Policy Report 2010 Italy Final 3Rd Dec

A bridge to the future – European policy for vocational education and training 2002-2010

National Policy Report – ITALY

ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010

Overall Supervision: Established by law in 1973, Isfol has been then Miss Isabella Pitoni, Isfol, (1999) formally recognized as national National ReferNet Representative ReferNet Italy research institute subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Report prepared by ReferNet Italy Policies. The current Statute, approved (2003) in accordance with Cedefop, by the Presidency of the Ministries Council, as initiator and template provider: strengthens Isfol traditional role in the field of training, social and labour policies in order to Miss Donatella Gobbi, Isfol researcher contribute to the growth of employment, the Miss Marina Cino Pagliarello, Isfol consultant improvement of human resources, social inclusion and local development. ∗∗∗ Acknowledgements for contributions : In such a framework, the Institute conducts and promotes activities of study, research, Isfol Researchers - ReferNet Italy Consortia experimentation, documentation, information and evaluation, consultancy and technical ReferNet Italy assistance. As regards the implementation of co-financed policies, Isfol supports the system Leading organisation: Isfol actions of the European Social Fund through Consortia Members: the definition of methodologies, tools and experimentations aimed at supporting the − Agenzia per lo sviluppo planning, the monitoring and the dissemination dell’autonomia scolastica (ex Indire) of the co-financed actions. Furthermore, the Institute is National Agency for the Lifelong − Baicr Sistema Cultura Learning Programme - Sectoral programme − Censis Leonardo da Vinci. − Cesos Over the last decade Isfol is being operating in − Ciofs-Fp − partnership with Cedefop and its networks. In Cnos particular, relevant commitment has been − Cnr - Biblioteca centrale “G. Marconi” formalised within the ReferNet, the network of − Confap reference and expertise in the field of VET in − Confapi Europe. ReferNet comprises a national − Confindustria consortium in each Member State made up of − Enaip organisations representing VET institutions at − Enfap national level. − Eurodesk − Each consortium is led by a national Fondazione Giulio Pastore coordinator responsible for constructing the − Ial Cisl consortium and ensuring the implementation of − Smile the networks' tasks. Isfol is currently the − Tecnostruttura leading organization and coordinator of the Italian ReferNet Consortium, made of institutions and organizations with common interests in developing VET and related issues. This report is one of a set of European country reports on VET policy development prepared within Cedefop’s ReferNet network. ReferNet is a European network of national networks providing information and analysis on national VET to Cedefop and disseminating information on European VET and Cedefop work to stakeholders in the EU Member States, Norway and Iceland. The report has been produced by ReferNet Italy as a contribution to Cedefop’s fourth policy report which reviews progress in VET towards the policy goals of the Copenhagen process. The opinions expressed in this national report are not necessarily those of Cedefop. The preparation of this report has been co-financed by the European Union.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

∗ Please, see authors’ list for detail.

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THEME 1: SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES FOR FUTURE VET POLICY DEVELOPMENT 1.1 Impact of globalisation on VET………………………………………………………….…………p. 5 1.2 Impact of technological progress on VET…………………………………………………………..p. 9 1.3 Impact of demographic change and international migration on VET………………………………p.13 1.4 Impact of greening of economy on VET……………………………………….. ... ……………… p.16 THEME 2: ECONOMIC CRISIS – VET POLICIES AS RECOVERY MEASURES 2.1 Initiatives for recovery………………………………………………………………… ……….…p. 21

THEME 3: IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE JOINT WORK ON EUROPEAN PRINCIPLES AND TOOLS 3.1 Impact of joint work on European principles and tools on national LLL policies and practices and VET developments...... p. 25 3.2 Promoting geographical mobility of learners/apprentices and teachers/trainers in VET…………p. 27 THEME 4: STRENGTHENING THE LINKS BETWEEN VET AND THE LABOUR MARKET 4.1 Identifying and anticipating skill needs...... p. 32 4.2 Integrating skill needs of the labour market into VET provision...... p. 37 4.3 Involving labour market actors in VET ...... p. 39 4.4 Promoting workplace learning ...... p. 46 THEME 5: ADDRESSING EQUITY, SOCIAL INCLUSION AND ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP 5.1 Addressing equity in VET ...... p. 49 5.2 Support services for groups at risk ...... p. 57 5.3 Active citizenship ...... p. 63 THEME 6: QUALITY, EXCELLENCE & ATTRACTIVENESS OF VET 6.1 Improving the quality of VET ...... p. 66 6.2 Promoting excellence in VET……………………………………………………………………..p. 72 6.3 Higher level qualifications in VET ...... p. 75 6.4 Improving horizontal and vertical permeability of education and training systems ...... p. 78 6.5 Teachers and trainers…………………………………………………………….………………..p. 80 THEME 7: ENHANCING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION 7.1 Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in VET...... p. 84 7.2 Improving quality of teaching ...... p. 88 7.3 Innovation-friendly institutions ...... p. 90 7.4 Encouraging partnership ...... p. 92 THEME 8: FINANCING VET 8.1 Improving efficiency, equity, levels of VET funding …………………………………………….p. 94 8.2 Use of Lifelong Learning Programme funds ...... p. 98 8.3 Use of other EU funds ...... …… p. 100 8.4 Improving VET governance ...... p. 101 THEME 9: PROGRESS IN MODERNISING EUROPEAN VET SYSTEMS IN THE COPENHAGEN PROCESS AND PRIORITIES FOR FUTURE COOPERATION 9.1 Impact of European cooperation in VET on development of national VET policies ...... p. 102 9.2 Governance, cooperation and ownership of the different actors in the Copenhagen process at European level………………………………………………………………………………………….p. 105 9.3 External dimension of European cooperation in VET...... p. 106 AUTHORS, BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES AND SOURCES ...... P. 110

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Preface

The "Copenhagen process" was launched as the contribution of Vocational Education and Training (VET) to the challenges identified in the Lisbon-Agenda. In the Copenhagen Declaration, approved on 30 November 2002, the ministers responsible for VET in 31 European countries (EU Member States, candidate countries, EFTA-EEA countries), the European social partners and the European Commission agreed on enhanced European cooperation in VET.

This Policy Report forms part of the Cedefop ReferNet 2010 work programme. It provides information on Italy’s progress in VET towards EU policy goals within the framework of the Copenhagen process and according to the policy priorities defined in the Maastricht Communiqué (2004) and the Helsinki (2006) and Bordeaux Communiqué (2008). It considers measures taken in the context of the Education and Training 2010 programme since the Copenhagen Declaration.

The main section of the report is subdivided into the following nine policy areas identified by education ministers as priorities for national policy design in the VET sector:

• Socio economic challenges for future VET policy development; • Economic crisis – VET policies as recovery measures; • Impact and Implications of the joint work on European principles and tools; • Strengthening the links between VET and the labour market; • Addressing equity, social inclusion and active citizenship; • Quality, excellence and attractiveness of VET; • Enhancing creativity and innovation; • Financing VET; • Progress in modernising European VET systems in the Copenhagen process and Priorities for future cooperation.

The first chapter deals with main challenges (globalisation, demographic change and migration, technological change) that VET systems need to take into account to secure proper employment for people and the full participation in society; the final chapter provides an outlook of the cooperation between Member States, the European Commission and social partners in the Copenhagen process and in the external dimension of European VET systems to foster the mobility of learners in the outside world.

The outcomes of the Cedefop’s review as summarized in the 2010 VET Policy report will be presented at the informal ministerial meeting which will be held in December 2010 in Bruges, Belgium. The preliminary findings of the analysis will also feed into the work of the European Commission and the Bruges working group preparing the 2010 communiqué on cooperation in VET beyond 2010 and other related policy documents.

The present report has been carried out by Isfol – through its Specialised Documentation Centre – collecting information and data coming from official sources, and thanks to the contribution of Isfol researchers and ReferNet Italy Consortia.

Isabella Pitoni Isfol, National ReferNet Italy Representative

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THEME 1:

SOCIOECONOMIC CHALLENGES FOR FUTURE VET POLICY DEVELOPMENT

In 2008, the Bordeaux communiqué emphasised the relevance of global challenges for education and training and underlined the need for a strategic vision for European VET policies.

Main challenges include: • globalisation (competition, global trade and foreign investments, social and economic permeability, interdependent financial markets, (intercultural) environments, offshore production); • demographic change and migration; • technological change.

VET policies need to take account of these challenges to ensure that VET systems are flexible enough to transform challenges into opportunities.

Early responses to these challenges with appropriate policies for education and training will provide a major contribution to securing proper employment for people and their full participation in society. Having the right skills for future labour market needs will help social inclusion as well as competitiveness of our economies.

The need for sustainable development and measures to mitigate climate change has become more urgent. Policy-makers by and large acknowledge the need for greener economies, which will provide new jobs, but which will also require new and changing skills.

1.1 Impact of globalisation on VET

In Italy, just like in the rest of the world, the relative employment rate increases with jobs requiring high vocational qualifications and falls with those requiring medium to low level vocational qualifications. Furthermore, the international economic integration creates a strategic advantage due to the higher growth potentials for economic systems having a greater capital intensity and qualified labour, and a risk of expulsion from the global market for productions characterised by lower technological innovation and greater intensity of low qualified labour. With these dynamics, according to data from the Adult Education Survey (AES), many European countries, among which there is also Italy, are in a particularly difficult situation as for education and vocational training. Therefore, these countries have to make more efforts to guarantee all citizens equal access to lifelong learning and should be more in line with the labour market needs. In the period roughly corresponding to the development of the current form of globalisation (the last 25 years), there have been important changes in the national VET system, which defined a new system of governance of education, focused on decentralisation and self-government. In particular, over the last ten years, significant processes have been put into practice for the decentralisation of education and training-related institutional competencies; self-government of schools has been implemented, and new responsibilities have been given to Regions and to Local Autonomies. Such changes require new approaches of merit and method and, in particular, the joint commitment of Ministries of Education and Labour, Regions and Autonomous Provinces, of Local Autonomies, School institutions and training agencies. In such framework, the legislation on secondary education is constantly evolving. The following important goals are linked to the need to modernize the whole system and the curricula of second level secondary education: on one hand, extending the compulsory school attendance, which is also

5 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 urged for by European indications, in order to guarantee a higher standard of basic and functional skills; on the other hand, coordination and integration between the school system and the basic vocational training system, aimed at ensuring diversification of training provision, so that it is coherent with the many expectations, training needs, and cognitive styles of users, and it is capable, also through this route, of stopping dispersion and drop-outs among pupils between 14 and 16 years of age. On the topic of compulsory education many laws were issued. From 1999 to date, from compulsory education (Law 9/1999) and compulsory training (Law 144/1999), the focus shifted to right/duty to education and training (Law 53/2003) for at least 12 years or until the achievement of a vocational qualification before 18 years of age. Then, starting from the school year 2007/2008, the law 296/2006 introduced ten years of compulsory education, after which there is the right-duty to education and training. The law 133/2008 has then included in the legislative system three-year vocational education and training programmes (IeFP), which had been started, as one of the channels through which compulsory education could be experimentally achieved, which the Accordo Stato-Regioni (State-Regions Agreement) of the 19th of June 2003. After the June 2003 agreement, a series of documents approved by the Conferenza unificata (Unified Conference) introduced important changes, such as the definition of minimum training standards for three-year programmes (basic and technical-vocational), of final and intermediate national certification devices, and of devices for acknowledging credits to help people shift between the education and first training systems. The thing in common between these changes seems to be preventing young people from the risk of drop before achieving a degree or a qualification, through the diversification of training provision; at the same time guaranteeing the acquisition of skills and contents common to routes that help further training for everyone, trying to reduce inequality in opportunities, which in Italy is still strong, as shown by research and literature on this topic. Among the latest laws, the most important ones deal with the higher secondary education system. The “re-organization” of technical education, of vocational education, of grammar schools - through regulation programmes - responds to many aims, some older than others. Among the first ones, the creation of new grammar schools - the modern linguistic school, the dance and music school - which were missing in the higher secondary education system, and their renaming in humanitarian sciences grammar schools, with the possible option of social-economic focus for former teaching schools. As suggested by the OECD, the reform focuses on the quality of teaching rather than on the amount of school hours and on an excessive number of subjects. The re-organization also brought the end of the creation of new experimental courses of study, assisted projects, and experimentations, which had been promoted over the years, while waiting for a broad reform of the higher secondary education system, with which to update the curricula, to respond to the changes in professional profiles of specific productive sectors and of services, and, in some cases, to protect schools with negative trends of enrolment. There was a situation of an ever growing number of more than 900 experimental study courses. Some of them are high in quality, are based on the relation with the labour market and with professions, are well structured and with good results, but they were are not transparent as for the provision and the final degree, they complicated the decision for pupils and families on one side, and the understanding, by businesses, of the different degrees and skills acquired by pupils, on the other side. The situation described by the regulation programmes seems simpler than in the past: there are still 6 kinds of grammar schools, two of which, the classical and the linguistic, only have one course of study. In the technical education, from 10 sectors with 39 courses, we now have two macro-sectors: the economic sector, with two study courses (administration, finance and marketing; tourism), and the technology sector, with nine study courses. In the vocational education, from 5 sectors with 27 courses of study, we now have two macro- sectors: the service sector, with three courses of study (agriculture and rural development,

6 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 maintenance and technical assistance, socio-health studies; wine, food and hospitality; trade services); the other, with only one course of study focused on crafts and industrial production. There are also important innovations both in the structure and in the look of curricula, and in the governance and management of schools. School hours will be reduced in all three sectors, and the new curricula, in particular the technical and vocational ones, will focus more on activities in laboratories and operative contexts, and they will have more school self-governance of strong flexibility rates. There are also innovations in the organization, aimed at improving the efficiency of the work of vocational bodies (Departments), at supporting the educational design by ensuring the contribution of external experts (Technical-Scientific Committees), at guaranteeing efficiency and security of laboratories (Technical Offices).

Non-academic higher education and training system will be reorganized, as outlined by the Presidential Decree of the 25th of January 2008. Such measure shows the intention to create measures aimed at training highly professional technical profiles. This choice is currently under discussion, in a time when problems and weaknesses of the typical Italian productive and economic model are more evident. A larger and more qualified offer of technicians, from three-year long courses of study of vocational training, to more advanced university research programmes, seems to be an essential condition for regaining competitiveness in Italy, both considering the traditional Italian vocational experience, and from the point of view of international markets. At first, this need has been met through the creation of the IFTS, then through the introduction of Training Centres, and recently through the reorganisation of the whole higher technical training system. In fact, the Presidential degree with the Guidelines for the reorganisation of the higher technical education and training system, and the creation of Higher Technical Institutes (25th of January 2008, published in the Official Journal on the 11th of April 2008), contains two higher technical education and training channels: • The Higher Technical Institutes (ITS); • The Higher Technical Training and Education Courses of Study (IFTS), presented in an updated way. As a result, within a decade, we shifted from the need to cover the gap of non academic post- secondary training (already present in other European countries) to the choice of setting a double channel of higher technical training. The scale and the impact of such choice is still difficult to measure in terms of real attractiveness and detection in the framework of Italian certification, both for the short time that has passed, and for the fact that the processes have not been completed, because the system needs to acquire a series of operative tools, directions and guidelines. We are talking about a reorganisation of the model, starting from the autonomous nature of organisms that we want to create from scratch (or transforming, after experimentation in the Training Centres); the aim is to share indications and guidelines which can be applied at local level to guarantee a balance between the regions, and to ensure the sustainability of the offer in terms of medium and short term perspectives, supporting people and resource integration. In particular, IFTS and ITS share macro-goals to achieve: guaranteeing training courses strongly related to local needs, offering individualised training routes, promoting and guaranteeing participation of employed adults also, and responding to European certification standards. In particular, ITS offer two-year programmes for helping young people and adults achieve a certification of higher technical specialisation , with reference to technological areas considered as priorities by national institutes of economic planning, and with reference to the European Strategy Framework ( energy efficiency , sustainable mobility , new life technologies , new technologies for Made in Italy products , innovative technologies for national heritage and for activities related to it , information and communication technologies). Reporting on initiatives

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Title of policy/ measure (indicate also the year when it was introduced/adopted/implemented)

REORGANIZATION OF THE HIGHER TECHNICAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION SYSTEM (IFTS) AND CREATION OF HIGHER TECHNICAL INSTITUTES (ITS) Presidential Decree of the 3 rd of March 2008 2. Outline of the policy/measure: The Decree has been adopted after the agreement reached during the Unified Conference, State- Regions, Cities and Local Autonomies, and with the opinion expressed by the Council of State. The Presidential Decree is a direction, which shows three kinds of intervention, in compliance with regional legislation on the matter: • The creation of Higher Technical Institutes (ITS) • The Higher Technical Training and Education routes • The development of technical-vocational centres

(a) (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives).

With the aim of sharing the technical and scientific culture, and to systematically support the economic development and competitiveness of the Italian production system, the Presidential Decree provides for:

• a more stable and better constructive offer of routes for higher technicians of different level; • the strengthening of the role of technical institutes and vocational institutes within the technical-scientific supply chain; • a greater cooperation between the different technical-professional centres and the local institution as of art. 13, paragraph 2, of the 40/07 law; • permanent guidance for young people towards technical professions, and informative initiatives for their families; • updating in service training for teachers of scientific, technological, and technological- professional subjects working in schools and in vocational training institutions; • support for active labour policies in agreement with workers' constant training, in the framework of constant learning throughout their whole life.

(b) (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). This measure's target group is mainly made of young people, workers, and unemployed adults. The reference education sector is post-secondary and lifelong training. The routes are designed and organised, so that the offer can meet differentiated training needs, young people and adults can have customised training routes, and employed adults' participation is enhanced.

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2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (c) (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). This measure's level of operation is national. The programming of the training provision is adopted every three years, with reference to the direction of national planning on economic development. Local plans attract the greatest attention of institutions, and are discussed about by both sides of the industrial world. Local plans are financed for at least 30% by Regions. (d) (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? The measure meets the need to improve the provision of more stable and better organised training routes at national level. (e) (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Ministry of Labour, Regions, Social Partners

3. Evaluation: (f) (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact ( including results of evaluation studies, if available). (g) (b) Indicators of success (e.g. high take-up, employment success, low deadweight, etc.). (h) (c) Integration of outcomes into (a) larger (national, sectoral, regional, local) policy/ies.

4. Conclusions: (i) (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. (j) (b) What issues remain to be addressed? The reorganisation of the higher technical training system is another functional element in the promotion of a technical culture, and a consequent valorisation of the reorganisation of the vocational and technical education, although the discussion among institutions on the definition of exit levels and on their correspondence to the qualification system of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is still open

5. Source, legend http://www.pubblica.istruzione.it/dg_post_secondaria/ifts_org.shtml

1.2 Impact of technological progress on VET

Evaluating the role of technology in education has become an urgent matter, as well as assessing the use efficient technologies and their impact on education itself. The impact of technology on VET does not only involve didactics. It also deals with the very content of education and training programmes (which often need to adapt to rapid evolution and to anticipate educational needs), with training activities (training of future teachers) and with the organization of the education system, called to overcome traditional and old-fashioned practices. A great deal of courses already involve the use of advanced technologies, from IWB (Interactive White Blackboard) to PC networks, from chat conversations to videoconferences, especially when it comes to University degrees, first and second level Masters. As to the content of education and training programmes, technological advances have dramatically accelerated the evolution of school and training curricula.

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The Ministry of Education and Scientific Research has established the Gruppo di lavoro Interministeriale per lo Sviluppo della Cultura Scientifica e Tecnologica (Inter-ministerial Workgroup for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Technology), as provided for in the decree signed on 04/08/2006 by the Ministers of Education, Cultural Heritage, University and Research, Innovation and Public Administration. This initiative is part of a series of European actions aimed at enhancing scientific and technological growth. The Workgroup has elaborated important GUIDELINES for the creation and use of dedicated spaces in schools for scientific and experimental purposes. In addition, the Workgroup has focused on the importance to update the curriculum of the Italian Liceo Scientifico (Secondary School course with a focus on scientific subjects) which needs to me based more on experimental evidence than on a deductive approach (as unfortunately is, due to lack of suitable space for scientific research). The group has also carried out a number of actions at local level. For example, the Region of Piemonte has launched a call for public and State-accredited secondary schools to encourage further “investments” in scientific research. Eligible projects should seek at promoting scientific enquiry skills through the use of interactive teaching methods, in particular in school laboratories. Each selected project is assigned a contribution of 20.000 Euros. In addition, the system regulating technical and vocational secondary education (IFTS) has been fully reorganized, as provided for in the Governmental decree dated 25/01/2008); the same decree also establishes secondary technical schools (ITS) with the aim of extending scientific and technical knowledge, supporting economic growth and increase competitiveness of the national economy. The above mentioned decree includes the following provisions: • Secondary school curricula should be more articulated and consistent; • The role of vocational and technical education in scientific research and technology should be reinforced. • Information and guidance activities on technical education should be provided to young people and their families at all stages; • Guidance and training for teachers of scientific, technological, professional and technical subjects in vocational and technical schools. The Secondary technical school (ITS) involves courses on two years for young people and adults to get a specialized diploma in one of the priority areas included in national strategic plans: energy efficiency sustainable mobility home automation technologies new technologies for “Made in Italy” innovative technologies for cultural activities and cultural heritage information and communication technologies The reform of secondary vocational and technical education will be implemented from school year 2010-2011. Much attention is paid to the use of new technologies, therefore the number of hours dedicated to laboratory lessons has been increased to the detriment of classroom courses in both technical and economic specializations. An innovative accreditation procedure has been launched in the field of vocational education, which is no more intended as one of the options available, but as a public service addressing local needs. Therefore, vocational education will have to consider the fundamental role played by technological advances.

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1. Title of policy/ measure Simulex – experimental environment for university and professional legal education 2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). Among the most interesting technological tools used for educational purposes, the so-called “serious games” (SG) are didactic applications which simulate real life while drawing on technologies and interaction models of videogames. SG are used worldwide in different contexts, f rom medical education to military training. Computer-based education proves to be very effective and stimulating. So far, except for some pilot studies, SG have never been used in legal education courses. However, simulating real life activities would encourage learners to improve their theoretical knowledge and to strengthen their practical abilities. This research has tested the use of SG in legal education, which has a strong social value. Indeed, the number of professional activities dealing with the interpretation of legal norms is very high and does not only include traditional professions (lawyers, judges, notaries, etc.). (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). • Encouraging the use of SG in legal education; • Designing a suitable environment for the creation of online blended SG based on the simulation of legal proceedings and real legal activities; • Developing a teaching method to strengthen the potential of SG use in legal education and improving the efficiency of educational and vocational opportunities in this field; • Identifying an effective learning environment to carry out learning experiments; • Identifying the strong and the weak points of the learning environment and the methodology used. c. Target groups • Law professionals included in lifelong learning initiatives (lawyers, judges, notaries); • Managers and public servants; • University professors and students enrolled in a Faculty of Law; • Trainers;

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.). Simulex prototype was created at the end of 2008 and was tested for the first time in spring 2009 in a criminal procedure course organised at the University of Benevento (Faculty of Law). In this experiment, a civil trial was simulated. The professor used Simulex prototype to create a virtual scenario and share didactic material on line. Students divided into teams were assisted by a tutor and played the role of the parts involved (judges, law officers). The game was based on online interactions mediated partly by the platform (creation of new event types, sharing of the proceedings, communications between the parts) partly by front meeting s (frontal lessons, simulation of particular trial activities, hearings, conversations, interrogations, etc.). Multimedia and hypertext materials were made available through the platform (slides, laws, educational videos, tutorials, videos of trials, questionnaires). At the end of the course a sentence was pronounced and the students were evaluated.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). For logistical reasons, the experiments has focused only on University legal education. However, the main objective of the study is adapt the platform and the methodology to various educational and professional contexts, both in Italy and in the rest of Europe.

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social)

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policy approach? The experiment is part of a vast and articulated project aiming at creating a new platform. The project has been presented to apply for funding under the Lifelong Learning Programme.

(c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). - ISFOL - (Planning – Interaction design) - ISISLab Research Laboratory –Information Technology Department - University of Salerno (Implementation) - Faculty of Law- University of Sannio (experimental phase) 3. Evaluation: (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact (including results of evaluation studies, if available). The experiment has proved that SG can be highly effective in legal education. According to the teachers and students involved, the following elements contribute to this result:

• The simulation of real prosecutions improves the understanding of law and its functions (as stressed by students); • The availability of recreational elements (graphic interfaces, challenges, multimedia contents), makes the interaction easier and funnier, while enhancing personal motivation; • The use of digital material and the use of the Internet allows for different and interactive learning opportunities.

• (b) Indicators of success (e.g. high take-up, employment success, low deadweight, etc.). - Students’ knowledge; - Students’ motivation; - Professors’ involvment; - Availability of contents (without time and space constraints)

4. Conclusions: (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. Implementation of advanced interfaces and interaction modes (immersive graphics, artificial intelligence, multiplayer functions, etc.) similar to those used in recreational applications. Among possible future developments, closer cooperation with videogames and SG developers would be of greatest importance.

(b) What issues remain to be addressed? • Improving teaching methods applied; • Testing the methodology and the platform available in other contexts within the area of legal education.

5. Source, legend http://www.ittig.cnr.it/Ricerca/Testi/lettieri2006.pdf

Policy example provided by Nicola Lettieri, Isfol

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1.3 Impact of demographic change and international migration on VET

With regards to demographic and employment perspectives, estimates describe Italy in a difficult situation: the sensitive balances of the labour market and of the social protection scheme will be more and more questioned by phenomena like the ageing population and imbalances between different regions, which will lead to an increase in the migratory pressure and to a steady urbanisation 1. In fact, the age class structure of the Italian population now reflects the well know dynamics of ageing, which are common to European and industrialised countries. In our country, the median age, corresponding to the class of the 40-44 year old in 2007, will supposedly move to the 50-54 age group by 2050.

