity.

One topic of attention is the Pnrr, which has been and still is a great opportunity for the Its world. "It has put us in a position to update our laboratories with the best technologies, to increase the number of students, which is also a request that comes from the business world," Modugno commented. "Now, in view of the 2026 deadline, what we are basically asking the government for are two things: that we be recognised as being worthwhile for this country, for the business world, and especially for young people. And secondly, but absolutely prioritised, is the issue of funding for the State Ordinary Fund that is congruous and consistent with the numbers we have achieved and with the technologies we have created, which must be maintained and updated'.