“Let’s save the hospitality sector”, a manifesto on the future of vocational education in Italy

Following the publication of the Manifesto for a New Italian Vocational Education System, plans are taking shape for a major national conference bringing together schools, institutions, businesses, professionals, social partners, ITS Academies and universities. With the publication of the manifesto ‘Ten Points for a New Italian Vocational Education System’, the ‘Save the Hospitality Schools’ initiative is entering a new phase: transforming a movement that originated in the world of education and the professions into a major national debate on the future of Italian vocational education.

The Manifesto, published by *La voce della scuola*, draws on the practical experience of those who work day-to-day in vocational colleges, workshops, the hospitality sector, food and wine, and tourism. An open community has developed around the initiative, comprising teachers, technical and practical instructors (ITP), school heads, professionals, representatives from the business world and trade associations. The proposal is based on a clear principle: “We must not cut back on vocational education. We must make it more professional.” The aim is to strengthen the identity of vocational education, restoring the central role of vocational subjects, workshops, practical skills and the quality of training.

The document identifies ten guiding principles upon which to build a new national vision: strengthening vocational subjects and practical workshops; a robust and clearly defined national timetable framework; an area of advanced vocational training; a permanent national fund for workshops, equipment and raw materials; a new relationship between schools, professionals and qualified businesses; the defence of a robust five-year programme; the enhancement of ITP (Technical and Professional Institutes); a national observatory on training, employment and professions; a national pact for quality and the humanisation of work in the hospitality sector; and a cultural revival of the prestige of vocational education and the professions. The five-year programme must enable students to be well-prepared for their next choice: employment, ITS Academy, university or entrepreneurship.

But these ten points do not represent the end of the road. They are the starting point. The next phase of the initiative aims to organise a major national conference on Italian vocational education, bringing together all stakeholders interested in developing a shared proposal. The aim is to involve teachers, ITP staff, school leaders, students, families, professionals, businesses, trade associations and trade unions, alongside representatives from the Government, Parliament, the Ministry of Education and Merit, the regions and political parties, as well as the ITS Academy system and universities.

This will not be a conference structured simply as a series of presentations, but a genuine forum for listening, discussion and reflection. We will take the ten points of the Manifesto as our starting point to discuss, expand upon and explore them in greater depth, with the aim of developing a platform capable of representing the needs of schools, the professions, the business sector and, above all, young people.