Chart 1 – Italian population by age and sex. Years 2007 and 2050 (%)

100 + 100 + 95-99 95-99 90-94 90-94 85-89 85-89 80-84 80-84 75-79 75-79 70-74 70-74 65-69 65-69 60-64 60-64 55-59 Women 55-59 Women 50-54 Men 50-54 45-49 45-49 Men 40-44 40-44 35-39 35-39 30-34 30-34 25-29 25-29 20-24 20-24 15-19 15-19 10-14 10-14 5-9 5-9 0-4 0-4

Source: ISFOL elaboration on ISTAT data

The current composition of the population and the ways in which it will evolve on the medium and long term will inevitably lead to a gradual reduction of the workforce and to an increase in the rates of demographic dependency, as shown by the relative stability of the aggregate 0-14 in time compared to the progressive growth of the pressure applied on the population in the working age by those over 65 years of age From the point of view of the labour market, the employment rate of older workers (55-64 years old) has constantly increased since 2002, shifting from 28.9 to 34.4% in 2008; on the other hand, over the same period of time, the unemployment rate among young people (15-24 years old) slightly fell from 25.8 to 24.4%

The same paired trend, between the two age segments, can be noticed more clearly by observing the activity rate: while for the mature population it went from 30.2 in 2002 to 35.5% in 2008, for young people it fell by approximately 5 points from 35.5 to 30.9% (Tab 2). This seems to reflect both a possible feeling of discouragement due to the common difficulties in entering the labour market for the first time, and the European trend, in which young people spend more time on education and training.

1 Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education, Italia 2020 - Piano di azione per l’occupabilità dei giovani, Roma, settembre 2009 (Italy 2002 - Action plan for young people's employability, Rome, September 2009)

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In order to fight these phenomena and to help young employment through the integration of education and the labour market, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education have recently (in September 2009) worked out a document called Italia 2020 - Piano di azione per l’occupabilità dei giovani attraverso l’integrazione tra apprendimento e lavoro (Italy 2020 – Action plan for young people’s employability through the integration of education and the labour market). The plan shows how one of the main criticalities in our Country, which is also shown in all international benchmarks , is the difficult transition from the education and training to the labour market. Not only the extremely long duration of this transition leads to alarming phenomena of long term unemployment, but there are still too many young people, who focus their choices on weak training routes, which will not be able to help finding a job in the labour market. As for the above mentioned items, we refer to some examples included in the Catalogo nazionale delle Buone pratiche del Fondo Sociale Europeo e dei Programmi e Iniziative comunitarie realizzate in Italia " (National Catalogue of Good Practices of the European Social Fund and of European Programmes and Initiatives carried out in Italy) (2000-2006) 2, promoted by the Directorate General Guidance and Training Policies, promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. The area is related to the European Social Fund, to national and regional operational Programmes, to interventions carried out through the “Equal” European initiative, to art. 6 of the Community Regulation 1784/99 “Innovative Actions” and to the community Programme Leonardo da Vinci.

Among the projects aimed at responding to students' reduced participation to training, the following are to be considered.

Kos – Knowledge open service- School for Development. The idea of the project, worked out by a school in Puglia, is part of a wider context of method-didactic innovation, of project management, of ICTs' diffusion, of work-school rotation, and of enterprise simulation mechanisms. In the schools belonging to the network, students simulated the life cycle of a real company, through the support of virtual organisations (the chamber of commerce, the bank, the State, the revenue office, the market) implemented in national and regional simulation centres. Therefore, students have had the opportunity to experience a hands-on training route, facing real problems and interacting with a network of workers, which is very similar to the one in the labour market and in companies.

Against abandon. Countering the phenomenon of drop-outs, reconsidering counselling language (Leonardo da Vinci Programme -2nd Phase 2000-2006). The project involved specific elements related to the phenomenon of drop-out and dispersion, with the aim of supporting a more efficient dialogue between services offering guidance to young people in a situation of unrest and to those risking marginalization. Methods, techniques and communication/relation practices were identified in order to help workers dealing with guidance, counselling and training, develop skills for using tools and methods; and adopt more efficient communication/relation techniques to be used in the interaction with target users. Formal and informal services to risk subjects were mapped, so were interviews with dropping-out students and with experts; this was aimed at creating a typical profile of young people; at starting the analysis of styles and verbal/non verbal behaviours adopted by them; at building up a series of good practices. A video reportage was also made with the aim of raising awareness of public opinion and of professionals.

Among regional and European projects aimed at training mature people, and therefore at promoting active ageing meant as staying longer on the labour market, the following are to be considered.

2 The catalogue is being updated.

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AWARDS - Ageing Women workers Aimed at Renewing Development towards a Sustainable life, promoted and managed by the Province of Piacenza. The project intended to develop innovating actions for older women workers, especially within the strategies of employment, training, education and social inclusion, by integrating local policies and improving professional training, labour organization and corporate culture in companies.

TACITUS - Valorizzazione e trasmissione degli apprendimenti non formali (Promoting and Transmitting Non Formal Learning), promoted and managed by Confindustria Veneto SIAV (Confederation of Industry in the region of Veneto SIAV), had the aim of improving access to and quality of constant professional training. The project created a transnational network at European level, which is aimed at working out specific training methods for certain targets, and an intervention model for SMEs for updating older workers' skills and interchange between generations. With such instruments, entrepreneurs, managers, technicians and workers of small sized enterprises can find the ways in which they can pass their skills onto younger colleagues, in order to give continuity to the company while, at the same time, keeping the productive activity and employment.

ACTING - Active ageing for Competences transfer and training, promoted by IFOA (Corporate Workers' Training Institution), was aimed at developing and experimenting transnational methods and practices in order to keep, give value to, and transfer the heritage of professional competences of older workers; promoting their adaptability and employability by acquiring innovative skills; raising institutional and socio-economic stakeholders' awareness on the potentials of older workers and on the policies in favour of the active ageing of the population.

Among the projects aimed at responding to the effects of migrations, the following is to be considered:

G.LOCAL - Immigration, skills, development in local systems (Community initiative Equal - I PS Geographical phase) Promoted by Equal - Veneto Region, and managed by a consortium coordinated by SIAV Veneto (service firm of the union of confederated industries), the project carried out a wide study and definition of tools on the topic of immigration from the point of view of training, the labour market, and social, anthropological, legislative and administrative aspects. The main recipients of these actions are migrants and ethnic minorities. Among the activities there were research, working out of training routes, training and informative aids, but – especially – the creation of a "specialised skills centre". The Centre develops seven thematic and service sections:

• "Legal consultancy" with information on the latest immigration legislation and with the possibility of accessing consultancy-related and legal services; • The "Archive" area, with research and documents on topics related to immigration contains some examples of good practices aimed at social and work inclusion of immigrants; • The "assessment" area, in which there is a tool for assessing the professional potentials of the immigrant worker (also useful for guidance and selection actions); • The "diversity management" section, in which the contributions to the Italian and international debates on diversity management within organisations are gathered; • "News from Cittadini Dappertutto (Citizens Everywhere)" offers a news service on the multicultural dynamics of the region Veneto and on the relation between immigration and the labour market; • A collection of "country files" with practical information on the main countries from which migrants are coming (culture, society, economy, and legislation);

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• A "link" section in order to spot other sources on the topic of immigration (Research Centres, Non-profit Organisations, Observers).

1.4 Impact of greening of economy on VET

The EU targets set in the 2008 climate change package and the growth of environmentally sustainable economies have opened new markets and created green jobs. This has several implications on the Italian VET systems. According to the EU Directive, by 2010 Italy will have to submit its plan for the development of renewable energy with the aim of achieving 17% by 2020. It is worth remembering that, despite recent steps made in the field of renewable sources of energy, for many years Italy has lacked a solid strategy for the implementation of saving policies and of policies for energy conversion efficiency by progressively replacing fossil fuels with clean and renewable ones. This goal represents a major challenge for VET systems, that is the need to train professionals to emerging and potential environmental professions. The economy of sustainability shows a great potential from the occupational point of view which. This potential attracts investments on training; VET systems are now to play an important role in meeting the goal of sustainable development and economic competitiveness with job growth. Experience in the field of environmental training allows Isfol to understand the main characteristics and trends emerging from a series of surveys carried out on environmental training from 2004 to 2008 by Ifolamb, the Environmental Project of Isfol Research Department. Data on vocational education, universities and masters have been collected every year and allow for a deep understanding of the most important aspects of the investments made so far. They also provide with useful information helping future training programmes on the basis of emerging problems 3. Every year more than 500 public and private training institutions, schools and universities promote around 2000 curricula on environmental issues. On the basis of the average annual participation to vocational and lifelong learning activities as well as to university and post-graduate courses, it is estimated that between 50,000 and 55,000 people are trained on environmental issues. From 2004 to 2008 training activities on environmental issues have been disseminated all over the national territory. However some lacks, delays and accelerations have been recorded in planning training activities. The number of activities has increased in the South of Italy (+30% in 2008). In this area there is the highest concentration of university courses. Worth a mention is the investment in the Centre of Italy (over 30%). In this area there is the highest concentration of environmental masters. Supply in the North of Italy is more homogeneous. This area is more specialised in vocational education initiatives. As to the role of the actors involved in the implementation of these measures, investments on vocational education have fallen from 64% in 2004 to 45% in 2008. As far as university education is concerned, in 2008 it accounted for 40% of the total supply and is now increasing and diversifying its activities in the field of environmental issues (26% in 2004). The number of Masters is also increasing thanks to the interest of universities which have experimented many and new educational paths on environmental issues (15% in 2008). Besides the modification of VET systems at the national level, it is also possible to note a change in supply and a clear trend towards high-quality education: more and more courses provide the learners with competences and professional profiles of middle and high level. This trend is in line with the request of environmental specialists with higher educational levels thus meeting the demand for qualified jobs in future job scenarios. As far as vocational education is concerned, data show that most of the supply has been implemented and strengthened by public investments in favour of environmental policies. However

3 For more detailed information: “Ambiente e sviluppo: dal bilancio energetico ai green jobs ”, Rapporto Isfol 2009 , Roma, 2009, pp. 343-368.

16 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 it must be said that many training initiatives had more an informative function on environmental issues than invested on the provision of skills and competences in the field of sustainable development. Differences in the programming of State-financed activities and the huge increase in the number of private courses highlight the need for planning training initiatives in the medium and long term so as to efficiently combine environmental policies with education. In the South of Italy more and more environmental paths are implemented, but they do not always succeed in having a positive impact on the quality of both job and development. They are not even designed as a chance to renew production and training processes. In Central and Northern Italy activities seem to fulfil the production systems’ need for training. This need is related to regulation in the field of environmental issues. Since 2004 the relation between public (63%) and private supply has changed (61% in 2007). Initiatives are shorter and shorter and focused on lifelong learning, even if qualification, post-qualification and post-license courses are also numerous. Sometimes these courses are organized by fully licensed agencies that go hand in hand with the traditional public supply. This is something new for local development and local self-promotion. Over the years, investments on primary and specialized education have decreased also because of the delay in the implementation of the reform of the school system (Law number 53/2003). Courses in favour of the disadvantaged have decreased in number (from 11% in 2004 to 3 % in 2008). Green jobs could bring new job opportunities for these disadvantaged people. Concerning the subjects that are dealt with in environmental courses there are meaningful variations; above all greater attention is paid to the development of professional skills thus meeting the requirements of the EU 20-20-20 plan for the development of renewable energy and of energy efficiency. This is also the trend of the steady increase in training of issues like depollution, conservation, control of resources from 42% in 2004 to 62% in 2008) which are almost wholly concentrated in lifelong learning (86% on average). In this context there is an increasing number of courses dealing with waste disposal, renewable energy, energy savings, quality control, environmental certification. Courses are generally short and mostly financed by the private sector. However there are also some longer initiatives mainly financed by the public sector and devoted to the training of technicians, operators, and other professionals in the field of monitoring, quality control and certification, water and renewable energies. Courses on subjects like environmental and territorial conservation, protection, defence and development are less and less predominant. This is all the most true in sectors like environmental tourism, soil conservation, water and forest resources, urban planning, spatial planning and environmental management. From 2004 to 2008 education on environmental-friendly agriculture has been more than halved (13% in 2004, 5% in 2008). The relationship between University and environmental education shows positive trend. After the experimentation of the new degrees, in the academic year 2007-2008 the supply of environmental paths increased considerably (+54% compared to 2003-2004) with 871 courses. Educational paths are many and they usually depend on territory specificities or are related to local development initiatives. Environmental curricula also increased if compared to the national total supply which has recently decreased. In the academic year 2007-2008 environmental curricula accounted for 14% of all curricula provided by Italian universities. Universities in the South and Centre of Italy play a vital role (in the academic year 2007-2008 they represent 35% and 31% respectively of the total number) both in case they have a strong tradition in the field of investment and in case they do not. They are mostly solicited either by the possibility to access to European funds or by an interest in environmental issues. An incentive to renovation and the commitment of universities in building or redefining their curricula so as they adhere to the most recent environmental policies are a reality. Evidences of this reality are: the creation of new curricula which have increased the value of the tight relationship between knowledge, research and environment; the introduction of innovative disciplines in traditional curricula; and finally the possibility to have new curricula training environmental specialists. Despite the relevance of these initiatives, though they should be spread and improved, there are still many problems to solve. First of all there is a need to develop experiences based on a different approach compared to the conventional academic one. This

17 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 approach should be based on complex and systematic abilities to introduce values in the cognitive dimension. In curricula on environmental issues there is often a lack of interconnection between mainstream culture and professional education and a mismatch between the results of education and the needs of the profession. University education should also try to anticipate the needs and to translate the results of environmental research into innovative educational opportunities. As to environmental Masters , in Italy they are playing a vital role in the field of specialized education, thus fulfilling the need of newcomers on the labour market for high-level tools and the need of professionals to improve their skills and competences. In Italy the 1999 reform of University has recognized and structured these paths, thus letting the Universities free to organize and innovate. Since the reform was enforced the number of environmental Masters has almost increased five-fold (from 60 in 2000 to almost 300 in 2008). Universities are the most important promoters of these Masters (70% on average for every year and more than 80% in 2008). In 2008 university Masters covered around 13% of the national total supply. The number of Masters promoted by private institutes or companies is also noteworthy (16% in 2008), even if the number of vocational training courses based on geographical planning and territorial management of EU funds (20% in 2004 and 1% in 2008) has decreased. These courses are mainly on conservation, protection, defence and valorisation of the environment and of the territory (more than 50% on average in 5 years), with a special focus on management and planning of the territory and the territory, soil protection, water and forest resources, and urban planning. The number of courses on depollution, saving and resource control is increasing (from 30% in 2004 to 36% in 2008). They are mainly oriented on monitoring, security, hygiene, environmental security, quality control and environmental certification. Stability of education supply in these two sectors is linked to the great demand for specialized professionals working on the recently regulated fields of analysis, prevention and management of environmental risks, quality control and certification. The number of activated Masters on environmental-friendly agriculture has already decreased (7% in 2004, 1% in 2008). It is important to strengthen this training sector, since it can play a vital role in anticipating professional and educational needs; in proposing innovative profiles that are not yet present on the labour market (this can anticipate future scenarios in different professional sectors); and in rapidly and systematically meeting the emerging expectations of the new green markets. After last decade’s first experiences in tackling environmental emergencies, the educational supply has been empowered all over the national territory. Despite the many slowdowns, lacks and differences that have been recorded, the educational supply has been also enriched by many courses dealing with the most important aspects of environmental issues with the aim of fulfilling the need for environmental professionals. Thanks to the ESF strategic plans and the reforms of both vocational education and university, educational opportunities have been oriented to meet the addressee needs in terms of courses and subjects. In this context vocational education is progressively losing its predominant role above all in the field of primary environmental education and it is more and more used as a requalification and professional updating tool. University and vocational training institutes are more focused on environmental issues. For this reason they activate educational paths and invest on the empowerment of high and middle-level education that can achieve the goal of training professionals providing them systemic competences which are specific to green economy. There is a need for standards in environmental sustainability so as to respect the new constraints imposed at the EU and national level. This requires a radical change in VET systems to be oriented to learning processes, to the training of environmental specialists, and to the settlement and specification of both expressed and potential needs. If it will be able to orient both expressed and potential needs of a different development model, high-quality environmental education will be able to define and to build professional competences.

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1. Title of policy/ measure (indicate also the year when it was introduced/adopted/implemented) IFOLAMB – Informazione Formazione Orientamento Lavoro AMBientale (Information Education Guidance Environmental Work) – activity which began in 2001 in the framework of policies in favor of environmental education and employment . 2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). EU guidelines give priority to meeting the following goals: sustainable development, competitiveness and employment. Educational and occupational policies in the field of environmental issues play a vital role in creating innovation, in opening new markets and in strengthening competitiveness and the sustainable use of resources. An increasing attention on green jobs and the many training courses dedicated to acquiring and updating professional environmental competences have urged the implementation of an information system which containing information, data and emerging trends. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). Implementing a national observatory dedicated to environmental education and employment and working in the field of counselling on educational programmes and on training and occupational choice. The aim of this project is to promote dialogue and cooperation between both private and public actors, accessibility, quality, continuity, and the use of collected data by means of frequent surveys and specific research paths on environmental education and employment. (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). Decision makers in the field of employment and educational policies, managers of local and regional education programmes, training institutes planning and implementing educational activities, end users of educational activities.

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.). The IFOLAMB information system (www.isfol.it) is subdivided into 4 sections: 1. Environmental educational supply – Database of environmental educational activities promoted in Italy by both public and private actors, in the framework of vocational education, University and Masters. 2. Job opportunities for environmental specialists – Results of research on the occupational impact of important environmental educational centres. 3. Environmental employment trends – Monitoring environmental employment by means of analyses on data concerning ISTAT (Italian Institute for Statistics) workforce in the 1993-2008 period. 4.Environmental specialists – Analytically defining innovative specialist profiles in the field of strategic areas for the development of sustainable business. 2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). National policy support initiatives in the field of environmental education and employment.

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? The information system has been promoted, implemented and coordinated by Isfol Area Progetto Ambiente (Environment project area) – Ifolamb , in the framework of institutional or ESF activities for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The implementation of IFOLAMB is part of a larger project for strengthening education, training and employment. The implementation of IFOLAMB has been carried out in collaboration with ISTI – Pisa based CNR (National Research Centre) Institute for Information Science and Technology “Faedo”. Surveys on educational supply have been carried out in collaboration with regional and provincial departments of education and environmental issues, public and private research and training institutes, and the Universities.

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(c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). The information system has been promoted, implemented and coordinated by Isfol Area Progetto Ambiente (Environment project area) – Ifolamb , in the framework of institutional or ESF activities for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The implementation of IFOLAMB is part of a larger project for strengthening education, training and employment. The implementation of IFOLAMB has been carried out in collaboration with ISTI – Pisa based CNR (National Research Centre) Institute for Information Science and Technology “Faedo”. Surveys on educational supply have been carried out in collaboration with regional and provincial department in charge of environmental education, public and private research and training institutes, and the Universities. 3. Evaluation: (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact ( including results of evaluation studies, if available). (b) Indicators of success (e.g. high take-up, employment success, low deadweight, etc.).

THE INFORMATION SYSTEM IS USED AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS A TOOL FOR : • SUPPORTING ACTION : DATA AND INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED TO POLITICIANS , ADMINISTRATORS AND EXPERTS IN THE FIELD IN ORDER TO HELP THEM DISSEMINATING BOTH TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES ; AND TO DETECT BOTH STRONG AND WEAK POINTS OF THE SYSTEM . • Orienting choices: it helps the dissemination of the many different educational experiences that have been so far carried out in the field; • Exchanging and sharing ideas: it is the best way to facilitate the development of synergies to successfully face the problems of environmental sustainability. (c) Integration of outcomes into (a) larger (national, sectoral, regional, local) policy/ies. Ifolamb plays an innovative and experimental role. It is a systemic network of knowledge and the result of surveys and research carried out by Isfol Area Progetto Ambiente (Environment Project Area) – Ifolamb. This information system is a tool for environmental communication . It is the interface between the different technical, scientific, institutional and social actors. Ifolamb has many users, because it fulfils many needs for information and because it continuously updates the system information, content and structure.

4. Conclusions: (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. Difficulty in gathering data for the creation of the information database.. This has often made acquisition and classification of specific pieces of information difficult.

(b) What issues remain to be addressed?

5. Source, legend

www.isfol.it

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THEME 2:

In response to a severe worldwide economic crisis the December 2008 European Council endorsed a European economic recovery programme. It called for an overall fiscal stimulus equivalent to 1.5% of EU- 27 GDP, and underlined that priority should be given to structural reform measures. Countries have taken relevant action across a broad spectrum of policy areas, including VET. VET policies play a central role in the efforts to overcome the crisis and balancing out weaknesses of the labour market. To overcome the current economic downturn and recognising the crucial role of education and training in this context, education ministers called for targeted and coordinated action at European level. The aim of the analysis in this section is twofold: • to gain a better overview of the major consequences of the crisis on skills and VET policies - if possible differentiating between short- and medium-term effects (reduce/increase public and/or private expenditure for VET, reduce/increase the willingness of companies to provide work-based training, what groups of population are mainly affected, skills mismatches in specific badly hit sectors, etc.);

• to gain an overview of VET-focused policies and measures undertaken by countries to overcome the crisis (making a distinction between measures already planned as part of medium-term reform strategies, and measures which can be considered as a new response to the crisis).

This input will update information already collected by the Swedish Presidency (May 2009) and Cedefop via ReferNet. Form and procedure for the update will be clarified with the Presidencies to ensure integration of complementary and up-to-date information

2.1 Initiatives for recovery

The process, connected to the financial economic crisis, changed the structure of employment, affecting unprotected workers or workers with non-standard or contingent jobs. Most highly educated young people are employed with these kinds of jobs. Therefore, the financial crisis runs the risk of further complicating the problem of human capital with generic skills. Indeed these skills are more focused on education then on vocational training. For this reason, actions are even more urgent, with the need to make training a structural element of economic policies, both in terms of active labour policies, aimed at re-training and employability, and in terms of the need to stimulate companies to invest on human capital. One of the most important areas of the Italian strategy against the crisis, in accordance with the community indications, is to support the creation of active social buffers. With the decree no. 185/2008 turned into law no. 2/2009, action focused on measures for protecting workers, business, and families from the negative effects of the crisis. The core of these policies was to strengthen and to develop income protection measures. At the end of December 2008, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies organised the Unità per la tutela dell'Occupazione (Employment Protection Task Force), with the aim of leading the activation of resources and initiatives. Moreover the "Fondo sociale per occupazione e formazione" (Social Fund for Employment and Training) was created. Its resources are assigned to "learning and income support activities", with a mixture of active and passive policies. In some cases, for bilateral purposes, there will be the integrative intervention of bilateral bodies. The resource allocation methods acknowledge the different local labour market conditions, with the possibility to adjust and differentiate measures, also in function of the financial participation of regional and local authorities, and through the use of community Funds. On the 12th of February 2009, the Accordo Governo Regioni e Province autonome (Agreement between Government, Regions, and Autonomous Provinces) was signed to start joint initiatives for supporting income and skills, and for allocating and transferring funds for derogatory social buffers (in favour of productive sectors, businesses, and individuals not included in the ordinary national legislation), thus increasing the number of recipients. Access to income support measures is granted only if in case of

21 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 declaration of immediate availability to work or to attend a vocational re-training, thus strictly linking the distribution of income support funds to active policy measures. In the framework of the Employment Protection Task Force, the Ministry of Labour developed a proposal for helping and supporting the implementation of the Accordo Stato-Regioni (State-Regions Agreement) and its related Bilateral Agreements. The proposal “Il percorso delle politiche attive a contrasto della crisi in ambito FSE come processo di potenziamento delle competenze del capitale umano” (Active policies against the crisis in the ESF framework as a process for strengthening the skills of human capital") is a series of methods and interventions, which will be adjusted in each region, and is aimed at supporting the different institutional bodies involved in intervention planning and management. The process will start from institutional round tables (with Regions and both sides of the industry), during which Agreements granting social buffers and Management Plans (at company, territorial and local level) will be worked out and signed. The aim is to revitalize productive activity and employment protection, by identifying a well-constructed system of measures and tools. The active policy interventions are targeted to people who are permanently or temporarily out of the labour market. The valorisation of active policy interventions is based on differentiated practices and on learning methods, not only connected to the traditional idea of course. Such programme requires policies that will be adjusted to people's needs (building ad hoc courses made of a set of tools, which can be integrated and summarised in the “ Dote personale di attivazione” - "Personal gift of activation"- that is a "virtual" credit which can be used by the recipient in order to exploit services aimed at strengthening the already owned skills; this credit is determined by an Agreement of measure activation). The different interventions aim at strengthening (acquiring, keeping or updating) skills through: guidance and work attendance interventions; catalogue training routes, the supply of short, modulated, and even blended "packages", which can be used one after the other; professional training internships in companies; specific vocational/re-training routes related to agreements with companies; and training- guidance, tutoring, or incubating interventions, aimed at supporting new enterprises. It is still too early to globally assess the measures adopted by the government in agreement with regions and autonomous provinces; but, formally, the February 2009 agreement, signed during the State-Regions Conference with the Task Force's support, is an example of coordination between institutional actors, which are responsible for passive and active labour polices at their own different levels. As recommended by the European Commission, this has been achieved in a very short time, and has involved decisions and expenditure planning for more than 8 billion Euros for the years 2009-2010. With such introduction, the services for labour are one of the vital points for strengthening the redeployment system for those who are victims of the crisis and for supporting the conservation of skills and re-training measures. They are also essential for supplying active policies in favour of individuals. The Italian Government measures are a combination of active and passive measures, aimed at maintaining the human capital, helping a sustainable economic recovery, and improving skills, by considering the future needs of the labour market. Training initiatives for employed workers (constant training) give priority to groups of people who run the risk of being marginalized by the labour market, and to workers who have more difficulties in accessing updating, qualifying and re-training interventions. From the point of view of gender, the Government wants to support a more flexible time schedule and strengthen social care services in order to allow women and men workers' re-training. The pivot point of the active and passive policies is the Employment Services Network, whose improvement is one of the Government's and Regions' priority. As for labour demand, it is vital to widen the range of services offered to companies, keeping in mind the job profiles, which are of greater interest for companies; as for supply, there will be investments on a wider agreement between employment services and vocational training, in order to strengthen their effectiveness. Within the Isfol (Institute for workers' vocational training development) ESF 2010 plan, the Ministry (Directorate General for Guidance and Training Policies) approved the project "Ricognizione delle misure regionali di contrasto alla crisi" ("Acknowledgment of regional measures against the crisis") which, every three months is going to draw up an articulated portrait of the planning and implementation of these kinds of measures. After the first report, the next will involve the description of regional measures with

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1. Title of policy/ measure

School and work: the "Dowry System" in the Region Lombardy

(Activated in January 2009) 2. Outline of the policy/measure:

(a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason).

