The Its Academy Sustainable Mobility, Aerospace, Mechatronics of Piedmont as a springboard for youth employment

The new leg of the journey that Il Sole 24 Ore dedicates to the Its Academy takes us to Turin. And in particular to the Its Academy Sustainable Mobility, Aerospace, Mechatronics of Piedmont, an absolute excellence in the training of young people in the mechanical sector.

The institute hosts around 800 students, the employment rate is close to 98 per cent, the remaining 2 per cent choose to continue their studies using the bridges with the polytechnic of Turin. Thanks in part to the Pnrr's push, 14 training courses are underway.

Almost 200 companies collaborate with the Its Academy Sustainable Mobility, Aerospace, Mechatronics of Piedmont, 85% of the teaching comes from the world of work, the other 15% comes from universities and research and technology transfer centres. A great deal of emphasis is placed on research and laboratory teaching: an Application Centre is operational, i.e. a laboratory village where students experience the factory environment by touching new technologies first-hand.

"Already 75-80% of the students have a job at the end of the first year," emphasised the president of the Its Academy Sustainable Mobility, Aerospace and Mechatronics, Stefano Serra, who is also vice-president of Federmeccanica with responsibility for Education and Training. "This means that they start studying in October, finish the first year in June, and by the first of July they have a job contract and become citizens like everyone else.

'The Pnrr,' Serra continued, 'was certainly an element that enabled the change. Without neglecting the fact that a foundation like ours has a potential that could easily reach 1,200-1,300 young people. With the Pnrr funds we have invested in new laboratories. With the application village we enable the boys to work on new technologies that they then find in the factory. So, they learn to study by working as in a factory. New technologies,' Serra explained, 'ranging from advanced robotics, which by now is no more industrial robotics than collaborative robotics, rather than the famous four-legged dog. Interacting with these objects in the challenges we give the students, developing applications and solutions this is something that obviously gives them an enormous advantage, in addition to working closely with the companies shaping the technology in aeronautics, space and mechatronics of the future'.