The “Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta” is launched, dedicated to educational and career guidance

‘One of this Government’s clear priorities is to help foster an increasingly informed, close and fruitful relationship between schools, universities, businesses and the world of work. This is a necessary prerequisite for offering the guarantees our young people are asking for, so that they may have real opportunities in our country and not be forced to leave it, with little prospect of returning. For these reasons, we have decided to support this project, which forms part of the wider programme of activities envisaged by the ‘National Youth Charter’ initiative: a free digital tool that enables young people to access a range of opportunities and benefits; to date, it has over 3.9 million active holders, with an increase this year of almost 400,000. Thanks to the Youth Card, young people can access 213 opportunities made available by public and private partners who have joined the initiative, but this tool is also becoming a platform for other government bodies, starting with the Ministry of Culture through the ‘Valore Cultura’ initiative. In short, it is increasingly serving as a tool for dialogue. A significant step forward will then come with the draft enabling bill on youth policies, which Parliament is expected to approve shortly; through this, in addition to strengthening the Youth Card, a new inter-institutional framework will be established, capable of making policies aimed at the younger generations more coherent and coordinated across the whole country’, said the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi.

‘Career guidance means, first and foremost, helping young people to get to know themselves better, to understand their aptitudes and the opportunities that lie ahead. This is why career guidance cannot be a one-off event at the end of a course of study, but must become an ongoing process, capable of supporting young people through the various stages of their education. In a rapidly changing labour market – partly driven by artificial intelligence and new technologies – we must provide young people with the tools to make informed choices and to continue learning over time. This is a responsibility that schools, universities, ITS Academy and businesses must share, building ever-stronger links between education and work. Initiatives such as the Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta are a step in this direction: connecting different worlds and making the opportunities available in local areas and within the productive sector more visible to young people,’ says Riccardo Di Stefano, Confindustria’s Vice-President for Education and Open Innovation.

‘Finding one’s bearings is the watchword of every journey. There can be no education without guidance, just as there can be no education without mobility. No self-respecting educational centre can exist without efficient and sustainable public transport. For us, sustainability is the first passenger: without it, the journey cannot begin. That is why we were so keen to be at this table, alongside Minister Abodi and an Italian leader such as the Mondadori Group. We are convinced that this project can transcend national borders and reach the countries where we operate as FS International, bringing with it not only the value of ‘Made in Italy’, but above all a culture of sustainability. Because true sustainability is also a culture. And it is young people, above all, who can transform it into a new way of viewing and shaping the future,” says Caterina Belletti, Chair of FS International.

‘With UniversityBox, we are providing the project with a digital platform capable not only of guiding and connecting over one and a half million students with universities and businesses, but also of listening to them on an ongoing basis. Initial data from our Observatory reveals a particularly significant finding: more than four out of five students appreciate the city where they study, yet more than one in two do not plan to stay there after completing their studies. It is precisely this gap between enjoying life in a particular area and being able to envisage a future there that we need to address. “Through the Observatory, we aim to transform young people’s voices into useful information for universities, businesses and institutions, helping to create opportunities that are ever more closely aligned with their expectations,” said Emiliano Novelli, CEO of UniversityBox.

According to the latest figures, Italia ranks second in the European Union in terms of the proportion of young people aged between 15 and 29 who are NEETs, with a rate of around 15 per cent: added to this is a regional disparity, with a peak of almost 28 per cent in Sicily and a rate of 30 per cent if the age range is extended to include women aged between 30 and 34. Two key issues emerge from these figures: young people’s lack of awareness regarding educational choices and the ongoing exodus of human capital, coupled with the difficulty regions face in attracting new talent. The Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta addresses precisely these critical issues, bringing together in one place the study and work opportunities available across the country and, particularly at the events held in cities in southern Italia, helping to retain local talent and attract it from the rest of the country, generating positive benefits on multiple levels: from stemming the brain drain abroad to supporting young people’s personal independence, with a potential impact on boosting the birth rate as well.

Thanks to its partnership with UniversityBox, Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta will launch Italy’s largest digital platform dedicated to career guidance, providing over one million currently enrolled students with free access to tools to support their educational and career choices, as well as assessment and mentoring. The aim is to support young people in their educational and career choices before, during and after the scheduled events.
Furthermore, the system incorporates the first permanent Observatory on career guidance, employment and new entrepreneurship. Constantly updated with feedback and experiences gathered from upper secondary school pupils and university students, the Observatory will measure, in real time, developments in career paths and emerging skills – from AI to cybersecurity, right through to green and STEAM professions – providing useful information for businesses and institutions.

The Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta makes its debut with its first event in Sicily, in Palermo, on 28 and 29 October 2026. The event, sponsored by Palermo City Council and Sicindustria, is expected to attract over 5,000 participants, including upper secondary school pupils, university students and teachers.
The Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta will continue in Puglia, in Lecce (10–11 November 2026) and Taranto (1–2 December 2026). In 2027, events are already scheduled for Catania (23–24 February), Bari (during the week of 15 March) and Brindisi (23–24 March), and with the start of the new academic year, the programme will visit new cities in central and northern Italy, completing a three-year development plan that will cover 11 Italian cities by 2028, for a total of 25 events over three years.

“Palermo is proud to host the launch of the Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta, a project that focuses on one of the most important challenges for the country’s future: providing young people with practical tools to find their way, gain skills and build their own career paths. Holding the first event in Sicily means recognising the value and potential of a region rich in talent and, at the same time, strengthening the dialogue between schools, universities, businesses and institutions. Palermo aims to play a leading role in this challenge, helping to create new opportunities and lay the groundwork so that our young people can choose their own future with greater awareness, whilst also staying in and investing in the region,” said Roberto Lagalla, Mayor of Palermo.

‘Italia, and the South in particular, needs to offer young people a more dynamic and tangible career outlook, comprising skilled opportunities, clear pathways to employment and ever-closer collaboration between training providers, businesses and institutions. It is this vision that has led Lecce City Council to include the ‘Employment Pathway’, dedicated to the younger generation, in its programme. In this context, the Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta makes a significant contribution to strengthening the careers guidance system and the relationship between students and the business world. ‘Reducing the gap in opportunities also means tackling the exodus of our young people to places that offer better prospects. It is a challenge that concerns us all and on which the economic and social future of our country hinges,’ says Adriana Poli Bortone, Mayor of Lecce.

“Taranto reaffirms its role as a hub for interaction, education and opportunities for the younger generation. The Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta represents a significant opportunity to bring together the worlds of schools, universities, institutions and the business sector, creating a space for meaningful discussion on educational and career pathways. Investing in careers guidance means supporting our young people in the choices that shape their future and, at the same time, contributing to the growth and competitiveness of our region,” said Pietro Bitetti, Mayor of Taranto.

The exhibition space at the Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta will be divided into four themed areas:

• Post-secondary education section, where universities, technical colleges (ITS), schools and academies present their programmes to fourth- and fifth-year upper secondary school pupils;

• the Master’s and specialisation section, aimed at those who have completed a three-year or Master’s degree and are looking to specialise;

• the Future Jobs area, a dedicated recruitment hub designed to match job seekers with vacancies;

• the International section, dedicated to global student mobility in the major cities (Milan and Rome).

During its stops in Southern Italy, the Forum also pursues a specific objective: to retain students and talent from the region through constructive dialogue with leading national and international organisations, and to attract new students from neighbouring areas and the Mediterranean. The Chamber of Deputies is also expected to take part.

The Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta also represents an important professional development opportunity for teachers, who will have the chance to explore a range of topics in greater depth: from artificial intelligence to guidance tools and scenarios in today’s schools, from sustainability skills to the themes of masculinity and gender education in the school context. Furthermore, teachers will be able to complete online courses accredited by the Ministry of Education and Merit at a 50 per cent discount, and completion of the full programme will enable them to receive a certificate from the S.O.F.I.A. platform.

Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta is an integrated communication and service system – both physical and digital – operating all year round, designed to link the educational programmes offered by universities, technical colleges (ITS) and higher education institutions with the needs of local businesses.
The Mondadori Group will be present with an exhibition stand showcasing the main career paths and job opportunities for recent graduates, as well as the training programmes offered by Mondadori Academy, the Group’s training academy focusing on artificial intelligence, cinema, music, design and manga comics.

Admission to the Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta is completely free of charge, subject to registration via the www.mondadoriacademyforum.it portal or the UniversityBox app. Sixth-form students will be entitled to a certificate valid for School-Work Training (FSL) hours.

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