The Regional Council of the Region Lombardy assigned almost 333 Euros, for the year 2009, for supporting Lombardy families in schools, and vocational training routes and routes of (re)-integration in the labour market, through the implementation of the so-called “Sistema Dote”.

(b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives).

The action is made up of a complex mixture of well financed measures and, in a time of economic crises, is aimed at providing real help to a wide range of families (more than 200,000) and to vulnerable people in accessing a series of education, vocational training, and labour integration services, made available through a network of qualified agencies. At the core of the system there is the choice of individuals, who are capable of choosing the right option that suits their needs.

“Sistema Dote” is made of three wide intervention channels, which are then organised in specific action fields: “Dote Scuola” (195,921,000 Euros – managed by the Ministry of Education, University and Research), “Dote Formazione” (25,000,000 Euros) and “Dote Lavoro” (112,000,000 Euros). Dote Scuola is addressed to young people attending State-owned and private Lombardy schools, with the aim of guaranteeing the right to education and widening students' freedom of choice. It is divided into "Dote Scuola per l'istruzione" (75,482,000 Euros), for young people of primary and secondary schools, both public and private; and "Dote Scuola per istruzione e formazione professionale", for those who complete compulsory education at the three year courses of the Vocational Training Institutes (120,439,000 Euros).

Dote Formazione is for all those people, between 16 and 64 years of age, who want to strengthen and increase their skills, knowledge and abilities, and thus want to improve their professional situation, by making use of training services of the regional vocational education and training service. Dote Formazione is supplied with 25,000,000 Euros. The maxi mum contribution is 5,000 Euros. Workers can also benefit from this measure. Dote Formazione can last no more than 24 months from the date of allocation. Dote Lavoro addresses those people (unemployed, first-time job-seekers, mobility or temporarily laid-off workers), between 16 and 64 years of age, who want to enter and re-enter the labour market. These people are taken care of by a tutor in a qualified agency, who will guide them in using those services and activities, which are useful for achieving each person's goal.

Dote Lavoro is supplied with 112,000,000 Euros. The minimum contribution is 1,500 Euros and it can be used for attending short training courses, organised by the regional training and education system, on the basis of a customised intervention plan worked out by a qualified agent for labour services. According to the agreement, the contribution of 1500 Euros will double in case Dote Lavoro beneficiaries are people risking disadvantages or marginalization from the labour market. The recipients of Dote Lavoro, whose social or economic conditions require a greater support for making use of the planned services, can obtain a further contribution of up to 3,000

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Euros (300 for every month of attendance, up to a maximum of 10 months).

Within the framework of the Dote Lavoro, there are innovative actions in favour of particular workers' groups, having specific needs: for example, unemployed women, or women with the so-called weaker degrees (arts); people interested in attending highly specialised training internships or internships in companies or research institutes (for postgraduates, researchers and PhD students); atypical workers, workers of social cooperatives for the integration and keeping of the workplace for mentally disabled people.

Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.).

Pilot project. First applications were submitted in April 2009.

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THEME 3:

IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE JOINT WORK ON EUROPEAN PRINCIPLES AND TOOLS

The Copenhagen declaration initiated extensive joint work on European principles and tools aiming at increased transparency of qualifications and improved systems for recognition of competences and qualifications. This work has resulted in development of Europass, the European qualifications framework (EQF), the European credit system for VET (ECVET) ( 4), common European principles and guidelines for validation of non-formal and informal learning ( 5), the Council resolution on Strengthening policies, systems and practices in the field of guidance throughout life ( 6) and the Council resolution on Better integration of lifelong learning guidance into lifelong learning strategies ( 7). Formally adopted between 2004 and 2009, all these instruments have now reached the implementation stage. Work on principles and tools is based on a lifelong learning (LLL) perspective. VET is seen as an integral and interlinked part of an overarching education, training and learning system. Transparency and recognition is needed because individuals move between different parts of the education and training system, between education and work, and between sectors and countries. This effort needs to be seen also in the context of European strategic goal to expand mobility for learners, teachers and trainers and to make periods of learning abroad the rule rather than the exception also in the VET sector. The learning outcomes approach, shifting focus to knowledge, skills and competences, has been the common basis for the European tools.

3.1 Impact of joint work on European principles and tools on national LLL policies and practices and VET developments

Over the last decade, the Italian VET system has been influenced by European principles and tools. Amongst the national measures meeting such principles, there are the recent reforms involving school and professional training. There are many examples of them. The reorganisation of the education and non academic higher training system (Presidential decree 25.01.08) marks the intention to establish a channel different from the academic one, and is aimed at training highly specialised technical professionals, in line with the aim of strengthening the links between VET and the labour market. Also the reform of the secondary higher education – which required the reorganisation of technical, vocational education and of grammar schools – responds to the need to favour quality of teaching rather than the amount of teaching hours or the number of subjects, and to give more room to teaching in laboratories and in operative contexts, with the aim of contributing to making these routes more attractive.

4 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of the European credit system for vocational education and training, 2009/C 155/02, OJEUC 155, (8 July 2009).

5 EQARF is covered by Theme 7 on quality in this questionnaire.

6 Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council on Strengthening policies, systems and practices in the field of guidance throughout life in Europe, Brussels (18 May 2004).

7 Council resolution on Better integrating lifelong guidance into lifelong learning strategies. 2905th Education, Youth and Culture Council meeting Brussels (21 November 2008).

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Within the framework of attention to guaranteeing quality, and of the related European process, the regulation programmes dealing with the reorganisation of technical and vocational institutes respectively, explicitly refer to the EQARF Recommendation, when it is stated that “the indicators for assessing and self-assessing technical institutes are established with reference to the European framework for guaranteeing quality of education and training systems”. Amongst the other measures adopted with the aim of increasing VET quality and attractiveness, we need to remember the regulation programme on the re-definition of the teaching organisational structure of Adult Education Centres, and their evening courses (June 2009). This regulation programme introduces vital news, since it turns such Centres into self-governing school institutions, which are organised in local service networks and, as for the offer, have the ability to have a training provision, which is structured according to learning levels and aimed at achieving diplomas and certificates of the first and second education cycles with reference to technical, vocational and art grammar schools. Adults, and also migrant adults, who have not completed compulsory studies or do not have diplomas of higher secondary education can apply to these Centres. The sixteen year olds, who have not achieved the certificate for the first education cycle, or who have not completed compulsory studies, can also apply. When defining the Individual Training Plan and the training and summary assessment, there is also the innovative possibility to acknowledge, validate and certify competencies acquired in informal and non-formal contexts, to be assessed “starting from every person’s history”. More generally , decision makers’ commitment to strengthen tools for validating non-formal learning has been highlighted at the Government, Regions, Local Autonomies and Both Sides of the Industry Agreement on the “ Linee-guida per la formazione nel 2010” (Guidelines for Training on 2010). The agreement also stressed the need to organise vocational training depending on vocational needs of sectors and companies, keeping in mind people’s employability and social inclusion. A widespread use of the method of learning through “competencies” will allow to establish a system capable of guaranteeing every citizen the opportunity to “sell” their acquired skills. Moreover, in 2010, there is the experimental start of an accreditation system, on a regional basis and according to national homogeneous standards, of “assessors/certifiers”, who are capable of acknowledging, assessing and certifying workers' real competencies, however acquired, so that the capability of supplying to the labour market is strengthened, the matching of supply and demand is improved, and search for more useful training activities is encouraged. From that point of view, at national level, boosting the Training book, and promoting work integrating internships and other forms of learning within companies can be an appropriate response. On the whole, the spreading of European tools of transparency (fist of all the Europass portfolio) doubtlessly contributed to raising greater awareness on this topic by interested parties. Moreover, in October 2008, the National Coordination Point EQF (European Qualification Framework ) for Italy was created with the support of the Ministry of Education, University and Research. Then there are also the activities of the “ Punto nazionale di riferimento per la garanzia della qualità nell’istruzione e formazione professionale” (National Reference Point for Guaranteeing Quality of Education and Vocational Training), which are aimed at promoting and supporting processes and tools for guaranteeing quality of education and vocational training, with a stress on constant improvement of learning results and training processes. Within the double community and national dimension, the Contact Point developed information, result spreading, and support actions for institutional decision makers for the quality of training systems. The lack of a National system of standards hinders the building of a national qualification system. Moreover, the highly fragmented approaches, adopted by Regions in the field of certification and acknowledgement of acquired skills, are doubtlessly an obstacle to the creation of a unitary policy, which can meet the European principles of Lifelong Learning.

In order to meet the main need to adjust the Italian system to the European framework, principles and tools with the following aims will have to be implemented more strongly:

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- Supporting processes, which create and acknowledge non-formal training and individual learning routes, especially in the context of constant training at the workplace; - Developing a system for validating the quality of education and training systems, in compliance with the "European framework for guaranteeing the quality of education and training systems". - Implementing the system for harmonizing qualifications and the certification of competencies supplied in regional VET systems, in compliance with the more general EQF framework. 3.2 Promoting geographical mobility of learners/apprentices and teachers/trainers in VET

The creation of an European learning area, fostered by the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy by the Member States, is based on the idea of learning mobility. Mobility for learning allows people to take full advantage of EU citizenship, increases labour market flexibility and creates suitable conditions for education, creativity and social participation. The EU has invested huge resources in national initiatives to encourage learning mobility programmes: - cyclical and structural funds have been invested through specific measures and programmes (for example the Erasmus Mundus programme, the Youth in Action programme and the Lifelong Learning programme (LLL) which assigned to mobility nearly 75% of the its resource allocation); - actions promoting job and learning mobility have constantly encouraged learning, training, formal or informal education and lifelong learning initiatives, including volunteer work and short and medium term mobility. In addition, the 2007-2013 strategic plan gives priority to ensuring that lifelong learning initiatives, structural funds allocation, European research projects and economic policies, are supported in a way as to promote and encourage the free circulation of knowledge and experiences. However, the impact of transnational mobility on social cohesion and economic growth strictly depends on the availability of suitably skilled workforce, on the flexibility of this workforce to adapt to lifelong learning schemes as well as on the quality of actions supporting the dissemination of information, training and support. In addition, full acknowledgement of qualifications obtained during study or job periods in a foreign country should be ensured. Mobility is not only intended as an instrument for developing an intercultural competence and a solid European citizenship, building a stronger internal labour market and a more competitive economy; mobility is itself the product of these phenomena and consists in advanced knowledge, solid competences and more opportunities for workers and enterprises to reach a global market. In the past, spending time in a foreign country was the privilege of a few. Nowadays, mobility is considered as a fundamental step in everybody’s education, though learning and job mobility in Italy are still more frequent among young people. Huge resources have been invested at both national and European level to encourage further developments in the above mentioned action fields. Funds have been allocated to information and guidance projects through the creation of a targeted network of European agencies; key instruments have been created to improve transparency of procedures and to ensure effective recognition of competencies and abilities acquired during mobility periods. These initiatives are intended to enhance the quality of the VET (Vocational Education and Training) area, implemented by the Member States on a voluntary basis after open consultation with various stakeholders involved. According to mobility figures in Italy, the citizens participating in a learning mobility programme have good knowledge of the opportunities available, be they learners – whether in University or vocational training- or school operators. Mobility rates in Italy are in general as high as in the other

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European countries. Participation figures in European/international initiatives are in line with these results, though data available so far do not provide a clear and reliable framework but tend more to underestimate the importance of the phenomena investigated. Indeed the analysis of mobility outgoing mobility figures does not cover regional mobility initiatives (the Tuscany Region, for instance, has assigned a number of grants for the mobility of residents, similarly to the Leonardo da Vinci programme), exchanges between transborder regions and towns twinning, which can also be a source of informal education. The analysis of data available from 2001 to 2007 for Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes, both integrated from 2007 in the 2007-2010 Lifelong Learning programme, shows that 162.759 people received education or internship grants to spend time in a foreign country; 86,4% of the beneficiaries were involved in initial training projects (140.598 people) and 13,6% in lifelong learning actions (22.161 people). These actions were mainly targeted at people working in education and training. Figure 1 shows a growing trend until 2006, with a peak in 2004 for initial training (+9,5%) and in 2005 for lifelong learning actions (+9,7%). Year 2007 shows negative trend for initial training education (-6,9% compared to 2006) and an increase of 74,6% for lifelong learning programmes. Such a difference can be explained if we consider that the Lifelong Learning programme started in 2007 and that Grundtvig mobility grew in size and importance accordingly, especially for adult learning operators; in addition, more initiatives were financed within the Leonardo da Vinci programme to help education and training professionals.

Fig. 1 - Trends of individual mobility for initial training and lifelong learning actions (2001-2007) 22.597 21.775 21.151 21.046

20.500 19.319 17.869 16.841

15.500

Lifelong Learning 10.500 Initial training

5.644 5.500 3.233 2.784 3.053 2.324 2.482 2.641

500 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Source : Elaboration by Censis upon data provided by Ansas- Italian Lllp Agency (Comenius, Erasmus, and Grundtvig programmes, study visits) and Isfol- Italian Lllp Agency (Leonardo da Vinci programme) After disaggregating the results according to the different sources of funding, it appears that Erasmus mobility plays a vital role for initial training, with an average of 15.000 students participating in the program every year (minimum and maximum peaks in 2001 and 2007, with 13.236 and 18.364 participants respectively). Year 2007 saw a huge increase of students taking part in the Erasmus mobility program; in the following years, the quantity of participants has decreased, while the Erasmus Placement Programme has grown in importance and has established itself as a successful mobility initiative. This evolution has been encouraged by the problematic issue of assessing and evaluating mobility experiences. For some years, evaluation schemes have been a matter of concern for all participants needing to have their skills and abilities recognized and certified; the current economic crisis also seems to have an influence on mobility choices and

28 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 participants think longer before applying for a mobility grant, fearing that the competences acquired will not be adequately assessed when they come back. For this reason, there is a strong tendency to attend the whole study course in the country of origin and to participate in a mobility program when the cultural background and the academic knowledge are mature enough to guarantee better employment perspectives and solid job/study opportunities in another country. The Erasmus programme performances are very much in line with the results of the Leonardo Da Vinci programme which has promoted more than 4.000 internships in foreign countries, with a maximum peak of 6.090 participants in 2006. Comenius assistantship programmes, in addition, have involved an average of 100 future teachers (fig. 2). Participation distribution of lifelong learning mobility programmes seems to be more homogeneous. Erasmus, Leonardo Da Vinci and Comenius actions have assigned respectively 1.084, 993 and 838 grants per year to University professors, trainers and school teachers. Closer analysis shows that the maximum peak of grants assigned by the Leonardo da Vinci programme (2.949) occurred in 2007, for the above mentioned reasons. If we consider mobility opportunities triggered by cooperation projects, figures are even higher. For example, 2001-2006 mobility figures for Comenius and Grundtvig show that this form of multilateral cooperation is likely to have encouraged respectively more than 9.000 and 1.330 mobility occasions (giving that the mobility/participant ratio could be different than 1/1); these have generated new cultural and working opportunities (preliminary visits, planning meetings, class exchanges, etc.). For further information, see fig. 3.

Fig. 2 - Distribution of individual mobility for initial training and lifelong learning programmes and sources of funding (2001-2007)

Initial training

18.000

16.000

14.000

12.000

10.000 Erasmus Leonardo 8.000 Comenius

6.000

4.000

2.000

0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Lifelong Learning

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3.000

2.500

2.000

Erasmus Leonardo 1.500 Socrates/Arion Comenius Grundtvig 1.000

500

0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Fig. 3 - Individual mobility and mobility triggered by cooperation projects in Comenius and Grundtvig programmes (*), 2001-2006 (v.a.)

Grundtvig Comenius

2006 258 80 1.051 1.503 2006

2005 232 100 988 1.559 2005

2004 317 74 919 1.608 2004

2003 178 100 912 1.585 2003

2002 265 52 945 1.603 2002

2001 142 26 886 1.577 2001

-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100

Individual Mobility triggered Mobility by cooperation projects

(*) Bars’ dimension shows percentage values, figures inside the bars indicate absolute values.

Source Elaboration by Censis upon data provided by Ansas- Italian Lllp Agency (Comenius, Erasmus, and Grundtvig programmes, study visits)

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All data show that the beneficiaries have taken up the challenge and seized the opportunities offered by mobility experiences. However, some formal constraints still prevent mobility from being fully accomplished, especially if we consider the (limited) financial resources available. In our country, like in the rest of Europe, a few research conducted on the impact of mobility shows that the labour market actors (employers, work category associations, etc.) are not fully aware of the opportunities created by mobility programs. In addition, even Italian school seem sometimes reluctant to take part in mobility initiatives or in internationalization programs. A sample survey conducted by Intercultura Foundation in 2009 shows that 35,0% of secondary schools never joined mobility programs, claiming organizational or structural problems or lack of motivation. 26,0% declared that the programmes did not suit their profile, and 22,0% that the teachers themselves did not intend to take part in the programmes. Mobility needs to became the real engine of mainstream education and training policies; formal barriers should be removed, because they prevent both institutions and operators from taking full advantage of mobility opportunities; in addition, individual motivation to mobility should be encouraged along with the expertise of agencies and organizations with reliable practices, methodologies and networks. This will be of great help to understand the importance of mobility programmes, especially for labour markets operators. More involvement of employers could also mean more resources available and higher participation levels. More research is also needed to fight against prejudice and create better conditions for mobility actions.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). Regional1. Title of policy/ measure (indicate also the year when it was introduced/adopted/implemented) Voucher for transnational mobility assigned by Tuscany Region to support work activities in a foreign(b) country Is it an (2010) isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ 2. Outline Outline social)of the policy/measure:policy approach? The (k)competition (a) Rationale has been (whylaunched was underthe policy/measure the umbrella ofintroduce the ESFd? - ObjectiveExplain (inter)national 2 – priority Axis context, no. 5 Transnationality reason). – Interregionalism and is part of the 2006-2010 Integrated Action Plan of the Tuscany(l) Region.(b) Goals/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative goals). (m) (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or Keydisabilities, actors involved (main people institutions with migrant involved background in adopting or from and ethnic carrying minorities, out the older measure). workers, Regionslow-skilled and enterprises people, long-term unemployed people); educational level(s)/ educational sector(s)

3. Evaluation:(n) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). (o) (d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, Last deadline pilot for project, application a measure submission implemented is 26 Febr all uaryover 2010;the country/mainstreamed, for this reason, data on etc.). evaluation are not yet available. The competition has been launched under the umbrella of the ESF - Objective 2 – priority Axis no. 5 4.Transnationality Conclusions: – Interregionalism. The Region will assign individual voucher to support transnational initiatives for people with a Lastsecondary deadline school for applicationdegree, post-graduate submission students, is 26 Febr emuaryployed 2010; and for unemployed this reason, people conclusions who intend are not to yet available.gain a practical work experience in a dedicated internship programme in a foreign country, The mobility voucher is intended to encourage internship projects in a foreign enterprise. The 5.participant Source, legendwill have to sign an agreement with the foreign enterprise; the mobility voucher will cover http://www.regione.toscana.it/regione/export/RT/sittravel and subsistence expenses (transportation, accommodation,o- food). RT/Contenuti/sezioni/lavoro_formazione/visualizza_aInternship agreements can be signed with any country,sset.html_718014084.html if the applicant has already found a foreign partner, or with one of the countries having a bilateral cooperation agreement with the Tuscany ExampleRegion. provided by Donatella Gobbi, Isfol. The project aims at strengthening technical competences, improving foreign language skills, encouraging professional growth in an international context. Project will last from 6 to 12months. The competition is open. Last deadline for application submission is 26 February 2010.

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THEME 4:

STRENGTHENING THE LINKS BETWEEN VET AND THE LABOUR MARKET

Europe is facing several socioeconomic challenges which accelerate the pace of change in the labour market and skills requirements. To make sure that VET responds adequately, a key priority of European cooperation in VET is to forge better links between VET and the labour market (Bordeaux communiqué). It is essential to involve all labour market actors in VET development, including promoting workplace learning, and encourage closer cooperation.

Partnerships between education and training institutions and employers have a particular role to play in improving learners’ employability, developing their entrepreneurial potential and make them more familiar with the working world. Greater awareness of trends in the labour market can help to make learning more responsive to future needs and increase students’ motivation by providing a clear context for learning. Cooperation with education and training institutions can also help to update skills and ensure professional development of staff .

In this context, it is necessary to develop systems for early identification and anticipation of skill needs and mismatches to ensure that the skill needs identified are incorporated in VET on time, as advocated in the relaunched Lisbon strategy and the ‘New skills for new jobs’ initiative.

4.1 Identifying and anticipating skill needs

Skill needs identification and forecasting in Italy has become an urgent matter since the 80’s. It firstly developed at local level, then became a crucial issue in government policies from the mid- 90’s to contrast unemployment and youth joblessness. Social actors and regions have worked hand in hand with the Government to create an assessment scheme and to forecast skill needs. The current economic crisis sharpens the mismatches between demand and supply and makes the issue of skill needs forecasting a top priority in the policy makers agenda. In this framework we can mention some of the most recent Government initiatives such as the Piano di azione per l’occupabilità dei giovani attraverso l’integrazione tra apprendimento e lavoro (Strategic Action Plan for Youth Employability through the Integration of Work and Learning) elaborated jointly by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education and the Linee guida per la formazione nel 2010 (Guidelines for education in 2010) by the Italian Ministry of Labour. These actions draw on Government’s forecasts for 2020 which warn against the risk of “alarming demographic, employment and growth projections. In particular, the shortage of high- and medium-skilled staff is a matter of concern as well as the imbalance between the educational supply and the labour market demand.” To face these problems, urgent needs have been identified (school-to-work transition, vocational and technical education, internships, work-study programs, University, research and economic production). These issues affect the synergy between educational objectives, local needs and professional skills required by the economic system. All social and institutional partners involved in the labour market and education are warmly invited to strengthen and speed up targeted actions aimed at making the match between demand and supply more balanced especially for young people. The Government, the Regions and all social actors are called to repurpose the 2010 education expenditure forecast, giving that the recovery from economic crisis is inhomogeneous and selective and that unemployment periods and occupational transitions are becoming even longer and more difficult to tackle. “ Education will have to be more targeted on the skill needs of the labour market

32 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 and should take into account the requirements of the future workforce in accordance with their employability on the labor market”. The 2000-2006 ESF planning of the Ministry of Labour enabled (through Isfol) the creation of a national assessment system of the labour market needs. It was meant to help decision policy makers, education and labour market managers by providing information about economic projections, medium and long term employment trends and skill needs. Since 2004, the system has undergone dramatic changes. A new classification scheme called Nomenclatura delle unità professionali (Nomenclature of Professional Units) was introduced, drawing on the classification used by official statistics. The Unità Professionale (Professional Unit) represents the fifth level of classification and the whole nomenclature scheme is named after it. This tool allows to classify professions more easily and provides useful information which can be also used for statistical purposes. 800 Professional Units have been analysed through sample investigations; this operation has resulted in a detailed database of professions providing information on knowledge, skills, attitudes, activities, etc. Drawing on the results of the description scheme based on Professional Units, skill needs were analysed to measure the gap between the competencies of the human resources employed and the labor market needs. At the same time, new methodologies have been tested to anticipate medium term professional needs in the tourism industry.

Information and data provided by the national assessment system of the labour market needs come from a series of surveys conducted at national level by a variety of participants. From the qualitative point of view, the following initiatives have been carried out by Organismi Bilaterali (Bilateral Organisations): • Organismo Bilaterale Nazionale per la Formazione (National Bilateral Organisation for Education) i.e. representatives of medium and large companies covering twenty manufacturing sectors; • Ente Bilaterale Nazionale Artigianato ,(National Bilateral Organisation for Handcraft) i.e. representatives of handcraft companies, covering eight traditional handicraft sectors; • Coop-Form, i.e. representatives of the Cooperative system, covering three cooperative sectors; • Agriform, representatives of the farming sector, covering seven traditional farming sectors; • Ente Bilaterale Nazionale Turismo , (National Bilateral Organisation for Tourism) i.e. representatives of tourism companies; • Mastermedia, i.e. representatives of information and communication companies; • Chirone 2000, i.e. representatives of transportation companies and related services; • Enfea, i.e. representative of small and medium enterprises, covering five manufacturing sectors; • Enbicredito, i.e. representatives of banks;

In 2010 Isfol will involve enterprises in a national survey to identify the skill gaps of the human resources employed. From the qualitative point of view, Unioncamere has collected short term occupation forecasts on a sample of 100.000 enterprises since 1998-1999. Since 2002, Isfol has elaborated employment projections on a period of 5 years, thus combining macro-economic strategies with the analysis of sectors and professions.

Surveys conducted in Italy by bilateral organisations since 2000 have paved the way for a first attempt to build an permanent evaluation system. One of the strengths of this assessment scheme is that people having conducted the survey had excellent knowledge of the labour market, be they representatives of trade unions or employers. Unfortunately, the greatest weakness of the system was the lack of consistency of the methodologies used for the survey, which affected the results and made the classification more difficult to deal with. In addition, they have only dealt with some sectors of the economic system. Therefore, a new experimental classification method will be used by Isfol in 2010 to overcome the difficulties encountered so far. The survey will be conducted on a sample of 30.000 enterprises and will be based on CATI methodology, using the same classification

33 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 for knowledge and skills adopted for the classification of professions. This initiative represents an attempt to reduce the impact of heterogeneous results affecting the previous surveys.

Models used by Unioncamere to analyse short-term employment trends and by Isfol to elaborate medium-term projections are not equal in Italy because they both combine labour market forecasting with a detailed description of professional categories.

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1. Title of policy/ measure : National permanent evaluation system of the labour market needs - 2003

(a) Supported by the Ministry of Labour and managed by Isfol, this system is intended to achieve two main goals: facilitate the matching of demand and supply and sharing useful information with education and labour market managers.

(b) Objectives/measurable targets: the system provides with qualitative and quantitative information about economic trends, labour market forecasting and professional trends. From the quantitative point of view, the system already involves (or will soon involve): • information about the features of the so-called “professional unit” ( unità professionali ): main tasks and activities, knowledge, skills, attitudes, working conditions, work styles, values, personality; • professional needs, classified into professional units, linked to labour market trends; • mid-term professional needs stimulated by new trends in sectoral economies. By now, the analysis has been conducted only on the tourism industry. In 2010, three more sectors will be explored. From the quantitative point of view, the system involves: • mid-term economic trends at national level; • economic trends at local level; • employment projections for professional categories, both nationally and locally.

(c) Target groups - decision makers; - education managers; - labour market managers; - workers; - families; - young people.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Actions are delivered at national, regional and sectoral level; (b) It is a policy/measure belonging to a broader (education/ training/ employment) policy approach; (c) The key actors involved are the Ministry of Labour, social partners, regions, Isfol and Unioncamere.

3. Reference, legend http://fabbisogni.isfol.it

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1. Title of policy/ measure Integrated system on professions - 2009

(a) Supported by Isfol and Istat, this system is meant to disseminate information on jobs and to create network connections between private and public organisation which produce and/or share information on professions themselves. By now, this network involves Isfol (which makes available the result coming from the National permanent evaluation system of skill needs) Istat (which provides the information of permanent assessment of the workforce), Unioncamere (providing short-term hiring projections) and some professional categories. The communication protocol in based on the Nomenclatura delle unità professionali (Taxonomy of professional units).

(b) Objectives/measurable targets: the system involves both quantitative and qualitative information. The following parts are possible future partners: • Ispesl, to share information about work-related risk factors; • Inail, to share information about work injuries; • The Ministry of Labour, for the electronic management of job contracts and the matching between demand and supply; • The Ministry of Education to share information on education pathways and professions, etc..

(c) Target groups - decision makers; - education managers; - labour market managers; - workers; - families; - young people.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Actions are delivered at national, regional and sectoral level; (b) It is a policy/measure belonging to a broader (education/ training/ employment) policy approach; c) Key actors involved are Isfol, Istat, Unioncamere, central and local administrations, bars and professional registers.

3. Reference, legend Information is fully available on the partners’ websites and at the website : http://fabbisogni.isfol.it/

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4.2 Integrating skill needs of the labour market into VET provision

The current economic crisis sharpens the mismatches between demand and supply and makes the issue of skill needs forecasting a top priority in the policy makers agenda. In this framework we can mention some of the most recent Government initiatives such as the Piano di azione per l’occupabilità dei giovani attraverso l’integrazione tra apprendimento e lavoro (Strategic Action Plan for Youth Employability through the Integration of Work and Learning) elaborated jointly by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education and the Linee guida per la formazione nel 2010 (Guidelines for education in 2010) by the Italian Ministry of Labour. These actions draw on Government’s forecasts for 2020 which warn against the risk of “alarming demographic, employment and growth projections. In particular, the shortage of high- and medium- skilled staff is a matter of concern as well as the imbalance between the educational supply and the labour market demand.” A more efficient integration between the labour market and new education and training pathways is a top priority. To face these problems, urgent needs have been identified (school-to-work transition, vocational and technical education, internships, work-study programs, University, research and economic production). These issues affect the synergy between educational objectives, local needs and professional skills required by the economic system. All social and institutional partners involved in the labour market and education are warmly invited to strengthen and speed up targeted actions aimed at making the match between demand and supply more balanced especially for young people. The Government, the Regions and all social actors are called to repurpose the 2010 education expenditure forecast, giving that the recovery from economic crisis is inhomogeneous and selective and that unemployment periods and occupational transitions are becoming even longer and more difficult to tackle. Current reforms in VET system are intended to follow this path. A first reaction can be found in the reorganisation of the non-academic higher education and training system (approved by the decree of the Prime Minister of 25 January 2008) aimed at creating alternative ways of training highly-skilled staff in cooperation with the local labour market. The recent reform of higher secondary education – which was approved by the Council of Ministers on 4 February 2010 and will be implemented from school year 2010-2011 – represents a fundamental step aimed at bringing education and training closer to the labour market needs. The reform has reduced the number of curricula available, has transformed technical and vocational training pathways and has brought dramatic changes to the management of training institutions. New curricula are based on practical laboratory experiences as well as on flexibility of school autonomy. Permanent Territorial Centres have also been reformed; they have been transformed into Provincial Centres for Adult Education, that is networks of autonomous school institutions. A solid cooperation with the territory is a top priority for new educational and training pathways, targeted on the needs of the production system. The nexus between professional needs and education/training provision is the creation of professional standards. These are quality benchmarks for training pathways; at the same time, they encourage a closer cooperation with the labour market. In this sense, the creation of a national task force of experts (working on “National system of minimum professional standards, recognition and certification of competences and training standards”) has been crucial to regulate the cooperation between education and the labour market. The Agreement signed by the State-Regions Unified Conference on 19 th June 2003 established an institutional partnership aiming at realizing an interaction and integration between different subjects operating in VET system, respecting and enhancing the role of schools and training centres. The “ Tavolo Nazionale degli Standard ” (National Standards Board), promoted by the Ministry of Labour and involving the Ministry of Education, the Regions and Social partners, is currently working on shared national standards. It draws on the key issue of integration between formal and

37 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 informal learning, which recalls the idea of certification as an instrument of transparency and formal recognition. With the Agreement of 5th February 2009 it has been built the first national repertory of professional profiles, establishing the minimum standards of technical competencies. The Agreement has been acknowledged by the Decree of 29th May 2009, published on the Official Journal n. 140 of 19/6/2009. The repertory includes 19 professional profiles: 14 of them, introduced with the previous Agreement of 5 th October 2006, have been updated; 5 are new. Their usability is guaranteed al national level. The national system of professional standards (see http://www.nrpitalia.it/isfol/elenco_uc_aep.asp ) is a dynamic system integrating innovative aspects of professional needs. It can be updated in the light of new working modalities and new professional needs inspired by the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The construction of repertories in embedded in a more general process of setting up a national system of professional standards, training standards and certification standards, as stated by ESF-PON 2007-2013. It takes into account and enhances the available methodological and informative resources and involves social partners at general and sectoral level, with the technical and scientific support of Isfol. Up to now have been defined standards for Tourism and Metalworking sector. Within the first semester of 2010 will be achieved the realization of repertories for Chemical, Textiles and Food production areas, intended as professional competence standards. Current developments in the creation of national standards are combined with the functions of the steering committee, as set out in the document entitled “Guidelines for Education in 2010” and are part of the main national education policies. The agreement between Government, Regions, autonomous Provinces and social partners defining guidelines for education in 2010 is another important reference point towards a national system of professional and training standards, certification of competences and accreditation of training institutions complying with shared standards. The agreement establishes a special operational Unit in the Ministry of Labour to conduct a survey on competence needs and professional figures in a variety of territories and production systems. This Unit will be coordinated by the national steering committee established by the Ministry of Labour, by existing regional observatories and dedicated organisations of social partners. This Unit is called to provide mainly qualitative mixed-mode surveys on short term territorial and sectoral needs and to combine results with long term macro-trends elaborated at national and international level. In order to adopt a consistent methodology, the signatories commit themselves to subsidiarity and optimisation of resources. They shall transmit to the steering committee the elaborations received from private and public parts operating on the issue. The aim of the Operational Unit is to create a network to share information and data on professional figures needed on the labour market; such information should be communicated to Regions, autonomous Provinces, social partners, Job Centres, joint inter-professional funds and all other parts involved, including workers. Information collection should include professional profiles, but also types of job and competences, described in terms of tasks and skills required by the labour market, in line with the modern framework of European Qualifications (EQF). This framework will be completed by setting up the accreditation, on a regional basis, of a register of independent assessors. They will be enabled to certify the workers’ non formal competences in order to enhance the transparency and the matching supply on the labour market and to stimulate the research on more useful training activities.

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1. Title of Policy/measure La rete dei servizi per il lavoro - Job Service Network (2009)

2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a)Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason).

The Job Service Network is the technological, informative and organisational infrastructure for the development, governance, management and analysis of the labour market in Italy. It will monitor competencies on the labour market, job supply and demand, incoming and outgoing mobility, computerisation and provision of online services for citizens and enterprises. It will enhance the information flow through the integration of various administration interfaces, thus guaranteeing security, updating and protection of data, while allowing for electronic access to information for all operators and users, on the basis of their specific role and needs.

(b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). The Job Service Network is needed to ensure that European standards are complied with. Its governance model is central for the management of public services. The main aim will be to provide labour market actors with a set of tools to share information and make use of innovative and efficient services. Based on this organisation, the Job Service Network intends to carry out a real integration of information. (c) Target groups Workers, people with low skill levels, unemployed.

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.).

The project is currently being implemented.

4.3 Involving labour market actors in VET

Among income support measures, the so-called “passive policies” play a vital role in tackling short- term problems for enterprises, workers and the whole domestic demand. In the medium and long term close links between active and passive policies can be of great help to increase job opportunities for workers. Public and private competitions contribute to enhance the value of human capital on the labour market, thus supporting workers in job search and guaranteeing economic support, suitable study-work transition, job mobility and help during unemployment periods. The so-called “flexicurity” should be implemented through consistent initiatives and should be duly supported from the economic point of view; in the medium term, governance actions can help economic development, protect and empower human capital on the labour market both on the demand and the supply side. The core principles of the European “flexicurity” strategy could prove to be more adequate then traditional “buffer” and protective measures to help medium and long term transition of the market towards more effective production schemes. In this framework the first concern of the plan elaborated by the European Commission and the Member States between November 2008 and March 2009 deals with job protection for workers. The plan contains urgent measures to recover from crisis, thus enhancing the role of workers on the labour market. European guidelines recommend to invest on human capital, whose importance is vital on the medium and long term for enterprises, individuals and families. The “European

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Economic Recovery Plan” Communication was presented by the European Commission on the 26th November 2008. The Communication invites the Member States to support investments on innovation and key sectors like alternative sources of energy and clean technologies. The Communication also recommends that all Member States rely on a list of strategic areas to reorganize at the European level. Member States are also urged to facilitate labour market transitions and to help the most vulnerable working categories affected by labour shedding to be reintegrated on the market. The overall strategy is intended to respond rapidly to the needs of people who risk to lose their job because of the current economic crisis; the strategy seems to be consistent with the above mentioned principles of “flexicurity”. In Italy, urgent counter-cyclical actions have been undertaken by the Government within the multifaceted framework of governance and welfare. As already mentioned, State has exclusive competence in social security, including unemployment benefits and social integration measures for workers in case of significant fall in production. Regions have exclusive competence in social care. State and Regions share the competence in the field of health, job protection, job security, additional and supplementary social security. Provinces are involved in the management of active job policies and Job Centres, which have been dramatically transformed over the last few years. Today, they play a strategic role with a specific regard to job integration policies and job quality control. Other initiatives aimed at sustaining occupation and production (such as personal care services) fall within the scope of action of Municipalities. Those initiatives are vital to increase participation rates in the labour market. The Italian Government is particularly concerned with the protection of existing jobs, though much attention has been drawn on the problems caused by increasingly segmented labour market. This can rely on well-structured social buffers, though contract discrimination remains high. The Government has enacted three urgent decrees to tackle the economic crisis. These measures have required an investment of 25 million Euros between 2009 and 2011. Budget measures have been accompanied by interventions aimed at stabilizing the financial system and supporting credit mechanisms. The first decree was enacted in November 2008. It dealt with tax relief for enterprises, benefits for low-income families and more effective social buffers for the years 2009-2010. In addition, more funds were made available for investments in public infrastructures (including the railways system); procedures for projects falling within the scope of the national strategic plan were also made easier. In February 2009, the second decree established an incentive package for the purchase of a new car. The third decree was enacted in July 2010 and introduced deductions for the purchase of machinery (up to 50% of the total expense); in addition, the decree also enhanced the effectiveness of social buffers for the years 2009-2012. The anti-crisis decree contains measures to protect workers, enterprises and families from the negative effects of the crisis. In particular, the decree extends the scope of application of social buffer mechanisms to short-term contracts, temporary work contracts, apprenticeships and other fields not previously covered. The search for financial resources, notwithstanding insurance criteria, is based on taxation, on the contribution of Bilateral Organisations and on ESF resources made available by the Regions. The Italian “flexicurity” is difficult to adapt to the Italian welfare state; in addition, norms have changed rapidly. Nevertheless, between November 2008 and March 2009 the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policies started cooperating with Isfol, Inps and Italia Lavoro to support action plans and negotiations with the autonomous Provinces, the Regions and the European Commission. To this end, a dedicated Unit has been created within the Ministry. The Unità per la tutela dell’occupazione (Unit for labour protection), the so-called Crisis Unit, is made up of the managers of the Direzione Generale della Formazione e degli Ammortizzatori sociali (General Directorate for Education and Social Buffers) e of the Direzione della Tutela delle condizioni di lavoro (General

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Directorate for the Protection of Labour Conditions) and the Managers of INPS, Italia Lavoro and Isfol. The Crisis Unit has provided technical support to tackle the employment crisis. The scope of action of the Unit covers the main functions of the Under-Secretary of State. The Unit has provided prompt, efficient and reliable support to central and local administrations, Regions and social partners with the aim of implementing at soonest all measures set out in the anti-crisis decree and reaching an agreement between the State and the administrations. Indeed, the topics discussed covered the following issues: distribution and management of financial flows, management of information concerning the beneficiaries of the initiatives and the content of measures to support income and to protect the human capital on the labour market. The economic contribution of Regions and autonomous Provinces is based on the allocated ESF resources. Though budget forecasts had been already approved and ESF financial resources cannot be used to support passive policies, formal barriers have been removed. Indeed, all measures approved aim at protecting the human capital through education or active policies governed by the Regions and complemented by income support benefits. On a more technical side, INPS has accepted to collect the declarations of immediate availability of jobseekers, to create a database and to send to the Regions the list (in electronic format) of the beneficiaries of social benefits. In addition, resources have been invested to keep the highest number of workers on the labour market, to ensure income support measures, to protect, stabilize and update the skills of job losers and to allow a fast re-integration on the market. To this end, territorial units, public administrations and private services have cooperated to create bottom-up services involving other parts such as workers, enterprises, social partners, INPS and local administrations.

1. Title of policy/ measure

“Income and competencies support measures” agreement, signed by the Regions and the autonomous Provinces 12 February 2009 2. Outline of policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). Among the measures implemented to face the crisis, the Ministry for Labour, Health and Social Policies has worked with different institutional actors to define an operational proposal for the use of ESF and FAS ( Fondo Aree Sottoutilizzate – Fund for Underdeveloped Areas) funds to extend the range of potential beneficiaries of passive policies and to protect the human capital through enhanced active policies. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). 8 billion Euros have been allocated for support policies and active policies for the years 2009-2010. 5.350 million Euros are made available by the central State; 1.400 million Euros are provided for by the Budget 20095 and 3.950 million Euros result from law no. 133/20086 and national resources for underdeveloped areas. The highest contribution from regional funds reaches 2.650 million Euros and belongs to regional ESF programmes. The agreement stresses that the Government is strongly committed to ensure the distribution of FAS and excludes the Stability Pact from all investments concerning community funds. (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). Workers entitled to mobility benefits or redundancy fund.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery:

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(a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). National agreement to be implemented at a regional level. (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/social) policy approach? The measure is part of a bigger package called “ Interventi a sostegno al reddito ed alle competenze” (Income support and competencies support measures”) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Ministry of Labour, Regions, autonomous Provinces, Isfol, Inps, Italia Lavoro S.p.A

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3. Evaluation: (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact ( including results of evaluation studies, if available). It is not yet possible to evaluate the whole package of measures adopted jointly by the Government, the Regions and the autonomous Provinces. However, from a formal perspective, the agreement signed on February within the framework of the State-Regions conference and supported by the Crisis Unit, represents an unprecedented effort of coordinating the different institutional parts involved in active and passive labour policies. As recommended by the European Commission, the agreement was reached quickly and is focused on decisions and budget forecasts for more than 8 billion Euros for the years 2009-2010. (b) Indicators of success (e.g. high take-up, employment success, low deadweight, etc.). (c) Integration of outcomes into (a) larger (national, sectoral, regional, local) policy/ies.

4. Conclusions: (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. (b) What issues remain to be addressed? The measures adopted by the Italian Government are a mix of active and passive policies aimed at protecting the human capital available and helping a sustainable economic recovery, while considering the competencies needed on a renewed labour market. Lifelong learning initiatives for workers are targeted at the most vulnerable categories, those who risk to be excluded from the market and those who have little or no access to updating, qualification and re-qualification mechanisms. In a gender perspective, the Government intends to create the suitable conditions to enable more flexible working hours and enhanced welfare services, so as to allow re-qualification of male and female workers. The network of employment services is at the cutting edge between active and passive policies. It also represents one of the top priorities for the Government and the Regions. On the demand side, the range of services for enterprises has grown, while taking into account the professional profiles that could be of interest to the enterprises themselves; on the supply side, in order to enhance the efficiency of employment services, investments are made to encourage exchanges between vocational education and Job Centres. The role of employment services companies is currently under discussion, in such a way to encourage the access of workers on the labour market through the use of interprofessional funds and the capitalization of unemployment periods.

5. Source, legend http://www.governo.it/GovernoInforma/Dossier/premio_occupazione/decreto_lavoro.pdf http://www.uil.it/pol_territoriali/ACCORDOFSE080409postSR.pdf

4. Conclusions: (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. (b) What issues remain to be addressed?

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The measures adopted by the Italian Government are a mix of active and passive policies aimed at protecting the human capital available and helping a sustainable economic recovery, while considering the competencies needed on a renewed labour market. Lifelong learning initiatives for workers are targeted at the most vulnerable categories, those who risk to be excluded from the market and those who have little or no access to updating, qualification and re-qualification mechanisms. In a gender perspective, the Government intends to create the suitable conditions to enable more flexible working hours and enhanced welfare services, so as to allow re-qualification of male and female workers. The network of employment services is at the cutting edge between active and passive policies. It also represents one of the top priorities for the Government and the Regions. On the demand side, the range of services for enterprises has grown, while taking into account the professional profiles that could be of interest to the enterprises themselves; on the supply side, in order to enhance the efficiency of employment services, investments are made to encourage exchanges between vocational education and Job Centres. The role of employment services companies is currently under discussion, in such a way to encourage the access of workers on the labour market through the use of interprofessional funds and the capitalization of unemployment periods.

5. Source, legend http://www.governo.it/GovernoInforma/Dossier/premio_occupazione/decreto_lavoro.pdf http://www.uil.it/pol_territoriali/ACCORDOFSE080409postSR.pdf

1. Title of policy/ measure Fondi Paritetici Interprofessionali nazionali per la formazione continua (Joint Inter- Professional Funds for Continuing Training ) 2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). The Joint Inter-Professional Funds for Continuing Training are associative organisms promoted by representative organizations of social partners through specific Accordi Interconfederali (Interconfederal Agreements) stipulated by the most important trade unions and employers’ associations on a national scale. Fondir is a national Joint Inter-professional fund providing training programs for managers in the tertiary sector. It is promoted by Confcommercio, Abi, Ania, Confetra, Manageritalia, Dircredito, Fidia and Sinfub. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). FONDIR works for enterprises and managers in the following fields: trade, tourism-services, credit- finance, insurance and logistics-shipping-transportation, in order to build up relations aimed at developing professional qualifications, employment and entrepreneurial competitiveness within the policy framework established by collective labour agreements. FONDIR promotes and finances Continuing Training plans agreed by social partners for the managers of tertiary enterprises in compliance with norms set out in art. 118 law 388 /2000 with subsequent amendments and integrations. FONDIR shares a number of voucher formativi – training vouchers - with its associates to support Continuing Training initiatives. These initiatives belong to two main categories: • Initiatives disseminated through FONDIR bulletin, that is initiatives for the training of managers, implemented by specialized organizations and institutions. • Initiatives for the training of managers, selected by the enterprises themselves from other catalogues; these initiatives are not promoted through FONDIR bulletin.

Directors (workers)

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery:

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(a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level).

National

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/social) policy approach?

Fondir is one of the Joint Inter-Professional Funds for Continuing training.

(c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Professional associations (Confcommercio, Abi, Ania, Confetra, Manageritalia, Dircredito, Fidia e Sinfub)

3. Evaluation: (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact ( including results of evaluation studies, if available). Survey on funded continuing training initiatives for managers in the following areas: credit- finance and insurance The research focused on the educational needs of managers in the following areas: credit-finance and insurance. A workshop and a seminar were also organized to share the results of the survey and above all to raise awareness about continuing training initiati ves available in the above mentioned fields. Analysis of educational needs of the Tourism Industry The survey was intended to investigate the educational needs of the tourist industry and to carry out a qualitative analysis of the Italian tourism supply, in order to clarify the role and the expectations of tourism managers and to understand their pre sent and future needs. Some guidelines are also provided to devise basic educational initiatives and updating courses, in order to increase the expertise of tourism managers and strengthen the competitiveness of Italy’s tourism industry. Analysis of educational needs for the managers in the area of medium-scale retail trade (excluding food retail trade ) The aim of the survey was to identify the submerged educational needs, thus providing guidelines for consistent training initiatives based on real educational needs and beyond the traditional categories of “formazione generale ” (generic training) and “ formazione a catalogo ” (training offer based on a catalogue). The report presents a series of initiatives agreed upon by enterprises. Surveys can be downloaded here: www.fondir.it , “Surveys and Publications”

(b) Indicators of success (e.g. high take-up, employment success, low deadweight, etc.). The number of subscriptions to the Fund is constantly increasing: since 2004 the number of enterprises has grown from 2.508 to 4.200, that is more than 70% increase. The number of subscriptions from last year has grown by 8,56%.

The number of managers has also increased proportionally. Today, 21.364 managers can benefit from training initiatives financed by Fondir, that is a 5.43% increase compared to last year. Graph 2 – Trend of managers of enterprises joining Fondir (2004 - 2009)

Globally, up to now Fondir financed 714 training projects on 827 submitted, plus 326 voucher financed on 2009.

4. Conclusions:

(a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them.

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Restrictions in the supply of funds, which is subject to the rules set out in Ministry circular letters. Therefore, more time is needed to verify expense reports and to start reimbursement procedures; however, the whole procedure does not last longer than 6 months.

5. Source, legend www.fondir.it , “Indagini e pubblicazioni” e rapporti Fondir.

Example provided by Walter Lindo, Fondir.

4.4 Promoting workplace learning

The increased attention in supply and demand matching requires a deep review of currently available services, also in function of greater opportunities to "sell" skills in response to companies' professional and productive needs. In the last few years, the VET system focused on this problem, and implemented reforms aimed at satisfying the labour market needs. From the point of view of education, a sign of progress in this direction can be identified in the Linee guida per la riorganizzazione del sistema di istruzione e formazione tecnica superiore (Guidelines for the re-organization of the higher technical education and training system), included in the Presidential Decree of the 25 January 2008, in which experimentation of training designing methods focused on rotation is supported. These methods have the aim of supporting the transfer of technical skills. But the use of work-school alternance has older origins and wider goals. More in general, it is important to consider that in Italy, work-school alternance was introduced as a way to implement second education programmes, and not as a separate system (art. 4 proxy law no. 53/03). Afterwards, the Legislative Decree no. 77 of the 15th of April 2005 disciplined the Work- School rotation as a learning method of the Education System for allowing 15 year old students 1 to carry out secondary education also alternating work and study. The aims is to motivate and to orient them and to help them acquire skills which can be used at work. In fact, it is not a remedial programme for the less gifted, but a tool to make education and training paths more flexible, which offers the opportunity to match general and vocational studies, and to give more value to skills which are not included in students' school curriculum in the perspective of lifelong learning. The work-school alternance does not overlap with apprenticeship, ruled by a specific work contract, but it is a training action meeting young peoples' individual needs of education and training, in order to enhance guidance, to stimulate personal vocations and interests, and to develop their learning methods. A further progress towards this new concept of work-school rotation routes was recorded in the year 2006/07, when the Agenzia Nazionale per lo sviluppo dell'Autonomia scolastica (National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy) (ex Indire), appointed by the Direzione Generale per l'Istruzione e Formazione Tecnica Superiore e per i Rapporti con i Sistemi Formativi delle Regioni (Directorate-General for Education and Higher Technical Training and for Relations with Regional Training Systems) of the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), started monitoring the training provision of work-school alternance schemes, implemented by higher secondary education institutes at national level. Comparing the statistics 1 obtained for each school year 1 (graph 1), we can notice a constantly and gradually growing framework, characterised by a strong expansion, especially in the last three years, as for the schools involved, for implemented routes, and as for students' participation into work-school alternance schemes.

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Graph no. 1- Trend 2004/05 -2007/08

Alternanza Scuola Lavoro: livello nazionale trend 2004/05 -2007/08 (valori assoluti)

100.000

45.879 50.771

18.173 20.687 10.000

Istituti in 2.488 Alternanza 1.513

821 814 1.000 Percorsi

824 938 642 511 Studenti

100 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 14

As for adult users, it is necessary to consider that workers' constant training mainly takes place on the workplace and during working hours. In the last 6 years, we saw a constant increase in the number of trained workers, whose percentage is about 42% of the total, with an increase of more than 10 percentage points, between 2004-2008. But the growth in training participation has not reduced the differences in the distribution of opportunities between the different productive sectors, the size of companies, and the different types of users. To date, the largest gap is that between large and small-sized enterprises. The weak performance of small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular those working the manufacturing sector, contrasts with a constant increase in training activities within large-sized enterprises (with more than 250 employees), in which it seems that training finally has become a systematic activity, and is more and more connected to strategic planning for strengthening competitiveness. As for apprenticeship for achieving a diploma or a higher training certificate, workplace learning is becoming more and more vital in order to consolidate relations and cooperation between companies and universities, so much so that the Law 133/2008 extended its scopes to the achievement of a PhD, and made access to it easier, including the possibility to draw up conventions between companies and universities. But the incentives coming from the ministry have not yet found a response in local initiatives, neither with reference to individual initiatives, such as direct agreements provided for by the recent modification to the law, nor for local institutions' interventions. In spite of the interest for the tool, shown in almost all Regional Operative Programmes, only in some cases have Regions turned such interest into operative actions. More generally, a weak point in the use of work-school alternance in continuous training is that these workplace learning routes are difficult to read. While small-sized enterprises tend to use a kind of training, supplied as an informal training at the workplace, which is more difficult to measure in terms of formal investments and learning outcomes, large-sized enterprises prefer structured training courses. As stated in the 2009 report on continuous training in Italy, there is also a "wide gap between expectations and actual benefits deriving from training. Such gap does not give a negative judgement to the usefulness of training, but poses questions on the ways to connect training and work, with a particular reference to valorisation and acknowledgement of acquired skills, of career paths, of the productive system's ability to absorb the increase in human capital" 1. Therefore, the direction given in the Libro Bianco del Ministro del Lavoro sul futuro del modello sociale (White Paper by the Minister of Labour on the Future of the Social Model) - aimed at giving value to “on the job” training and informal training in companies - is vital for small-sized and micro-sized enterprises, and requires the working out of appropriate implementing and monitoring tools.

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The Government's policy papers aim at exploiting the potentials of the new apprenticeship, which is considered to be not suitably used, by giving maximum value to the companies' training ability, now underestimated by all market stakeholders. Indeed, on the basis of the Libro Bianco del Ministro del Lavoro sul futuro del modello sociale (White paper on the future of the social model by the Ministry of Labour) 1, work must be considered as a vital part of the whole education route of each person, and companies are the most appropriate place to develop professional profiles. Finally, formal certification must include a real assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired by a worker, regardless of the attended courses. Thus, the White Paper asks for a deep renewal of vocational training, starting from work relevance, as a learning experience, and company relevance, as a training place. A second direction for action is the one taken at national level, and corresponding to the start of a new training method for apprenticeship, which is ruled only by both sides of the industry. The law 133/2008 opened the possibility for companies to choose an exclusively corporate training, carried out according to what will be agreed for by both sides of the industry, in corporate, local and national level agreements. Indeed, the measure introduces a training channel for apprentices, which is alternative to the one ruled by regional laws, with the aim of increasing participation to training and improving quality of the provision. The question of validating informal learning is still open. The implementation of a structured validation system at national level for assessing learning in informal contexts is an essential requirement for acknowledging the skills acquired at the workplace. To make it possible, it is necessary to create a series of references or professional standards, formally and comprehensively describing sectors, profiles and professional skills, and working as a basis for processes certifying experience. Such issue is one of the points deserving most attention, on which the report of the Commissione di studio e di indirizzo sul futuro della formazione in Italia (Study and Guidance Commission on the Future of Training in Italy) focuses. In this report, the role of indicator and coordinator played by the Ministry of Labour is boosted through the activation and the strengthening of institutional round tables.

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THEME 5:

ADDRESSING EQUITY, SOCIAL INCLUSION AND ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

The year 2010 is the European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion. The priorities of the European Year include the reducing disadvantages also in education and training, focusing on the specific needs of groups at risk, for example early school-leavers, people with special needs, low skilled people and migrants.

The strategic framework Education and Training 2020 calls for education and training policies which will “enable all citizens, irrespective of their personal, social or economic circumstances, to acquire, update and develop over a lifetime both job-specific skills and the key competences needed for their employability and to foster further learning, active citizenship and intercultural dialogue”( 8).

Supporting services, including guidance and counselling as well as access to information play a fundamental role for groups at risk.

5.1 Addressing equity in VET

In the field of education policies, the fight against social exclusion is based on two main categories of interventions. The first one deals with inclusive training pathways, aimed at guaranteeing successful education to all users, including vulnerable people. The second one is targeted at people with major difficulties (severe handicaps or major social and educational disadvantages). This system is based on basic educational standards and draws on the idea that only ad hoc measures can lead to qualifications and successful training pathways.

Evidence of this double approach (inclusiveness of systems and dedicated actions) can be found in the measures carried out in Italy over the last few years to encourage first level qualifications for early school leavers. Indeed, Regions have adopted two main types of pathways: three-year Vocational Education and Training courses and specific pathways (variable length) for disadvantaged young people. Three-year IFP ( Istruzione e Formazione Professionale – VET Vocational Education and Training) can be subdivided into a huge variety of interventions and are characterised by a high degree of inclusiveness. Indeed, the use of stimulating collaborative methodologies makes them the ideal solution for boys and girls who previously dropped out of school and do not lean towards frontal lessons. These courses will be introduced from school year 2010-2011 and will be an alternative to traditional five-year courses of Licei (secondary school with a focus on classical studies, sciences, art or languages), technical or vocational secondary schools. In addition, various Regions have created specific courses for disadvantaged people 9 (drop-outs, handicapped people, immigrants).

Standard pathways are accompanied by personalised educational initiatives, special measures for disadvantaged people, vocational training pathways for the achievement of a lower secondary school qualification, extra-curricular activities, additional classes for knowledge and learning

8 Council conclusions on a Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training ("ET 2020"). Brussels (12 May 2009)

9 “Le misure per il successo formativo. Ottavo rapporto di monitoraggio del diritto-dovere” (“Measures for Educational Success. 8th Report on Right-Duty to Education”) ; Isfol 2010

49 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 development. These interventions are aimed at encouraging vertical and horizontal mobility between educational and training pathways for the most vulnerable people. The strong points of these initiatives are the quantity and the variety of opportunities offered to young people who otherwise would risk to drop out of school. The process of learning is intended to reach concrete aims (project works) and to experience real-life working situations, as well as to raise the interest of less motivated students. On the normative side, among the measures implemented to the benefit of categories risking social and employment disadvantages, an important role is played by the reform process (started by the decree of the Ministry of Education on 25 October 2007) regarding the transformation of Centri Territoriali Permanenti (Permanent Territorial Centres) into Centri Provinciali per l’Istruzione degli Adulti (Provincial Centres for Adult Education), that is autonomous institutions organised in specific networks. This norm aimed at reinforcing the mission of those Centres and fostering adult education and Italian language courses for immigrants. As to older workers, generic and specific training measures for senior workers are carried out by Job Centres, also in the light of the current job crisis. Law no. 2/2009 establishes anti-crisis measures and states, among others, that continuous training funds can be allocated for special temporary income support initiatives for the year 2009; these measures are targeted at disadvantaged categories, including people over 50. At local level, the implementation of the agreement signed on 12/2/2009 between the Government and the Regions on competencies and income support measures, has encouraged some local administrations to include senior workers among the priority target groups of anti-crisis measures. In addition, Regions have paid the utmost attention to active ageing policies; indeed, 298 million Euros have been allocated under the 2007-2013 ESF POR ( Piano Operativo Regionale – Regional Operational Plan). The issue of equity is a top priority in the Government’s agenda. On the one hand, all interventions are aimed at anticipating and supporting needs; on the other hand, they aim at recognizing valuable initiatives. Drawing on ten strategic guidelines set out in the 2009 paper entitled “ Rapporto sul futuro della formazione in Italia ”10 – “Report on the future of education in Italy”, the Ministry of Labour intends “to make choices and implement measures aimed at improving equity, equal opportunities and social inclusion; in particular, all measures are intended to contrast educational and training drop out, and enhance the role of vocational education and training pathways”. This means first and foremost to carry out interventions to overcome inequalities in the access to Education as a right- duty on the national level. Both quantitative and qualitative efforts are needed to ensure that all citizens have the same vocational education opportunities and to stimulate didactic methodologies focused more on practical laboratory experiences and job opportunities than on traditional theories and approaches. These efforts are aimed at contrasting school non-attendance, which is still very common among young people, and encouraging the achievement of – at least- a three-year qualification before 18 years old. In response to the obstacles encountered in the field of guidance, legislative decree no. 22 of 14 January 2008 promotes guidance actions and information initiatives aimed at all upper secondary schools. These initiatives are included in the POF ( Piano dell’Offerta Formativa –Plan of the Educational Offer) of the first three years of secondary education and provide for guidance activities and specific interventions: the strategic role of guidance deserves the utmost attention for the creation of personalised pathways, which impact positively on disadvantaged people and categories at risk of social exclusion. As to other categories at risk of social exclusion, the 2009 strategic report on cohesion policies coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Development points out that national policies should be

10 Elaborated by the Study and Advisory Commission created by the Ministry of Labour

50 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 harmonised with ESF plans in order to promote ad hoc interventions for active ageing and to encourage the employability of immigrants and young people. The contribution from other national resources is crucial to achieve SEO ( Strategia Europea per l’Occupazione - European Employment Strategy) goals; in this sense, the ESF can play a fundamental role.

Target group “returning to the labour market after interruption of service”

1. Title of policy/ measure (indicate also the year when it was introduced/adopted/implemented)

Good practice in the field of work-life balance, based on art. no. 9, law no. 53 of 8 March 2000 (from 2001, currently in progress) – “Letter B” projects

2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason).

The entry into force of law no. 53 of 8 March 2000, n. 53, establishing “Measures to support maternity and paternity, right to health care and training, and management of time in cities” is aimed at encouraging a balance between work, care, training and social relations through parental leaves and enhanced support to the parents of handicapped people; in addition, the above mentioned law recommends carrying out appropriate measures to support work flexibility and management of time in cities. Among others, art. no. 9 provides for financial support to the enterprises implementing positive work-life balance initiatives.

Eligible actions include projects aimed at enhancing flexibility at work, the replacement of enterprise owners or self-employed people, actions aimed at enhancing the replacement, the re-insertion, the training and the work schedule for workers with handicapped children or not self-sufficient elderly at home. One of the measures sets out the availability of funds for training pathways aimed at workers returning to the labour market after at least 60 days of interruption for maternity, paternity or parental leave. Training actions should guarantee that workers are reintegrated into the same production unit and for the same type of job, thus eliminating the barriers which prevent returning workers from taking full advantage of the labour market. Selected training pathways are often personalised interventions; tutoring activities are also provided by colleagues or third-parties. In most cases, these activities are intended to update technical and professional skills, in terms of methodologies, instruments and procedures. In addition to training courses, other types of actions are provided: psychological and motivational counselling, guidance activities (competence assessment). These initiatives are eligible only if they are considered as necessary to meet the needs of the beneficiaries. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). Encouraging the reintegration into the labour market for women after maternity leave, and for workers with work-life balance needs. (c) Target groups Female workers, workers with minor or handicapped children or non self-sufficient elderly at home. (d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.).

After amendments introduced by art. no. 38, law no. 69/2009, new procedures are needed for the submission of projects.

These procedures will be made available after publication of decree of art. no. 9, law no. 53/2000. This decree is currently under analysis at the Unified Conference; their opinion has not yet been provided. 2. Policy/measure operation and delivery:

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(a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). National (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? This measure is part of a bigger package of regulations to encourage work-life balance. (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Enterprises, Hospital Public Bodies, Local Health Care Units, social parts, Presidency of the Council of Ministers. 3. Evaluation:

In 2007 and 2008, 519 projects have been submitted; 366 have been selected for funding. The total amount of financial resources made available (for both years) is 22.320.542,06 Euros.

Year Total projects Total projects Overall submitted financed financing 2007 232 142 € 8.702.702,27 2008 287 224 € 13.617.839,79 Source: Elaboration by Isfol upon data made available by the Department for Family Policies, PCM (Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministry – Presidency of the Council of Ministers) – July2008

Drawing on “letter B” projects, employers are particularly interested in measures aimed at the reintegration of female workers returning to work after a pregnancy or maternity leaves.

Year Total projects Total projects Overall submitted financed financing 2007 14 14 €165.404,72 2008 34 26 €198.738,06 Fonte: Elaborazione Isfol su dati del Dipartimento delle politiche per la famiglia, PCM – Luglio 2008

In 2007, 14 projects received 100% financing, for a total amount of 165.404,72 Euros; in 2008, 34 projects have been submitted and 26 have been financed for a total amount of 198.738,06 Euros.

When art. no. 9 was included in the competencies of the Department for Family Policies, the continuity with previous projects was guaranteed; in addition, various initiatives had been undertaken to repurpose the measure against the background of family policies. After identifying intervention priorities, art. no. 9 has been amended by art. no. 38 of law no. 69/2009. “Letter B” projects can be presented for programmes and actions aimed at encouraging the reinsertion of female and male workers on the labour market after parental leaves or for work-life balance reasons.

It is not only a matter of training, but also of guidance, counselling, coaching and information (i.e. example, workers are sent newsletters through Intranet). After modification of art. no. 9, law. no. 53/00, further information will be available on benchmarks to “measure” the quality of interventions and their impact.

4. Conclusions:

Not available, because of changes brought to art. no. 9, law 53/00 by art. no. 38 of law no. 69/2009.

5. Source, legend

www.politichefamiglia.it Example provided by Valeria Viale, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Department for Family Policies)

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Target group “migrants”

1. Title of policy/ measure Lifelong education to work and citizenship (project 2.C.1.4 CUNEO 2020 – STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE CITY AND ITS TERRITORY, AXE 2 PROJECT– QUALITY OF TERRITORY AND URBAN LIFE) 2007 2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale Cuneo-based enterprises are characterised by technology innovation and a modern organisation, which requires updating professional competences and skills of workers. From the social point of view, the number of non-EU workers is increasing. Both aspects stress the need for continuous training measures to encourage professional updating and integration. In this framework, the project “Lifelong education to work and citizenship” sets out specific actions to enhance the integration of immigrant workers and, in particular, to develop their sense of citizenship while bringing immigrants closer to Institutions. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). The project draws on two intervention areas and intends to deal with lifelong education on the basis of needs, plans and provision, while coordinating the actors involved through dedicated networks. The main objectives of the project are the following:

• Encouraging the integration of immigrant workers; • Updating workers’ skills, in line with the needs of the labour market; • Developing accessible lifelong learning provision for immigrant workers;

These goals have been already achieved by different institutional actors; the Strategic Plan could coordinate more efforts in this sense and include the measures in a wider shared initiative.

Expected results:

• Establishing a local network of intercultural mediators; • Planning literacy courses for non-EU adults; • Ensuring that courses are provided in the best usability conditions; • Developing a true sense of citizenship, while bringing immigrants closer to Institutions; • Organising vocational training courses; • Planning and providing courses to enhance linguistic skills of primary and lower secondary school learners.

(c) Target groups Immigrants (d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available Implemented. Statistic evidence not available .

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation Municipal (Municipality of Cuneo)

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger policy approach? Courses have been provided in the framework of the “Strategic Plan of the city and its territory”; they are included in a wider set of initiatives carried out in different areas (school education, lifelong training, guidance, active labour policies, local cultural policies) by different actors ( CTP – Centri Territoriali Permanenti - Permanent Territorial Centres for Adult Education, training agencies, Province of Cuneo, Job Centre, Municipality of Cuneo), aimed at encouraging the integration of migrant workers in the territory of Cuneo.

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(c) Key actors involved • Municipality of Cuneo • Job Centres • Administrative Service Centre • • Police Headquarters of Cuneo • • Prefects Office of Cuneo • • INPS (National Social Security Institute)

3. Evaluation: (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact The project draws on existing initiatives and is aimed at optimising, integrating and re-planning the activities carried out by various institutional parts, while overcoming organisational and financial barriers and enhancing the role of lifelong training as a key priority for local development. (b) Indicators of success (c) Integration of outcomes into (a) larger (national, sectoral, regional, local) policy/ies. The project has involved Permanent Territorial Centres for Adult Education , (CTP ), established by Ministry Order no. 455 of 29 July1997 in the framework of a wider strategy aimed at providing key competences for citizenship, as set out in the Document of the Unified Conference Government-Regions- Provinces -Municipalities-Mountain Communities of 2 March 2000.

4. Conclusions:

The idea of lifelong education as an engine for active participation could be achieved through more than a simple “training course”. A network of people co-operating on integration and professional updating could attract more initiatives and carry out new measures in the framework of ESF development guidelines. These actions can be considered as a laboratory of new projects, an opportunity to develop competences and to make the access to community funds easier for Cuneo-based University students, while influencing the curricula of University degrees.

5. Source, legend http://www.pianostrategico.cuneo.it/progetti/2C14.pdf

Target group “low skilled, migrants, prisoners”

1. Title of policy/ measure

Reorganisation of Permanent Territorial Centres for Adult Education and evening schools – creation of CPIA ( Centri Provinciali per l’Istruzione degli Adulti – Provincial Centres ofr Adult Education) (2007-2009)

2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). On 12 June 2009 the Council of Ministers has approved the regulation scheme entitled “ Norme generali per la ridefinizione dell’assetto organizzativo didattico dei Centri d’istruzione per gli adulti ” – “General Guidelines for the didactic reorganisation of Adult Education Centres”. The Regulation scheme introduces crucial innovations compared to the first hypothesis on the reorganisation of Permanent Territorial Centres ( CTP ) set out in the decree of the Ministry of Education on 25 ottobre 2007: “ Riorganizzazione dei centri territoriali permanenti per l’educazione degli adulti e dei corsi serali”- “Reorganisation of Permanent Territorial Centres for Adult Education and Evening Schools”, as required by art. no. 1 par. No. 632 of law no. 296 of 27 December 2006”. The new regulation scheme does not include functional literacy courses; in

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3.addition, Evaluation: courses for Italian as a foreign language are included only in the measures aimed at lower secondaryAfter nearly school 2 years qualification. since decree of 25/10/07, some Regions and Provinces have adopted appropriate Themeasures educational for the provisioncreation of of Provincial territorial Centres Centres for is Adultfocused Education on lower ( CPIA)secondary. school qualifications andOn 6 certificates, March 2009, as well the Regional as on upper Council secondary of Piedmont technical, R egion, professional drawing or on artistic the proposal pathways. of The the regulationCouncilor statesfor Vocational that Provincial Education Centres and should Training enjoy has the approved same autonomy changes asto school2009-2010 institutions. school Theyplans. canThe relypress on release their statesown staff, the following: have the same“The newtypes pl ofan board of the asregional school reform institutions stresses and the cooperate importance with of Institutions,lifelong learning local andautonomies adult education and the labour through marke the t.c reation of 12 new Provincial Centres for Adult TheEducation educational in the provision Region”. of In territorial the Latium Centres Region, will thebe basedRegional on 1 Commissionst and 2 nd level for pathways:School Policies has approveda) the 1st reformlevel: educational proposal of pathwaysschool institutions aimed at achievingfor year 2009-2010 the qualification (Press releaseof first-cycle of 12 Decembereducation 2008). Theand Latium the certificateRegion has for planned skills the and creation competencies of 16 Provincial required Centres by compulsory for Adult education.Education with This their own dedicatedgroup includes staff andItalian managers. literacy courses for adult immigrants. The Lombardyb) 2nd level: Region educational has planned pathways the creation aimed of at7 Pachievingrovincial Centresa technical, for Adult professional Education. or an artistic Other Regionsqualification planning (art. to createno. 4). new Provincial Centres for Adult Education for school year 2009- 2010 are: Calabria (5), Emilia Romagna (2) , Liguria (6), Tuscany (1), for a total of 49 CPIA on the Territorialterritory. Centres may broaden their educational offer, to the extent allowed by law on school autonomy. Territorial Centres can accept registrations from adults (including immigrants) having left 4.school Conclusions: before compulsory school age or people without upper secondary school qualification. In addition,. they can accept registrations from people under 16 years, without lower secondary education qualificationThe Regions, or without that compulsory are charged education with planning quali fication.training offer, estimate that must be implemented (b)a system Objectives/measurable constituted by Centres targets having (qualitative administrati or quantitativeve, organizational objectives). and didactic autonomy. A Regionsmaximum ask of 150 for aprovincial more effective Centres autonomy in Italy shoul that d coul be allowed;d allow anprovincial enlargement Centres of are the aimed current at managingtraining offer educational for adults pathways (Italians inand order foreigners) to increase. Indeed, the Regions education estimate level that of the the wholenew system adult population,cannot be stillrealized very withoutlow in ouran involvementcountry. So offar, the this Co ismmunities casting a andshadow Local over Governments, the cultural either offer traditionallyin terms of provided planning byof trainingPermanent pathways Territorial or for Cen thetres. system’s The experience governance. accumulated by PTC is enhanced by teaching Italian as a second language. Example provided by Luisa Daniele, ISFOL, Policies and Provision of Initial and continuous

training An innovation introduced during the definition and the evaluation of the Piano formativo Individuale – Individual Training Plan – is the opportunity to recognise, validate and formally acknowledge competencies and skills acquired in formal and informal contexts. These experiences should be assessed on the basis of the individual situation.

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.).

Provincial Centres will be implemented in 2010 (from school year 2010/2011). The regulation scheme sets out that all territorial centres for adult education and evening schools should be closed by 31 August 2011.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). National (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? The creation of Provincial Territorial Centres for Adult Education is part of a wider strategy in the National system for lifelong learning. (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Ministry of Education

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Target group “learners with special needs

1. Title of policy/ measure : WISE - Wiring Individualized Special Education. Research theme/CNR, Genua, Institute for Didactics Technologies Project Period: 2009-2012 2. Outline (a) Rationale WISE (Wiring Individualized Special Education) is a project of the Investment Fund for Basic Research of Ministry of Education, University and Research, coordinated by the Institute for Didactics Technologies of Genua University. The project aims at developing a supporting system for the special education and training of those who suffer for health/physical problems (homebound) and are obliged to stay in their habitations. The supporting action is developed along four main areas: - The implementation of a information space, providing information on projects, experiences operating in the specific sector, on ways of interventions (training strategies, local/national policies) and resources/services already available; - Assistance/training for those who aim at creating new educational resources (materials, training pathways) starting from specific situations or providing systems and services devoted to the training of disabled people/homebound; - The creation of a matching point between training offer and demand in an optic o fan eventual working insertion of adults homebound; - The creation of a reference and Exchange point for all those involved in training of disabled/homebound and for those whom the project is addressed. - (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). WISE aims at: - Developing a profile model of the special student for configuring adapting systems of Special Education; - Creating a model of Instructional Design for Special Education annexed to the Computer Assisted Instructional Design; - Implementing functionalities oriented to Special Education based on pedagogical agents, translators of semantic acts and contents; - Developing methods and procedures for the measurement of the effectiveness of these models, integrated in an evaluation system based on international standards.

(c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). Targets group of the research and project action are: - people in school/university age that for physical and health reasons cannot attend lessons regularly; - adults people with acquired or degenerative pathologies, ex pressing the need of re-planning their life path, starting a study course or a new working path. In a complementary way, WISE is also addressed to those that deal at different level with the target audience: teachers, researchers, families, stakeholders, institutions, etc. A specific attention is devoted to those dealing with education and training: teachers, trainers, e-learning project managers, institutions and training centers.

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.). On the 17th of November 2009, it has been implemented a first prototype of WISE portal, representing one of the main tool that will accompany the evolution of the project, also offering a reference point for all those who are interested in the topics of the project, aiming at cooperating both at individual and institutional level. The cooperation between the WISE project and the General Directorate for Students, Participation and Communication of MIUR has been made official on the

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15 th of February 2010, in the framework of the research activities concerning domicile education. 3. Policy/measure operation and delivery: Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). ITD – CNR. Genua Section. (responsible, project leader) Partnership: METID – Milan Polytechnic http://www.metid.polimi.it/ ; University of Florence, University of Macerata, Sacro Cuore Catholic University of Milan, University of Salerno, General Directorate for Student, Integration, Participation and Communication of Ministry of Education – MIUR.

4. Conclusions:

5. Source, legend: CNR – ITD, Genua (IT). http://www.itd.cnr.it/ Project web-site: http://www.wisefirb.it/ Example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”

5.2 Support services for groups at risk

These two approaches (inclusiveness and targeted actions) can be also found in the measures implemented by Italy in the last few years to regulate the mechanisms of first-level qualifications. Indeed, regions have enacted two different types of pathways: three-year IFP ( Istruzione e Formazione Professionale – Vocational Education and Training) courses (different specialization fields are available) and specific courses (whose duration may vary) for disadvantaged young people. The first type of actions (which includes various subcategories) is characterized by a high degree of inclusiveness. Indeed, the use of stimulating collaborative methodologies makes them the ideal solution for boys and girls who previously dropped out of school and do not lean towards frontal lessons. These courses will come into force from 2010-2011 and will be an alternative to traditional five-year courses of Licei (secondary school with a focus on classical studies, sciences, art or languages), technical or vocational secondary schools.

In addition, various Regions have created specific courses for disadvantaged people 11 (drop-outs, handicapped people, immigrants). Along with standard pathways, the following have been created: • ad hoc educational interventions (in the following regions: Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Friuli Venezia Giulia), • specific pathways targeted at disadvantaged people (in the following regions: Liguria, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia),

11 “Le misure per il successo formativo. Ottavo rapporto di monitoraggio del diritto-dovere” (“Measures for Educational Success. 8th Report on Right-Duty to Education”) ; Isfol 2010

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• vocational education courses for lower secondary school qualification (in the following regions: Veneto, Calabria, Sardinia, Sicily); • extra-curricular activities for knowledge acquisition and development – called LARSA (in the following regions: Lombardy, Piedmont, Sicily), to encourage vertical and horizontal mobility between the educational pathways for disadvantaged people.

The strong points of these initiatives are the quantity and the variety of opportunities offered to young people who otherwise would risk to drop out of school. The process of learning is intended to reach concrete aims (project works) and to experience real-life working situations, as well as to raise the interest of less motivated students. At the same time, the quantity of courses is also the weakest point of the initiative. Indeed, the big amount of training opportunities risk to puzzle young people and their families and to make choices even more difficult. As a consequence, people should be duly supported through suitable guidance and tutoring measures.

On the normative side, among the measures implemented to the benefit of categories risking social and employment disadvantages, an important role is played the reform process (started by the decree of the Ministry of Education on 25 October 2007) regarding the transformation of Centri Territoriali Permanenti (Permanent Territorial Centres) into Centri Provinciali per l’Istruzione degli Adulti (Provincial Centres for Adult Education), that is autonomous institutions organised in specific networks. This norm aimed at reinforcing the mission of those Centres and fostering adult education and Italian language courses for immigrants. In addition, an important role is played by norms on guidance initiatives which have also contributed to improve policies for vulnerable categories. Guidance is a fundamental tool for people who need to make important choices for their education or job. The usefulness of these initiatives is particularly evident for young people and families with little or no knowledge of the different educational opportunities and above all, of market dynamics and trends. These categories often do not know guidance services. Bridging this gap is the major challenge to take up in the near future. In this perspective, it is urgent to start guidance initiatives and awareness campaigns, as well as to create suitable services to involve all disadvantaged people and help them making the right choice. Legislative decree no. 22 12 of 14 January 2008, considers information and guidance activities as institutional interventions for all secondary schools. These actions are included in the Piano dell'offerta formativa (Education Plan) in the first three years of the upper secondary school and provide for guidance activities in order to stress the strategic function of guidance itself. Legislative decree no. 21 13 of 14 January 2008 promotes ad hoc guidance and self-assessment initiatives carried out by secondary schools in cooperation with Universities. These initiatives

12 Legislative decree no. 22 of 14 January 2008, “Definizione dei percorsi di orientamento finalizzati alle professioni e al lavoro, a norma dell'articolo 2, comma 1, della legge 11 gennaio 2007, n. 1” (“Definition of guidance activities for professions and the labour market, art. 2, par. 1 of law no. 1 of 11 Janary 2007”).

13 Legislative decree no. 21 of 14 January 2008 “Norme per la definizione dei percorsi di orientamento all'istruzione universitaria e all'alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica, per il raccordo tra la scuola, le università e le istituzioni dell'alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica, nonché per la valorizzazione della qualità dei risultati scolastici degli studenti ai fini dell'ammissione ai corsi di laurea universitari ad accesso programmato di cui all'articolo 1 della legge 2 agosto 1999, n. 264, a norma dell'articolo 2, comma 1, lettere a), b) e c) della legge 11 gennaio 2007, n. 1” (“Norms for the definition of guidance initiatives towards University Education and Advanced Schools for Arts, Music and Choirs Education for the integration between Schools, Universities and Advanced Schools for Arts, Music and Choirs Education and the promotion of the quality of school results for the enrolment in numerus clausus University courses, as stated by law no. 264 of 02/08/1999, in compliance with law no. 1 of 11/01/2007, art. 2, par. 1 a), b) and c) “).

58 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 should be implemented during the last year of the upper secondary school. Among others, they are intended to give the students the opportunity to: • familiarize with various issues, problems and procedures, in order to understand their own interests and to make the right choices with regard to personal projects and expectations; • get in touch with the labour market as well as with job-related University courses; • self-assess, check and consolidate their knowledge with specific regard to the type of background requested to enrol in a University course; participate in lessons aimed at encouraging the development of technical and scientific knowledge; • familiarize with University in different life and study contests, even through special initiatives carried out in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

Among support measures for groups risking social exclusion, a major role is played by information and guidance initiatives carried out in Italy, especially in Central Regions. One of the most important pilot projects has been carried out by the region Tuscany. Both regional and provincial administrations have defined educational guidance as a top priority in their education and vocational training agenda. For this reason, a great deal of information, guidance and tutoring initiatives have been created at a regional level in cooperation with Job Centres, schools and training agencies. Actions have focused on: guidance initiatives in lower and upper secondary schools; projects to reduce drop-out rates and actions targeted at immigrant students; awareness campaigns; publications and websites. As an example, the following list contains some of the actions implemented in Tuscany during the year 2008.

Arezzo • Group guidance activities for students attending the 1 st and the 2 nd year of upper secondary school. Organised by training agencies and subdivided into courses for a total duration of 9 hours. • Group guidance activities for students attending the 3 rd year (only in case students would stop going to school after the third-year certificate), the 4 th or the 5 th year of upper secondary school. Organised by training agencies and subdivided into courses for a total duration of 9 hours. • Provincial pilot-project based on guidance and information activities targeted at students attending the 3 rd year of lower secondary school. Organised by the Tutors of Job Centres: upon request of schools, meetings are organized to provide students and teachers with information on the normative framework of the Right-Duty to education and on and training opportunities available on the territory. Livorno All operators of Sportello Scuola (School Help Desk) have carried out their activities through individual meetings. Among others, the following initiatives by Regional CPI for groups of users deserve the utmost attention:

• Cooperation to the implementation of the project Re.di.sco , created by the training agency called C.I.O.F.S F.P Toscana, together with Professional Institutes of the Province of Livorno with the aim of reducing drop-out rates. Within this project, guided visits (for students attending the 1 st and the 2 nd year of the secondary school) and meetings have been organised. The project has been carried out in close cooperation with secondary schools, which have been asked to check the number of students with drop-out risk. Through telephone interviews and individual meetings with the students and their families, the trend has been regularly monitored. This tutoring activity has been carried out with training agencies professional schools on the territory and social care services, supported by

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the services for social policies of the Municipalities involved, in cooperation with Informagiovani Help Desks. These have implemented guidance and support activities for a group of students attending the 4 th and the 5 th year of upper secondary school . • Promotion of the participation of the foreign young people in the Project GIO.STRA Foreign Families and Children, financed by the Province. Within this framework, language courses have been organised along with individual support services. Personal information on the names of the people of compulsory education age have been forwarded by Sportello Scuola (School Help Desk) after being authorised by the families themselves. Beyond the tutoring activities available to all users, the participation in training pathways, the number of apprenticeship contracts and school reintegration rates have been regularly registered. Lucca • Guidance activities in schools : actions carried out in lower secondary schools; initiatives organised in the first two years of upper secondary school; information awareness in the 4 th or the 5 th year of upper secondary school • Tutoring actions : aimed at supporting the choices of people of compulsory education age, facilitating network actions and encouraging communication exchange between the actors involved (family, school, training agencies, social services and social care, enterprises), facilitating the implementation of the project, monitoring the training pathway, providing and helping students in finding information. Individual meetings with people of compulsory education age to facilitate their reintegration in school • Individual guidance : Individual meetings with people of compulsory education age to understand their interest and facilitate their educational, training or professional choices

Massa • Guidance activities carried out with young people and their families: information on compulsory education, telephone contacts, general interviews, welcome services, individual interviews; • Guidance activities for students attending the 4 th and the 5 th year of Vocational Institutes and Secondary Schools; • Informative seminars on compulsory education organised in lower and upper secondary schools; • Information and guidance initiatives included in school projects; • Activities to promote, share and monitor new pathways in vocational education and training; • Group-guidance activities on Job Centres services at the end of vocational training courses for the youngest; • Guided visits to CPI (Provincial Job Centres) for students attending secondary school; • Contacts and interviews with various parts involved (tutors involved in training courses, tutors involved in apprenticeships projects, tutors in enterprises, social workers, community therapists, etc.); • Activities planned with the teachers of the schools involved; • Regular meetings with NHS staff, training agencies, volunteer associations, educational communities.

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Pistoia A project developed in 2008 aimed at combining curricular educational and training activities with guidance and training actions targeted at students from lower and upper secondary school. This project was intended to raise awareness on the right/duty to education and training, and to support the choice of future suitable training pathways. Each project was carried out on groups of three to ten students, with a duration of 100 hours on average. Prato The project Extra.com was developed in 2008. The project was integrated with local initiatives taken by the following actors involved: Osservatorio Scolastico Provinciale (Provincial Oversight Centre on School), Centro Territoriale Permanente (Permanent Territorial Centre) , school network based on the “Progetto provinciale per l’accoglienza e l’integrazione degli alunni stranieri e per l’integrazione interculturale nel territorio pratese” (“Provincial Project aimed at fostering the integration of foreign students and promoting intercultural integration in the province of Prato”), Servizio Orientamento, Monitoraggio, Tutoraggio per l’Obbligo Formativo (Guidance Monitoring and Tutoring Services for Compulsory Education) promoted by Prato-based F.I.L. S.p.A. Job Centre. Social inclusion has been promoted to help foreign young people, namely from the Chinese community (by far the most numerous), through educational and training initiatives as well as guidance and counselling actions. All projects were tailored on individual needs and required joint efforts of various actors (Education – Lower and Upper Secondary School, Centro Territoriale Permanente (Permanent Territorial Centre), F.I.L. S.p.A., Job Centre, labour market). The project was aimed at two main goals: 1) achieving system actions, thus reinforcing the synergy between local actors involved in school-education-training system and building a team of skilled staff to tackle social integration problems; 2) helping people through ad hoc actions and initiatives, tailored on individual needs and problems. 382 foreign young people were involved in different types of actions. Siena CISS project continued to be carried out in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 in secondary schools. The project drew on the initiatives taken by provincial CPI (Provincial Job Centres) and extended its cooperation to lower secondary schools. The project encouraged a set of initiatives to provide information, guidance, tutoring and support to students and families, in particular when they should choose an educational or a professional pathway. The following activities were carried out for young people with right-duty to education and training: Informative seminars held by Job Centres’ staff for students attending the third year of lower secondary school, as well as the first and the second year of upper secondary school;; Tutoring activities carried out by contact persons-tutors in schools and tutors working in Job Centres; Awareness campaigns for families; Individual interviews to provide information and guidance to students, especially to those with risk of disengagement.

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1. Title of policy/measure Development of adequate measures to support training choices and educational integration (2008) 2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale

This measure was introduced to support the training choices of young people and to encourage the reintegration of those who had previously dropped out of school.

(b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives).

The main aim was to reduce drop-out rates and to facilitate the suitable choice of an educational pathway.

All young people, especially for those with high risk of disengagement.

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available

Information, tutoring and guidance activities are available in all provinces of the region Tuscany.

3. Policy/measure operation and delivery:

(a) Level of operation Regional or provincial

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger policy approach?

This action has been enacted by Regional law no. n. 32/02 “ Testo unico della normativa della Regione Toscana in materia di educazione, istruzione, orientamento, formazione professionale e lavoro ” (Regional Regulation on Education, Training, Guidance, Vocational Education and Labour”). This law was aimed at increasing the compulsory education age to the age of 16 at a national level. The law was amended by Regional law no. 5/05. On 20/09/2006 the Regional Council approved bylaw no. 93 enacting the Piano d’Indirizzo Generale Integrato (Integrated General Guidelines) applicable to the already mentioned law. Bylaws no. 941 of 17/11/2008, no.121 of 23/02/2009 and no. 531 of 22/06/2009 - Annex A have also contributed to the normative framework.

Provinces, Job Centres, Schools, training agencies, local enterprises

4. Evaluation:

Reference indicators are the benchmarks set out in the Lisbon strategy 5. Source, legend

Regional report sent by the Region Tuscany to the Ministry of Labour and Isfol at the occasion on the 2008 Report on Right-Duty to Education and Training.

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5.3 Active citizenship

Art. no.1 of law no. 169 signed on 30 October 2008 introduced a new subject in the curricula of primary and secondary education. The subject is called “Citizenship and Constitution”. On the 4th March 2009, the Ministry of Education presented operational guidelines for introduction of this new discipline into school curricula. These guidelines are of the utmost importance for teachers and school leaders. Guidelines specifically refer to the European Parliament Recommendation and the Council of 18.12.2006 dealing with key competences for lifelong learning and the ICCS 2009 (International Civic and Citizenship Education Study) project. The ICCS 2009 project is the third international study on civic education and citizenship, promoted by IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement), and supported by INVALSI ( Istituto nazionale per la valutazione del sistema educativo di istruzione e di formazione - National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System) at the national level. The main aim of the project is to identify and analyse ‘how’ young people are prepared to be active citizens in modern democratic societies.

The subject area includes civic education, environmental education, education to legality, education to fair play and volunteership, road safety education, health education and respect for the rules. Indeed, the Italian school system could and should be a laboratory of democracy. The greatest attention is paid to the active participation of students at all levels: from class to school representatives, from local student committees to student associations. The new subject will be taught 1 hour per week (33 hours per year) from school year 2008-2009, (a total of 429 hours for each learner). “Citizenship and Constitution” will be taught during history, geography and social studies classes. At the same time, training and awareness campaigns have been organised in order to provide primary and secondary school teachers of «Citizenship and Constitution» with adequate knowledge and skills in the area of history, geography and social studies. Similar initiatives have been organised in preschool education. Training pathways for teachers are based on the cooperation with Regional School Offices and Universities (Faculties of Law and Political Science)

Different education levels correspond to different training pathways:

• Preschool education : teachers will have to share knowledge with specific regard to: family, school, groups, fair competition, practices of good behaviour among friends, parents, teachers and adults. • Primary education : teachers will have to teach the basics of the Constitution and social harmony: human fundamental rights, the role of social groups, the importance of environmental protection, some road safety basics, health protection and the respect for the rules. • Secondary education (Scuole medie - lower secondary schools): the Constitution will be studied, with specific regard to rights and duties of citizens and to international law in the field of human rights. • Secondary education (Scuole superiori – upper secondary schools ): the analysis of the Constitution will expand on the analysis of news, on concrete volunteership projects, promotion of respect and environmental protection, road safety, promotion of fair play and positive values of sports.

In May 2009, the Ministry of Education has published a call for tender for schools at all levels to finance the best experimental projects. 1 million Euros have been made available, to award the best

63 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 projects and create a reference network in this area. In September 2009, regional lists have been published with the projects to finance.

2. Title of policy/ measure Vitamine C.C. project - Vitamine C (Citizenship) & C (Constitution) - 2010

(a)Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason).

The policy example deals with a teaching project on “Citizenship and Constitution” . The project has been selected by the MIUR. The project has obtained the maximum score, that is 100/100. “Vitamine C.C.” project will be developed in 2010 and will focus on participation, from school communities to local school networks. The pedagogical background of the project is the social learning theory by Bandura: learning is something active, a first-hand experience to be savoured. Along with more traditional didactic methodologies, such as group works or didactic labs, new methodologies will be experimented. They are based on emotions and human relations, such as the “peer education” model, which is applied even in informal learning contexts.

(b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives).

The project contains innovative elements: from didactics to organisation, from the involvement of families and the territory to vertical continuity (the project includes both primary and secondary education), horizontal continuity (the cooperation between different education and training pathways) and educational continuity (through previous projects developed by the network of schools). The “Vitamine C.C.” project intends to build a more solid and efficient network with other qualified actors on the territory, thus joining forces to contribute to training measures.

(c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). The project is aimed at primary and (lower and upper) secondary school, for a total of 3.700 learners (1.000 of them attending the Vocational High School “Enriques”), 420 teachers, 3250 parents. Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.). The project will be developed in 2010.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery

(a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level).

The project “Vitamine C.C” develops at local level and is based on a vertical network including primary, lower and upper secondary schools, among which the Castelfiorentino-based Vocational High School “Enriques”. Verticality is guaranteed through peer education initiatives between students (from secondary to primary education students who cannot rely on forms of representativeness).

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (educatio n/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach?

The project was submitted to compete for the MIUR call "Citizenship and Constitution"; however, it was not created ad hoc to be presented on that occasion. In fact, the schools selected by the MIUR already experimented similar projects in the past. The 2008-2009 POF ( Piano dell'Offerta Formativa

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– Training Offer Plan ) of the schools included in the network contains ambitious initiatives to promote participation, education to legality, inclusion, active protection from hardships and deviant behaviours. The educational "background" available has encouraged the integration with previous projects and resources.

c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure)

The project involves direct actors (teachers, learners, parents, managers, associations) and other actors with specific roles: INVALSI ( Istituto nazionale per la valutazione del sistema educativo di istruzione e di formazione - National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System), for the monitoring strategy; Regional School Offices for interviews and questionnaires; ANSAS ( Agenzia Nazionale per lo Sviluppo dell'Autonomia Scolastica – National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy) for blended training activities provided to trainers on specific areas (i.e. "Active citizenship and participation") and for the support to documentation of projects, which should become transferable models for all Italian schools. 3. Evaluation:

Monitoring and documentation are based on the Participation Strategy by Roger Hart providing for 8 levels of participation. The evaluation will be also based on the IVAC model (Indagine- Visione/Obiettivi -Azioni –Cambiamenti – Enquiry-Vision/ Objectives- Actions- Changes) and will be conducted with public specialised institutions such as the Florence-based Istituto degli Innocenti in its capacity of UNICEF International Research Centre. The evaluation is intended as a dialogue, a form of cooperation based on research-action and not just as a final examination. The conceptual background draws on complexity (E. Morin). Reactions of learners and teachers are analysed through objective benchmarks and self-assessment indicators. Other evaluation tools have also been used: interviews, written documents, self-assessment reports, observation reports, thematic knowledge tests. Documentation will be provided for the whole project and will be based on interviews and multimedia presentations to be published on the school website.

4. Conclusions:

This project should be implemented and concluded by the end of 2010, together with the other projects selected (104 projects). It will be considered as an example of good practice and a model to be used, adapted and implemented to teach active citizenship in other Italian schools.

5. Source, legend * Presidential Decree of 8 March 1999, no. 275 (Regulation for the Autonomy of School Institutions) ** Legislative Decree no. 59/2004

Example provided by Isabel de Maurissens, Patrizia Lotti, Franca Pampaloni, Silvia Panzavolta, Researchers at the National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy (ANSAS, former INDIRE).

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THEME 6:

QUALITY, EXCELLENCE AND ATTRACTIVENESS OF VET

In the Education and training 2010 work programme, Member States agreed to make their education and training systems ‘a world quality reference’ by 2010. The objective to improve quality and attractiveness of VET systems is one of the pillars of the Copenhagen process.

The Council conclusions on Quality assurance in vocational education and training, adopted on 28 May 2004 ( 14 ), and the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Establishment of a European quality assurance reference framework for vocational education and training, adopted on 18 June 2009 ( 15 ), are designed to support Member States in promoting and monitoring quality improvement in VET at different levels. The latter provides a common basis for further development of quality principles, reference criteria and indicators. Quality assurance is a prerequisite for common trust between countries or different parts of the education system. Moreover, fostering excellence in vocational education and training is of paramount importance.

Teachers and trainers safeguard quality of VET and drive VET reforms. They should receive high quality professional training to foster their continuous development.

Individuals should be able to move from one qualification to another. Horizontal and vertical permeability of education and training systems increases the attractiveness of VET.

6.1 Improving the quality of VET

Over the last decade, the evaluation of education at all levels has become a top priority for various institutional and non institutional actors. Indeed, Italy has not responded adequately and systematically to the growing demand for training, nor has our country assessed the quality of educational pathways. The quality assurance systems applied by Italy in the education and training system essentially revolve around the quality of provision. However, until 2006 quality assurance was mainly viewed as a quality control rather than an improvement measure. Consequently, practitioners considered attention to quality as a constraint instead of an opportunity. The utmost attention has also been paid to the exaggerated split between quality assurance models based on process control (e.g., ISO) and models based on outcomes evaluation (e.g., learning outcomes evaluation). This split can obscure the final objective of improving the overall quality of the training provision. As to vocational training, the project called “ Accreditamento delle strutture formative e orientative ” (“Accreditation of Education and Guidance Centres”) has played a vital role towards the creation of a regulatory framework. The project was a top priority of 2000-2006 and 2007-2010 ESF plans. The normative framework is established by Ministry decree no. 166/2001 and is based on a new national system on minimum standards for the quality of training services (State-Regions Agreement signed on 20 March 2008). The decree states that the accreditation of training providers

14 Council conclusions on Quality assurance in vocational education and training, 8950/04 EDUC 96 SOC 206 (28 May 2004).

15 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Establishment of a European quality assurance reference framework for vocational education and training 2009/C 155/01, OJ EU C 155 (18 June2009).

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- involved in compulsory education, education as a right/duty, higher education and lifelong learning - should be based on specific policy actions to be planned and managed at a regional level, in order to monitor the quality of services provided by private and public organizations. The decree also invites to make joint efforts at a national level, while enacting European decisions regarding theoretical and empirical approaches and the availability of financial resources. In this framework, ISFOL has coordinated the inter-institutional group. The workgroup has defined a new model which should be transposed by policy makers into regional norms, in order to implement the 2007-2013 action plan and converge towards a common strategy aimed at improving the quality of education. The new accreditation procedure for Compulsory Education/Education as a right-duty will be mainly based on the assessment of results, that is on training outputs and the impact of training on employment. This will determine a focus on the evaluation of educational projects and the relation between process and product of training systems. The criteria set out in the above mentioned decree represent a fundamental normative step in terms of assessment of the training system. Indeed, they are included in the new national accreditation scheme for the quality of training services and are considered as new qualitative standards for agencies intending to provide services in the framework of Compulsory Education/Education as a right-duty (Annex 5 of the State-Regions Agreement signed on the 20 March 2008 and published in the Official Journal no. 18 on 23 January 2009). The current trend is to develop more active and dynamic policies to improve the quality of training processes. Great attention is paid to the assessment of the results achieved through training services, in terms of knowledge acquisition, professional or educational success. The new strategy is based on a “desk system” and provides the opportunity to activate the procedure without a deadline. The new assessment scheme requires that the fulfilment of quality criteria for training providers should prevail on the logistic requirements regarding operative headquarters. After introduction of the “ Carta della qualità ” (Quality Charter), ISO certification is no more compulsory. In addition, higher qualification standards are required to teachers, tutors and providers of guidance services; management skills are measured against economic benchmarks. Among quality assurance measures, an important role is played by Regulations aimed at reorganising Licei (secondary schools with a focus on classical subjects, sciences, arts or languages), technical and vocational secondary schools as set out in Presidential decrees of 15/03, pursuant law 53/03 and article no. 64, law no. 133/08 – par. 2 c), and in particular article no. 8 of the Regulation on Technical Education and par. 4 b) of article no. 8 of the Regulation on Vocational Education. These norms are based on the EQARF Recommendation, stating that the indicators for the assessment and self-assessment of technical schools are defined against the European framework for the quality assurance of education and training systems. On 19.01.10 the Italian Government, in a paper entitled “The case for a better European economic governance. Italian response to the Consultation for the future EU 2020 strategy” stresses the importance of reinforcing the multi-level governance to guarantee positive results of qualification, employment and growth strategies, as well as horizontal and vertical ownership structures. This approach also draws on traditional quality assurance criteria aimed at improving the governance of training systems.

As to the instruments, the creation of National and European networks - Italy’s Quality Reference Point, part of the European Network for Quality Assurance (ENQAVET) system, and the network for the dissemination of the peer-review methodology, under the Leonardo da Vinci “Peer Review as an Instrument for Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement in Europe” project - are examples of progress in the dissemination of good practices and on-going benchmarking activities, as well as of systems integration. The National Reference Point, in particular, as a system action is contributing to collect all initiatives and solutions carried out in QA so far, both at a national and

67 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 transnational level. Other measures to address the CQAF principles include research and analysis to support operational and methodological choices and the creation of operating tools for the system. In 2009 the European Parliament and the European Council approved the Recommendation establishing “The European Quality Assurance Reference framework for Vocational Education and Training”. The Recommendation has strengthened the activities of the QANRP, so as to define a national approach to quality assurance for the final national strategy to be presented in June 2011. The Recommendation has reinforced National Reference Points while improving and strengthening the education system governance. The importance of quality in education and training has become a matter of the utmost importance to guarantee the effectiveness and the efficiency of policies integrating educational and professional issues. In this framework, the activities of the QANRP aim at supporting and promoting processes and instruments for quality assurance in IFP ( Istruzione e Formazione Professionale – Vocational Education and Training), with further emphasis on the constant improvement of the results of the learning process. At the national and international level, the QANRP has developed a number of actions to disseminate the results and to support the institutional monitoring of quality assessment in education. The cooperation between the National Board and institutional actors has been strengthened; the capitalization of results have also been fostered at the regional level. In particular, great attention has been paid to the dissemination of guiding principles to improve the attractiveness of Initial Vocational Education and Training. The results obtained by a thematic group have been shared with teachers and training providers. In particular, 6 conditions were identified to contribute to increase the potential of Initial Vocational Education and Training (quality management, connection with the labour market, career opportunities, status and image, information and guidance, learning mediators).

As already pointed out, the Italian education and training system is characterised by various institutional actors (Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, Ministry of Education, Regions and Provinces) and is mainly based on decentralization and devolution. It is also characterised by a wide range of other types of actors (training agencies, enterprises, schools, local institutions, associations). This type of structure makes it very difficult to ensure suitable implementation of programmes and policies, since the context in which they are to be implemented is very inhomogeneous. However, new models can be experimented at a local level; once they are fully tested, they may determine new transferable models, as well as emphasize good practices, problems and solutions. With specific regard to the above mentioned principles and to the following policy examples, it is important to stress that general guidelines and recommendations should be implemented locally. In this sense, the EQARF approach is a guidance opportunity and represents a point of convergence of regional policies for the quality assurance and improvement.

1. Title of policy/ measure (indicate also the year when it was introduced/adopted/implemented) Quality of training pathways to help young people on the labour market and to ensure better life conditions: Government Programmatic Document (2009)

2. Outline of the policy/ measure o Ministry of Labour and Social Policies – WHITE “La vita buona nella società attiva” – “A good Life in Active Society”, 06.05.09; o Ministry of Labour and Social Policies – Ministry of Education, University and Research, “Italia 2020”- “Italy 2020”, 23.09.09

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The issue of quality assurance in education is central to recent policies aimed at fighting social and economic recession, and to national regulations aimed at fostering and strengthening the role of education systems and the labour market. At the national level, both documents were intended to stress directions and objectives for the economic and social growth, especially through the improvement of policy priorities. The creation of a quality assurance system in education is at the cutting edge between the activities of the Ministry of Education and Labour, Regions and Autonomous Provinces. In addition, the system is also characterised by a wide range of actors.

Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). The White Paper assigns a specific role to the quality of education processes, with specific regard to the following aspects: 1. Improving the quality, the use and the effectiveness of tools available in the education system, with regard to anticipation and governance mechanisms; 2. Contributing to the consolidation of welfare opportunities, through integrated actions involving schools, training providers, labour market and Job Centres, with the aim of targeting policies at individuals and their needs; 3. Strengthening and improving the cooperation with social partners, with the aim of developing quality and consistency of training activities through a more efficient governance system. The document “ITALIA 2020” identifies strategic tools for quality assurance in education and, consequently, quality assurance in IFP (Vocational Education and Training). In particular, drawing on the problems of the education system in Italy (self- referentiality, difficult quality assessment ) there is an urgent need to develop suitable approaches and instruments to: 1. Ensuring the match between knowledge and needs, with a priority focus on learning “measurements” and the updating of training processes; 2. Streamlining the governance of training systems, with specific regard to the involvement of social partners; 3. Improving the quality of educational activities, by means of new systems and approaches in a way to assure quality of accreditation procedures.

Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). In the context of lifelong learning, programmatic documents aim at improving the integration between active and passive policies through the governance of education and labour market systems, which are of the utmost importance for a good quality assurance scheme. Advanced Training is another aspect to take into account in order to integrate quality assurance mechanisms in education and training into a University context. The main objective of this approach is to encourage professional mobility and transparency of qualifications through the improvement and integration of quality assurance systems. The documents are targeted at the beneficiaries of education and training measures, in particular young people and students in their school-to-work transition, by means of an individual system of competencies, abilities and knowledge which should be consistent with the needs of the labour market and should be supported by efficient quality assurance measures. Measures are also targeted at all underdeveloped and marginalized human capital (women, unemployed, non-employed, people risking social and professional marginalisation). Through specific training programs and qualification measures, these people can benefit from more efficient active welfare policies.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level).

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(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). National initiatives have a strong impact on regional and local initiatives because decentralisation and devolution also influence vocational education and training. Policies in this field are characterised by general integrated guidelines which do not specifically refer to training systems, but draw on a multi-level structure which supports and improves the quality and integration of policies themselves. General guidelines are defined by the highest institutional representatives in the field of education, training and labour policies. As a consequence, there is an urgent need to involve all possible decision makers in order to guarantee cohesion, quality and effectiveness of quality assurance measures in IFP (Vocational Education and Training); consistently with the process of decentralisation and progress towards local autonomy, the involvement of decision makers and governance should be developed primarily at a local level. 3. Evaluation: (a) Assessment of effectiveness, efficiency or impact ( including results of evaluation studies, if available). (b) Indicators of success (e.g. high take-up, employment success, low deadweight, etc.). (c) Integration of outcomes into (a) larger (national, sectoral, regional, local) policy/ies. For 2010 initiatives, the Quality Assurance National Reference Point intends to cooperate with the institutions of the National Board to verify the quality of regional initiatives against the European framework. In this sense, during 2010 it will be possible to define new directions and provide detailed evaluation.

4. Conclusions: (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. (b) What issues remain to be addressed? Among National activities developed at European level, the Quality Assurance National Reference Point has created a Peer Learning project on accreditation. The results of the project have stressed the need to bring the quality assurance system closer to the European framework and to make it more sensitive to the evaluation of learning outcomes and assessment of process. With regard to the links between accreditation and quality assurance, this aspect can be considered as both a weakness of the system and a goal to achieve. In particular, urgent investments are needed in self-assessment schemes, training of trainers and development of benchmarks to monitor training and didactic processes.

5. Source, legend o Ministry of Labour and Social Policies – WHITE “La vita buona nella società attiva” – “A good Life in Active Society”, 06.05.09; http://www.lavoro.gov.it/NR/rdonlyres/B8453482- 9DD3-474E-BA13-08D248430849/0/libroverdeDEF25luglio.pdf

o Ministry of Labour and Social Policies – Ministry of Education, University and Research, “Italia 2020”- “Italy 2020”, 23.09.09 http://www.lavoro.gov.it/NR/rdonlyres/8FEF88B8-1C9D-46A0-9EC9- ACA11D1525E3/0/pianogiovanidef.pdf 1. Title of policy/ measure: La scuola del futuro: tecnologie didattiche per la qualità dell'educazione – The school of the future: educational technology for improving quality of learning (part of the project “Quality and Identity within education and research systems”. (2005 – to be accomplished on 2010) – Task n. IC.P03.005A

2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale

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(b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). (d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.).

The project has different objectives that can be reached through several activities: development of innovative learning environments, design and analysis of didactical proposals integrating use of TIC; analysis of processes and cognitive abilities required by the use of TIC; theoretical analysis and definition of methods and models for the innovation of education; promotion of scientific and technological culture; use of TIC for specific learning disabilities and disorders . The project is aimed to investigate how the new technologies can contribute to improve learning and teaching processes in different fields and to develop new competencies and cognitive skills. Furthermore, the activity will be linked to the most important research groups at international level, thanks to the participation to European projects, to the European excellence network Kaleidoscope and to seminars, congresses, editorial committees, etc. The expected results concern the development of software, conceptual models, experimental methodologies, processing of possible scenarios, experimentation of software, development of new tools for evaluation and analysis, training of trainers activities, dissemination and exploitation of results.

3. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure The project is carried out in cooperation with universities and research centre, at national and international level, such as: MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) – Regional school office; ANSAS (former INDIRE) – Agenzia Nazionale per lo Sviluppo dell’Autonomia Scolastica – National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy; IRRE-Lombardia – General Direction of informational services; INVALSI; CNRS: Leibniz Laboratory ' Grenoble Università: University of Paris VII ' France; University of London ' Institute of Education ' UK; National Kapodistrian University of Athens ' Educational Technology Laboratory ' Greece; University of Dublin - Department of Computer Science; University of Utrecht - Freudenthal institute; University of Goteborg - Department of Education; University of Warwick - Centre for New Technologies Reseach in Education; University of Twente; University of Bergen; University of Oslo University of Duisburg- Essen; Università di Siena ' Dipartimento di Matematica ' Italy; Università di Genova - Dipartimento di Matematica - Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione. Privati: Talent, Athens (Greece); Computer Technology Institute, Patras (Greece); Didael, Milano; AICA (Associazione Italiana Calcolo Automatico); GLIC (Gruppo di Lavoro Interregionale Centri ausili elettronici ed informatici per disabili). Altro ASL3 – Genovese, partner of Kaleidoscope network; Schools. Some activities will be co-financed at European level: Kaleidoscope (Telma; Narrative SIG; CIEL), Re-Math, EFELCREN. 4. Evaluation:

5. Conclusions: (a) Obstacles encountered (what did not work and why?); measures (planned) to overcome them. (b) What issues remain to be addressed?

With ReMath (EC-IST) project: remarks on acquired know how and the results of the project, with particular reference to the Pedagogical Plan Manager (PPM) for the realization of pedagogical scenarios. Coordination and scientific integration with STELLAR "Sustaining Technology Enhanced Learning Large- scale multidisciplinary Research" (EC-IST – 231913) network.

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Will be studied the changes introduced within the processes of teaching and learning algebra with ALNUSET software, that enhances the teaching and learning of algebra, numerical sets and functions in secondary schools. Furthermore, will be tested the products of the project "ZoomLinux", that will realize a DVD with Open Source didactic software for people with visual disabilities. The issues that remain to be addressed concern the elaboration of reprocessing of research activities. New projects will be implemented with other institutes in order to integrate different methods and research issues. A multidisciplinary team work will be set up involving young researchers.

5. Source, legend CNR – www.cnr.it.

Example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”.

6.2 Promoting excellence in VET

In Italy, the very idea of excellence is linked to education. Indeed, a sort of “evaluation culture” has progressively developed in our country. It is based on the idea of outstanding quality, in response to the need of “measuring” the performances of training institutions whose autonomy has increased over the last few years. Drawing on this idea, a more general principle of “excellence” is finding its way towards Public University System and beyond. Nowadays, excellence is a fundamental value to promote and to achieve; it is also frequently claimed in Ministry Plans (among the most recent, let us briefly mention the “ Programma nazionale della Ricerca 2009/2013 ” - “National Research Programme 2009/2010”- and the “ Piano di azione per l’occupabilitá dei giovani attraverso l’integrazione tra apprendimento e lavoro ” - “Strategic Action Plan for Youth Employability through the Integration of Work and Learning”) and considered as a strategic tool to overcome the current employment and economic crisis. In this framework, MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) – in line with the recommendations of the Bologna Process, which has set its objectives for the next years – has started a wide and articulated range of reforms in the field of higher education in order to establish a closer cooperation with advanced education actors. The reform of non-academic education and training, as outlined after enactment of the Prime Minister Decree of 25 January 2008, is a proposal to create alternative pathways to train highly skilled staff. For some years, attempts have been made to change the situation, firstly through the creation of IFTS ( Istituti per la Formazione Tecnica Superiore - Institutes for Higher Technical Education), followed by the introduction of so-called Poli Formativi , that is groups of Education and Training Centres. In addition, the above mentioned decree provides for the reorganisation of the whole higher technical education area while establishing two different pathways: the Istituti Tecnici Superiori - ITS (Technical Secondary Schools) and the “Istruzione e Formazione Tecnica Superiore IFTS “(Higher Technical Education and Training) which has undergone dramatic changes.

Even though excellence should be promoted in the interest of the whole education system, the utmost attention should be paid to measures and initiatives carried out to encourage excellent results and to stimulate the beneficiaries of the initiatives. For three years now, MIUR has created a National Register of Excellencies (see example in this paragraph) with the aim of motivating the students attending upper secondary school and stimulating them to achieve best results, through prize awards and public visibility on MIUR website. When it comes to regional professional training, measures and actions to promote excellence are taken at the local level, since Regions have exclusive competence on these matters.

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A fundamental role has been played by an initiative of the Region Lombardy aimed at promoting excellence of training and educational services. The programme is called “ Lombardia eccellente ” (“Excellent Lombardy”) for the creation of a regional Register of no-profit organisations operating in the field of education, training and professional integration in compliance with a set of criteria which contribute to the definition of an “excellence model” (willingness to achieve outstanding results, individual-oriented services, individual care, quality of educational activities, quality of the process management, degree of local involvement, availability of information about the activities and the results achieved, social responsibility, etc.).

Actions promoted by“ Lombardia Eccellente ” involve: a) the impact on education, training and the labour market, in line with the educational choices; b) the use of methodologies and didactic tools fostering the active participation of students, thus stimulating their creative potential and ability to adapt to the needs of the labour market; d) the creation of networks of operators, even of transnational nature; e) the possibility to share experiences and to replicate project actions in education, training and labour market.

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. Title of policy/ measure

NATIONAL REGISTER OF EXCELLENCIES School years 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008/2009 (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason). Improving the quality of school education, the MIUR initiative called “ Valorizzazione delle eccellenze” (Promotion of Excellencies) intends to promote the best results achieved by secondary school students, be they from public or State-recognised private schools. The normative framework of this initiative is law no. 1/2007 (articles 2 and 3) which provides a fist formal definition of specific measures and financial resources to award students with excellent results. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). Legislative decree no. 262/2007, pursuant law no. 1/2007, provides further details on the measures to implement and sets out the criteria and modalities for the “acknowledgement of excellencies in the different areas of learning”. It also states that the following categories of students should be involved: - students achieving excellent results at their final examination; - students winning “competitions at National and International level, as well as certamina and Olympiads”. The decree also gives provisions for the creation of a register of the students awarded, the so-called National Register of Excellencies by the Agenzia Nazionale per lo Sviluppo dell’Autonomia Scolastica (ANSAS) - National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy. (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post- secondary and tertiary level, etc.). Secondary school education (public or State-recognised private schools) (d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.). The Register contains the names of students of school years 2006-2007, 2007-2008 (included in the category “Students awarded for competitions” and 2007-2008, 2008-2009. For each school year, the MIUR database can provide information retrievable by different search criteria (personal or geographic information, type of qualification, etc).

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery:

(a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). The measure is targeted at secondary school students on the whole territory. Indeed the registration of excellent students is made by MIUR itself (namely by the Directorate General for Education, Statistics and Information Systems) through Regional Offices of Education. Financial resources allocated for each type of excellence (in school year 2008/2009 the total amount of resources allocated was € 3.862.401,00) are sent to the schools in order for them to “award” excellent students.. (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? This type of action (now at its third year) is part of a bigger campaign organised by MIUR to promote the quality of education through initiatives targeted at students. (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Ministry of Education, Regional Offices of Education, Secondary schools, students 3. Evaluation: data are not available

4. Conclusions: data are not available

5. Source, legend Ministry of Education, University and Research ( http://www.indire.it/eccellenze/ )

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6.3 Higher level qualifications in VET

In the field of vocational training, a fundamental role is played by apprenticeship programs. Over the last decade, apprenticeships have undergone dramatic changes. Indeed, apprenticeships are no more considered as an instrument to facilitate the insertion of young people in the labour market, but as a general tool for integration. However, the category of “young people” in Italy should be intended in a broader sense than in the rest of Europe. Indeed, apprenticeship contracts can be stipulated until the age of 30; in addition, they can take up to 6 years to complete. Apprenticeship contracts are very frequent among adult working population in Italy; they are widespread in the whole production system, including big industries. There is an urgent need for these workers to receive the same type of protection as other workers; in addition, various options should be considered with specific regard to highly-skilled young people.

The normative framework of apprenticeships is provided by law no. 30/2003. In particular, application decree no. 276 of 10 September 2003 sets out important news: it extends the range and the categories of possible recipients; art. 47 of the same law establishes three different organizational modalities, one of which deals with diploma courses and advanced training pathways.

The experimental phase of apprenticeship as set out in ex art. no. 50 - based on legislative decree no. 276/03 and financed by the Ministry of the Labour - ended on 30 June 2008. The analysis carried out by Isfol describes the training provision of the experimental phase as follows: • 49 courses for a University Master’s degree; • 7 courses for an IFTS ( Istruzione e Formazione Tecnica Superiore – Higher Technical Education and Training) certification; • 2 courses of post-diploma advanced training; • 2 degree courses, financed over different academic years; • 44 individual placement pathways for courses aimed at an IFTS qualification, a University degree (60 credits) or University Masters.

The analysis stresses that most interventions were aimed at University Masters. Indeed, in some cases Regions have let training providers choose the type of qualification to release; more often, they have operated a pre-selection of the options available and have selected those requiring less time to be carried out. For this reason, University Masters have been encouraged the most: they can be activated more rapidly and are considered even more useful for local production systems. In some cases, the projects carried out have dealt with other types of training, namely with an IFTS certification (Lombardy). However, while experimenting apprenticeship programs, Regions have adopted two different work modalities: • Homogeneous groups based on “classes”; groups participate in ad hoc measures, targeted at young people with a contract of apprenticeship; • Individual “insertion” pathways for young people with a contract of apprenticeship; they participate in the same training courses as non apprentices.

Both work modalities have been used irrespectively of the qualification to obtain; in fact, the second one has been rarely adopted, except in some Regions (i.e. Tuscany) where it represents the only work modality.

Apprenticeship contracts used to obtain a diploma or a qualification in the field of advanced training play a strategic role to strengthen the cooperation between enterprises and Universities; legislative decree no. 112/2008, turned into law no. 133/2008, has extended its scope of application

75 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 to Ph.D. courses; the access to apprenticeship has been facilitated through direct agreements between Universities and enterprises. The strategy to promote this type of apprenticeship represents a unique innovation for Italy and is based on a wide range of experimental initiatives carried out in different regions, especially in Northern Italy, where the presence of young people with apprenticeship contracts is higher than in the rest of Italy. The Ministry of the Labour has urged all actors to carry out adequate measures; nearly all Regions are organising and defining the details of experimental projects. Projects will involve a limited number of apprentices, namely a few thousand people, and will have a low impact on the system. However, experimental projects are based on the cooperation between enterprises and Universities (or other training institutions, even though the greatest attention is paid to University masters), on the integration between the parts involved, and on the contribution that both Universities and enterprises can bring to the acquisition of knowledge/competences and to the enhancement of work productivity. The challenge ahead is to find sustainable models so as to allow the parts involved to be able to take full advantage of the initiatives; in addition, adequate economic conditions will have to be determined to support the cooperation. One of the most relevant Governmental strategies to enhance the competitiveness of the country is based on the cooperation between the economic system and Universities. However Italian regions, even though interested in the application of almost all POR ( Programma Operativo Regionale, Regional Operational Programme), rarely have transposed such interest into concrete measures. Drawing on the problems described above, some Regions have cooperated with various actors in order to update and improve the quality of apprenticeship programs; new planning methods and training provision modalities have been defined so that enterprises are both considered as training headquarters and training providers.

In the Piedmont region, the cooperation between the Region, the University and social partners is aimed at defining an « Atto di indirizzo triennale per la realizzazione di percorsi formativi di alta formazione in apprendistato » - «Three-year planning Guidelines for the Creation of Apprenticeship Training Opportunities», intended as a normative framework to harmonise different education and training pathways, among which Ph.D. courses and secondary school diplomas. In the Veneto region, a Ph.D. in a higher apprenticeship scheme is currently being experimented. The initiative is promoted by the University of Padova and by Confindustria Veneto. It draws on the results of another initiative carried out in the past by the Faculty of Engineering and local enterprises with the aim of supporting Ph.D. research topics meeting the interests of enterprises. This model is intended to acknowledge the central role played by apprenticeships. Thanks to this instrument, enterprises would benefit from the research activity of Ph.D. students /apprentices for a longer period of time; at the same time, students can be trained on the basis of the specific needs of enterprises. A first draft of the project has been outlined and will be soon approved. From 2010, Ph.D. courses should have a duration of 36 months, and should be based on the cooperation between Universities, enterprises and a Ph.D. school (Industrial Engineering) interested in carrying out applied research in synergy with specific areas of the market.

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1. Title of policy/ measure (indicate also the year when it was introduced/adopted/implemented) Funds for advanced training projects aimed at young graduates (National Operational Programme “ Ricerca, sviluppo tecnologico e alta formazione ” – “Research, technological Development and Advanced Training” 2000-2006 – Axe 3 “ Sviluppo del capitale umano di eccellenza ”- “Development of Human Capital Excellence”).

2. Outline of the policy/measure: In the framework of the National Operational Programme “Research, technological Development and Advanced Training” 2000-2006 – Axe 3 “Development of Human Capital Excellence”, the Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) promoted a number of measures to finance advanced training projects targeted at young graduates. The initiative was aimed at enhancing technical and scientific competences and knowledge in Southern Italy to support both public and private research systems (Universities, research institutions, enterprises). Indeed, the innovation potential of enterprises in this area is extremely low, considering investments made in research and development. The strategic aim of this policy was to support investments in “excellent” human capital in order to encourage research and development within enterprises, while enhancing and improving the provision of third-level training. Training activities financed were divided into two main categories: Ph.D. courses and post-graduate vocational training pathways. The level of training provided corresponds to levels 6 and 5 of ISCED classification. Target groups included graduates (2nd level University degree). The programme ended in 2006; 1.177 projects were financed; 16.000 persons participated in the programme. 2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: Interventions dealt with Southern Italy Regions belonging to Objective 1 area, in accordance with the structural funds classification. Measures regarding advanced training are included in the operational programme financed by ERDF and ESF, aimed at supporting research and technological development of Southern Italy. The MIUR was the reference point for the programme. Universities, inter-university consortia and training institutions applied and implemented the projects. 3. Evaluation: The MIUR (in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and ISFOL) has carried out an analysis on the professional insertion of participants in advanced training courses. The results of the sample survey have stressed that the employment rates for people having attended a Ph.D. course or a post-graduate course are very high: 83,3% of Doctors and 68,5% of post-graduates have found a job within 18 months after the end of Ph.D. or post-graduate courses. However, 56% of the first group and 62% of the second group have a short-term contract, though all of them enjoy good flexibility in terms of job organisation and contents. Doctors are mainly employed in Universities; only 14% of them work in enterprises; this figure is however encouraging, since 50% is employed in R&D areas and 30,4% work actively on research. Those attending post-graduate courses have good chances to be hired by enterprises (47%), but are less likely to work in research and development (indeed, 69% do not work in R&D).

4. Conclusions: The main objective of the policy was to make highly-skilled staff available to the enterprises of Southern Italy. However, the objective was only partially achieved. Indeed, most Doctors still work in Universities; post-graduates rarely work in R&D areas of enterprises. It is necessary to strengthen the cooperation between Universities and enterprises and to encourage exchanges between training providers and enterprises.

5. Source, legend MIUR, Programma Operativo Nazionale Ricerca, sviluppo tecnologico e alta formazione 2000-2006 – National Research Operational Programme, Technological Development and Advanced Training 2000-2006. MIUR , Stato di attuazione del PON Ricerca 2000-2006 al 28/02/2009, Comitato di sorveglianza

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21/05/2009 – State of art: PON implementation 2006-2009. Last updates: 28/02/2009. Supervisory board: 21/05/2009. MIUR-MLPS-ISFOL, Alta formazione e occupabilità. Percorsi di transizione al lavoro nel Mezzogiorno , ed. RIREA, Roma, 2009; Advanced Training and Employability. School-to-Work transition in Southern Italy, ed. RIREA, Rome, 2009. Example is provided by Cristina Lion, Isfol researcher.

6.4 Improving horizontal and vertical permeability of education and training systems

In the field of initial vocational training, Law no. 53/2003 represents the normative framework for the measures aimed at integrating education and training. The above mentioned law has introduced (firstly only as an experiment, then on a regular basis) three-year vocational education and training courses (based on the State-Regions agreement of 19 June 2003). As already pointed out, law no. 296/2006 has increased the duration of compulsory education to 10 years (until the age of 16); as a consequence, three-year courses play a fundamental role for young people having completed lower secondary school. Indeed they represent a model for the integration between education and vocational training. They are based on the partnership between training agencies (whose accreditation is based on quality assurance criteria) and schools. Training pathways can be subdivided into two main categories (which can be further subdivided into various sub-categories): 1) vocational training courses, based primarily on the activity of training agencies. A vocational qualification certificate is issued. 2) a combination of educational pathways and vocational training courses, based primarily on the activity of schools. Students receive a qualification certificate (based on the type of school attended) and a vocational qualification certificate or the recognition of credits for vocational training pathways.

In order to prevent drop-out and non-attendance, measures are aimed at strengthening the flexibility of pathways and creating final and midterm national certification mechanisms for the recognition of credits obtained from training pathways (State-Regions Agreement signed in October 2004) in order to encourage horizontal and vertical mobility within and between vocational education and training. Legislative decree no. 139/2007 establishes a Paper on key competences of citizens at the end of compulsory education, irrespectively of the type of education chosen, that is school, three-year courses, training courses provided by training agencies or other training institutions. The decree is intended to respect European recommendations to the Member States on the need to provide the young people (irrespectively of the type of secondary education chosen) with successful educational pathways based on knowledge, as well as basic and advanced vocational competences. All educational pathways should provide fundamental skills, which are of the utmost in a period of economic crisis, and help protect young people from the risk of social exclusion. The reforms undertaken over the last years are intended to conciliate two different ideas (previously kept well separated): the idea that education and training should be a response to the professional needs of the labour market; and the idea that education and training do not depend on the labour market, and that they can influence the quality of processes and products, the use of technologies and the organization of the labour market itself. Legislative changes approved in the last few years are intended to bring modernization and encourage work-life balance for the new generations. Among the most relevant legislative changes approved this year, a fundamental role is played by the reform of secondary education. The reform of Licei (secondary education schools with a focus on classical subjects, science, music, art or languages) was approved on 4 February 2010 by the

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Council of Ministers . The reform will entry into force from school year 2010-2011 and is a crucial step towards the modernization of the Italian education system. The impact of the reform on the education system is important for all future education and training pathways. Schools are urged to suggest new organizational models and to reform their curricula, as well as reorganize guidance activities and the use of new didactic methodologies. As to their structure, Licei and technical schools will be based on two 2-year cycles, followed by a fifth year and a final examination. Vocational schools will have a total duration of five years, without the traditional third-year qualification, and will be based on two 2-year cycles; the second cycle will consist in 2 different annual cycles. The second cycle is divided into two single years in order to facilitate the transfer to education and training three-year courses. Licei will be reorganised as follows: - 2 mono-thematic areas (classic, linguistic); - 4 options available in the area of science and human sciences (scientific-technological, human sciences, economic and social); - 2 options available in the area of music and choir (a few schools will be activated for the first time in Italy); - 3 options available in the artistic area.

Technical and vocational schools will not be based on options, but on areas and specializations (though less than in the past, in order to enhance the consistency of pathways). From the second cycle, students will have the opportunity to participate in school-work alternance schemes and internships, in cooperation with advanced training institutions (Universities, technical institutes, conservatories, academies). For all three types of secondary schools, new organizational models will be introduced (Departments, technical and scientific committees, Technical Offices) aimed at enhancing school autonomy and flexibility. These indications are contained in regulation schemes, inviting operators and institutional actors to discuss about a new system, irrespectively of consensus around specific proposals and consistently with vocational training. Other regulations are being discussed within the field of secondary education, such as the recruitment and the initial training of teachers, the juridical status of staff and school board. These questions need to be addressed carefully by the reform of the education system. In addition, three-year courses should also be reformed to guarantee the complementarity of educational pathways, while avoiding overlaps and useless concurrence between vocational school pathways and three-year courses (which have a duration of four years in some Italian regions). Data collected from national surveys on young people between 14 and 17 years highlight the importance of both pathways, because they respond to different needs of young people. Indeed, the drop-out rate in the first two-year cycle of vocational schools is very high and three-year courses are mostly attended (2/3 of the total number of students) by people who have previously unsuccessfully attended one or two years of vocational school. The training provision of vocational schools and training agencies should be coordinated; indeed, the reference regulation scheme 16 allows vocational schools to release qualifications (after three years) and diplomas (after four years) in compliance with the principles of subsidiarity and drawing on specific agreements between the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) and the Regions. The impact of three-year courses on five-year courses in vocational schools is still unknown. The number of people enrolled in three-year courses could increase, because of students being discouraged by five-year courses or by the lack of vocational qualification certificate in vocational

16 Schema di Regolamento del riordino degli istituti professionali - Regulation Scheme on the Reform of Vocational Education, art. no. 2, par. 3.

79 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 schools (after the third year); on the contrary, the number of students could decrease because of economic and organizational difficulties encountered by Regions. However, in the short-term, an increase in the number of students enrolled seems to be possible for three-year courses organised by accredited training agencies; in addition, the shortage of financial resources could prevent Regions from planning and organizing quantitative and qualitative three- year courses to respond to the needs of young people. A balance between three-year courses and new models of integration between education and vocational training could be the answer to these questions, drawing on the experience accumulated overtime by schools and institutions which have worked so far to achieve quality.

As to non–academic post-secondary education, presidential decree of 25 January 2008 sets out the guidelines for the reform of IFTS ( Istruzione e Formazione Tecnica Superiore – Higher Technical Education and Training) and the creation of ITS ( Istituti Tecnici Superiori – Higher Technical Schools). The relationship between IFTS and ITS should be defined. Regulations provide for the creation of ITS courses articulated on two years (for a total number of 1800-2000 hours) and targeted at adults and young people to obtain a technical specialisation diploma in technological areas. The following are considered as top priorities for national economic plans elaborated against the background of the European strategic plan: - energy efficiency; - sustainable mobility; - domotics; - new technologies for “Made in Italy”; - innovative technologies for cultural heritage and cultural activities; - ICT. In order to combine public and private resources, ITS are based on the “holding foundation” model, in the framework of territorial plans approved by the Regions and the autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano which have exclusive competence on their training provision. Technical and vocational schools will be considered as reference institutions. IFTS training pathways will be shorter and will be planned on a regional basis drawing on territorial needs; a qualification certificate (not a diploma) will be issued. The decree also sets out important measures to encourage the experimental creation of technological and professional centres to stabilize and organize the cooperation between technical and vocational schools with accredited training agencies and the labour market. NB: Examples of the measures are not available. Reforms need to be completed and will enter into force soon.

6.5 Teachers and trainers

In Italy, the training of trainers is governed by the State. The Ministry of Education defines rules and criteria for training, selection and updating courses for teachers working in the education sector; the training of trainers working in the vocational education system complies with general principles established by the State, but is governed by Regions. Hiring procedures and career management in the education sector follow a linear and centralized path; when it comes to vocational education, the situation appears to be more complicated. The vocational education system is governed at regional level; each Region outsources the provision of training and guidance to accredited organisations. This process allows regional administrations to suggest and to adopt training or guidance initiatives to be financed with public resources. Through accreditation procedures, Regions verify that candidate organisations comply with minimum standards required, thus guaranteeing the quality of training measures. The assessment is based on management and logistic criteria, on the economic and financial situation, on the

80 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 availability of professional competences (namely in the field of management, administration, teaching, coordination, analysis, planning, assessment of needs, guidance), on the levels of efficiency and effectiveness shown in previous initiatives, and on the relationships with the local economic and social system. The competences of vocational education staff are assessed in terms of credentials, intended as information available on the qualifications and the professional experience; credentials are based on self-certification. Art. no. 10 of Ministry Decree no.166/2001 established that the Ministry of Labour – subject to prior Agreement reached at the State-Regions Conference — should have defined by 31 December the minimum standards for human resources competences, while drawing on the information provided by annex 2.3 of the same decree no. 17. The State-Regions Agreement signed on 1 August 2002 focused on the need to identify minimum standards to obtain an accreditation for the functions indicated by Ministry Decree no. 166/2001, and quality standards for vocational education staff. In reforming the accreditation system, the 2002 Agreement has envisaged a strategy on two phases: the first one is characterised by the assessment of credentials of people with strategic roles; a second step includes requesting recognised professional competencies; this second step is only possible after the creation of a national certification of standards for the competences of vocational education staff. Because of the complexity of this issue and the difficulty to come to shared and legitimated conclusions, during the experimental phase it has not been possible to define minimum standards for competences. In this sense, regional authorities have only implemented the first step of the 2002 Agreement, that is the assessment of credentials. The absence of national and local shared standards/benchmarks, along with the difficulty of creating a shared certification system, makes it even more difficult to implement suitable tools for real advances in training provision. In order for the accreditation system to give minimum compliance guarantees it is necessary – in the light of indications emerged from 2the 007-2010 ESF planning – that in the near future measures should be focused on the professional quality of staff/trainers working in the management and provision of training services, through the definition and the assessment of minimum standards of competences, knowledge and abilities.

The current phase is characterised by a progressive shift from bureaucracy (the verification of formal requirements of organisational and logistic nature) to the evaluation of the results achieved by accredited parts, in terms of employment outcomes and “contents” transmitted to the learners by the end of a course. By march 2008 a new accreditation system should be defined; the new system should focus on the quality of services and on the assessment of the results of training measures (“Accreditation for the quality of services”, State-Regions Agreement, March 2008, published in the Official Journal no.18 of 23 January 2009”); in this regards, the educational and employment outcomes will be central for accreditation devices. Indeed, regional devices will include a specific section on the professional quality of staff/trainers working in the management and the provision of training services; this section will be based on the definition and the assessment of minimum standards of competences, knowledge and abilities, as a consequence of the implementation and application of the Repertorio nazionale delle qualifiche (National List of Qualifications), defined by the State-Regions Conference and by the definition of the Quadro nazionale delle qualifiche (NQF)- National Qualification Framework. As to the training of teachers in the educational system, hiring procedures are based on traditional access rules. Following law no. 53/2003, new hiring and training procedures for teachers had been identified, as well as rules for the transformation of the system. However, the time needed for the emanation of implementation decrees and the difficult relationships between Universities and the Ministry of Education had encouraged the creation of joint Work Groups for teachers training and the definition of a Regulation Scheme on initial training of teachers, whose updated version has been released on 10 July 2009. Initial training

81 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 pathways for teachers should rely on Universities and advanced training institutions in the field of artistic, musical and choir education. These institutions should create dedicated “ laurea magistrale ” (first level University degrees) as well as second level academic courses. The attendance of these pathways is the pre-requisite to participate in public competitions for teachers. On-the-job training should also be provided during the apprenticeship year, after which the beginner teacher should become permanent. Specific training initiatives have been activated in the last few years, in particular to tackle bad results of students attending the first year of upper secondary education, as shown by the OECD PISA survey on basic knowledge. Training measures are subdivided into specific subject areas, as set out in the Piani nazionali di formazione ISS (Insegnare scienze sperimentali ) – National ISS training Plans (Teaching Experimental Science), Mat@bel (Mathematics and basic e-learning knowledge) and Poseidon (Training Plan for Teachers in the linguistic-literary area). In this regard, a vital role is played by the National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy (ANSAS) which provides support for distant learning for beginner teachers ( PuntoEdu - EduPoint).

The reform of initial training for teachers should be completed in compliance with regulations set out in decree-law no. 112, art. no. 64, of 25 June 2008, which fits in the framework of current reforms of the educational and training system. The creation of Centri di Apprendimento Permanente (CAP) – Lifelong Learning Centres (CAP) in the Universities will allow to create specific pathways for on-the-job learning and the professional updating of trainers, while including them in a more general lifelong learning offer.

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2. Policy/measure operation and delivery:

1. TitleIn the of near policy/ future, measure Universities will be encouraged to start actions towards lifelong learning. This process will innovate the institutional role of teachers, as well as didactic applications, the skills of Creationtechnical of Lifelong and administrative Learning Centre staff, (CAP) tutoring at the measurUniversityes andof Roma the overallTre (2009) system organisation. Some developments are already tangible. A concrete proposal is to establish Lifelong Learning Centres not 2. Outlineas isolated of the events, policy/measure: but as part of a network, while enhancing the effectiveness and the positive (a)impact Rationaleon employment (why rates. was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, Centres reason). should provide services to individuals and organisations as well as training of trainers in the light of new didactic needs. Centres will be also called to realise efficient partnership with the Theterritory, University professional of Roma organisations Tre is creating and enterpris a Lifelonges. Learning Centre (CAP). The first phase of the project will be conducted by the Competence Assessment Research Centre of the University; the Centre(b) Key has actors received involved the European(main institutions Quality involved Label by in tadoptinghe European and carrying Federation out the of measure). Competence AssessmentUniversities, Centres. enterprises, companies, social partners.

Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). 3. Evaluation: The Centre will regularly carry out activities that have been conducted so far only as experimental investigations.The project has just started.

4. Conclusions:a) Competence Assessment and Competence Certification, with a double function: − (a)Internal: Obstacles guidance encountered and empowerment (what did fornot the work placement and wh ofy?); disa measuresbled students; (planned) to overcome − External them.: service (with a fee payment) to be provided to adult workers with high-medium level skills in a period of transition; the service could also be provided to public organisations (regions, 5. Source,provinces, legend etc.) and individuals, associations, bilateral organisations, interprofessional funds for http://www.eform.it/CAPactive policies and mobility initiatives. http://www.programmallp.it/lkmw_file/LLP///erasmus/ MIUR_Linee_Indirizzo.pdf b) Development and implementation of a research pathway to create procedures for the recognition Reportingand the on validation initiatives of knowledge and professional skills, as well as of informal and non-formal Examplelearning provided pathways; by Luisathis initiative Daniele, should ISFOL, be Policies activated and with Provision the support of Initial of available and continuous University training.Courses.

c) Research of partnerships and implementation of fund-raising actions to support the activities of the University in this area, namely research projects on continuing learning, in order to be able to organise adult training and lifelong leaning measures.

Drawing on the results achieved in the first phase of the project, a University Service Centre - Lifelong Learning Centre will be created. This Centre should be intended as:

a) Development of didactic and research actions for teachers and trainers, guidance and job insertion professionals, assessors and evaluator of previous learning, in response to the need for training (especially from adults willing to return to University), and with particular reference to the areas of citizenship, gender training, employability and continuing training for workers.

a) Privileged area for the development of new efficient local, national and international partnerships at economic, social and institutional level (with specific regard to the production system of the region Latium).

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.) Pilot project

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THEME 7:

ENHANCING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

Creativity, innovation and intra-/entrepreneurship 17 are important for economic development and Europe's competitiveness. Research and cutting-edge innovation mostly require high levels of knowledge, skills and competence.

VET, fostering creativity and preparing learners for innovation and entrepreneurship should promote acquisition of key competences such as learning to learn, a sense of initiative, realistic assessment of risks, and a quick grasp of opportunity. The knowledge triangle of education- research-innovation illustrates this interrelationship. Partnership between enterprises and education, training and research ensure a close focus on the skills and competences required in the labour market and can be instrumental in incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship in all forms of learning. Broader learning communities, with representatives of the civil society and other stakeholders, to promote creativity and better reconciliation of professional and social needs, and individual well- being should be encouraged.

Many related skills and competences have been acquired in the past outside formal settings. Their recognition depends on the availability of learning outcome-based assessment methods. Recognition of these competences is also likely to encourage learners to develop their creativity and capacity for innovation further.

7.1 Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in VET

In the framework of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, a great impulse has been given to the relaunch of technical and scientific culture of the country, as a priority for the social and economic development of Italy and also in the view of strengthen its competitiveness in the international context. The measures addressed to develop the scientific and technical culture in Italy – with the implementation of the Higher Technical Education and Training and the constitution of the Higher Technical Institutes – are at the basis of one of the most important project of the last ten years: “Industry 2015” 18 .

17 Creativity refers to the ability to bring ideas or works into being which are new, surprising and valuable/useful. Innovation refers to a new and significant way of doing something which is useful, particularly the successful implementation of creative ideas (in products, work process, organisation, etc.). Intrapreneurship refers to employees and students using entrepreneurial skills without taking on the risks or accountability associated with entrepreneurial activities, by using a business model. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship is the ability to turn ideas into action. It involves creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. The individual is aware of the context of their work and is able to seize opportunities which arise. It is the foundation for acquiring more specific skills and knowledge needed by those establishing or contributing to social or commercial activity. This should include awareness of ethical values and promote good governance.

18 For further details, please consult Industry 2015: http://www.industria2015.ipi.it/

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“Industry 2015” aims at providing some strategic guidelines for the development and the relaunch of the competitiveness of the italian industrial system, in a global vision where it is confirmed the support to the national industrial realities of “excellence” (shipbuilding, energy, aerospace, etc.). It is in this direction that have been set the guidelines for the reorganisation of the Higher Technical Education and Training system, adopted with Decree of the President of Council of Ministers (DPCM) on the 28th of january 2008. The Decree is an act indicating, in the framework of Regions competencies in the field of training, three typologies of interventions: 1. The constitution of Higher technical Institutes (ITS) , that provide two year paths for allowing youngs and adults to acquire a higher technical diploma, with reference to technological areas, considered as priorities by the national guidelines of economic planning, with reference to the strategic framework of European Union:

o Energy efficiency o Sustainable mobility o New technologies of life o New technologies for Made in Italy o Innovative technologies for culture o Information and Communication technologies

2. Higher Technical Education and Training Institutes (IFTS), for the acquisition of the Certificate of Higher technical specialisation, with the aim of corresponding to the training needs of higher technical institutes in different sectors from the above mentioned areas.

3. The development of vocational-technical institutes (poli tecnico-professionali). The Decree also establishes some measures to promote the experimentation of these sort of University Campus, in order to make more stable and organised the cooperation of vocational and technical institutes with training bodies and the world of enterprises.

Moreover, the year 2009, as European Year of creativity and innovation, has represented for Italy an important moment for the observation of different creative and innovative activities that have been implemented at national, regional and local level. The aim is that of enlightening, also through the comparison with other European identities, the role of creativity and innovation in Italy as a development factor of local identities. For the coordination of national activities, it has been constituted an open Interministerial and Inter-institutional Board (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Public Administration and Innovation, Ministry of Culture, Agency Lifelong Learning Programme, National Agency for the Development of school Autonomy); the national calendar provides with workshop, conferences, events, direct or virtual activities organised at national, regional and local level on the themes of Creativity and Innovation, promoted by public and private bodies. The national campaign, which has received the support of European Commission, has been implemented in the national territory also thanks to the cooperation with Regional Education Offices and the Telematic Networks “Education to Europe” and “More Languages in Europe”. The aim is that of contributing to the changes of school through:

• The strengthening of key competences at all level and in all training systems with a particular focus on: entrepreneurship, creativity and learning to learn; • The improvement of the training offer through the experimentation of new methodologies for lifelong learning, promoting the centrality of learners and peer learning;

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• The continuation and extension of the debate “The school of XXI century” in every school and territory; • The promotion and support for european projects focused on innovation and creativity; • A National LABEL “Europe change the school” for promoting the awareness of the impact of european dimension in the improvement and innovation of education.

Additional Info: Projects and good practices European Year of Creativity and Innovation: www.create2009- italia.it )

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7.2 Improving quality of teaching

Italian school system has been characterized in recent years by big changes: the rise of education, reorganization of technical and professional institutions; the institution of the right and duty to education and training with ten years of education; guidelines for the reordering and development of Adult Education, not just in terms of organization, but also and above all, in terms of learning programmes and correlated evaluation strategies; the introduction of integrated pathways between vocational education and training, strengthening the autonomy of educational institutions in the definition of training. This is the framework in which it can be considered the Indicazioni per il curricolo per la scuola dell’infanzia e per il primo ciclo d’istruzione (“Curriculum Guidelines for Nursery Schools and the First Education Cycle) which are nationally determined and adapted to local needs by each school according to school autonomy. Ministerial Decree no. 139/2007 which extended the length of compulsory education up to 10 years, also defined the key competences (called 'competences for citizenship') students are expected to have acquired at the end of compulsory education. The processes leading to the acquisition of competences for the four cultural strategic pathways proposed by the Commission and indicated by the Ministerial Ruling (Languages; Maths; Science- Technology; Social-History) have been implemented as a goal that all the students must possess at the end of the ten years of compulsory education. The new rules on education define the key competences to be acquired at the end of compulsory education: learning to learn, plan, communicate, cooperate and participate, act independently and responsibly, solve problems, identify connections and relationships, acquire and interpret information and seek to innovate the teaching methods in the four cultural core areas (assi culturali ) : linguistic, mathematical, scientific-technological, historical and social ones, in order to promote the full development of interaction with the natural and social reality (Ministerial Decree 139/2007). Knowledge and skills are indicated for each subject; the school will help pupils to transform them into personal competencies. The guidelines define the essential performance levels that should be ensured by each school. Specific learning objectives at primary school level have been defined for the following subjects: catholic religion, Italian, English language, history, geography, mathematics, science, ICT, music, art, sport and motor sciences. On the 17th of December 2009, the unified Conference State-Regions has approved the Ministerial Decree scheme on the model of the certification of knowledge and skills concerning the new compulsory schooling and Italy has adopted the key competences of citizenship as education and training objectives for cultural and citizenship pathways, according the principle of training equivalence, with common elements that all the different kind of education and vocational training pathways must have. The model foresees the certification of competences of the four cultural core defined by the 2007 already mentioned Decree with reference to the 8 key competences. The Certification will be implemented on three levels: base, intermediate, advanced.

Improving the quality of teaching is also linked to the widespread of mobile technologies. The use of “mobile learning” represents in this sense an important tool for promoting vocational education and training policies for participation in LLL and social inclusion, thanks also to the fact that the use of mobile devices is “transversal” to age, social status, sex and ethnic origins. Measures to integrate lifelong learning and mobile technologies could therefore have important effects on different indicators, like the participation rate to education, the competence level of teacher/trainers in the use of ICT, the widespread of learning practices based on the use of mobile devices, as the following example (MOTILL project) aims at providing.

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1. Title of policy/ measure : MOTILL Project (Mobile Technologies in Lifelong Learning: best practices)

2. Outline

(a) Rationale .

MOTILL, which stands for “Mobile Technologies in Lifelong Learning: best practices”, is a one year project. It is funded by the European Commission within the National Lifelong Learning Strategies (NLLS) – Transversal programme – Key Activity1: Policy Cooperation and Innovation of the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013. The key concepts in MOTILL are Lifelong Learning and Mobile Technologies . The MOTILL project investigates how these technologies may impact on the diffusion of a social model where learning and knowledge are accessible to all, regardless of social and economic background, age, gender, religion, ethnicity or disability. There is a need to make explicit connections between learners’ (and potential learners’) everyday uses of mobile devices and the use of these devices to exploit learning opportunities, whether for formal qualifications or for informal learning. The widespread use of mobile technologies in all EU countries offers an opportunity to develop policies aimed at participation and social inclusion. The use of mobile devices transcends age, social status, economic level, gender and ethnic origins. Although the education community has highlighted that mobile learning could be a suitable means to support Lifelong Learning (LLL), national policies have not yet taken any significant steps to integrate LLL and mobile technologies. The MOTILL project aims to promote this type of integration

(b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives).

Aims and outcomes:

The project focuses on the use of mobile technologies as a key factor to develop flexible LLL frameworks for education and training. Moreover, as long-term, the MOTILL aims to involve policy makers that should sustain the strategic plans and learning activities based on the results of the project, and promote an increase in the rate of people involved in training programs. Some of the main results of the project will be: - an up-to-date survey on the use of mobile technologies in learning and training projects in the partners’ countries; this survey will take into account also the policies set up in the various countries by the relevant institutions; - a methodological framework to analyze and highlight best practices in this context. This framework will identify the key factors to assess and the main indicators to consider, and will establish the principal criteria for constructing the evaluation grid; - an open space for public discussions, involving public and private institutions, research centres, educators, and trainers, on the impact of Information Society Technologies (IST) on the future of LLL.

Public and private institutions, research centres, educators, and trainers. The project will involve

88 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 researchers and national/local agencies in the definition of strategic plans, increasing their awareness of the possible impact of mobile technologies on LLL, and providing educators with the technological and methodological scaffolding necessary to implement these policies.

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.).

5. Source, legend

CNR – ITD – Sezione di Palermo, Palermo (IT) http://www.itd.cnr.it

– Project website: http://www.motill.eu

Example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”.

7.3 Innovation-friendly institutions

In the last 10 years, the italian school system has tried to answer the need to introduce innovations in the VET system, through several national and local initiatives for teachers, with the financing, through national funds, of IT laboratories in schools, defining new kinds of competences to be developed in students and providing curricula with some new features. Ministry of Education, University and Research has promoted a “Digital School Plan” 19 , with the aims of modifying learning environments through the integration of technologies in didactics. Digital innovation represents an opportunity to overcome the traditional concept of classroom and has the objective of creating a learning space open to the broader world that would strengthen the concept of “active citizenship” and realize a “sustainable, inclusive and smart growth”, as stated in the objectives of Europe 2020. One of the most important element of novelty is the institution, starting from school year 2009- 2010, of 16.000 LIM (Interactive Multimedia Blackboards) in lower secondary schools- Moreover, this operation has involved 50.000 teachers and 350.000 students. In the school year 2010-2011 the Interactive Multimedia Blackboards will be extended to the upper secondary school and to the primary school.

19 For further info, please check: www.istruzione.it/web/istruzione/piano_scuola_digitale

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A lot of projects have been implemented thanks to LIM:

• The Regional Education Office of Lombardia has implemented the project Didactic and Multimedia Interactive Blackboard, involving more than 400 schools on the territory (2005); • The Regional Education Office of Bologna has promoted the adoption of digital blackboards in 108 schools of the province, also undertaking a training action(2006); • DIGI School, from 2006 on, is one of the first initiatives for the widespread of Interactive Multimedia Blackboards promoted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (2006); • SLIM4DIDA (Support to the introduction of LIM for didactic) is a pilot project financed by the Autonomous Province of Trento (2007). Ministry of Education, University and Research is promoting several actions to modify learning environments in the didactical practice. Among the several actions, parallel to LIM, we remind: Cl@ssi 2.0 (which aims at modifying learning environments through a constant and widespread use of technologies supporting daily didactic); @urora (promoted by MIUR and Ministry of Justice, for the reinsertion in the qualified labor market of the minors of penal institutions) and HSH@Network- Hospital school Home Network (new technologies supporting students hospitalized or in day care therapy, thus allowing them to continue to participate to classrooms activities and lessons).Others experimentations concern a larger promotion of the use of multimedia tools and technologies for distance learning in the academic field, in order to enlarge the possibilities of access and use for higher education pathways. The development of tools and didactic innovations in e-learning environments at university level is described in the following policy example (STEEL project), a research project which combines an hardware and software technological platform for didactic with a particular focus on training needs for the italian labour market.

1. Title of policy/ measure : STEEL (Sistemi, Tecnologie abilitanti E m Etodi per la formazione a distanza = Systems, enabling technologies and methods for distance learning ) – Institute for Didactics Technologies of National Research Council Project period: 2007-2010 2. Outline (a) Rationale. STEEL ( Systems, enabling technologies and methods for distance learning) is a research project, financed by the Investment Fund for Basic Research of MIUR, aimed at developing an e-learning system for university education based on the integration of different media and communication modalities, based on an innovative technological integration with satellite and terrestrial reception systems. The system developed will allow implementing university courses provided by the on line university UNITEL. The STEEL project has a three year duration (july 2007- july 2010) and is placed in the research framework ITD “ Models, methodologies and tools for e-learning. (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives). The main aim is that of developing an e-learning system for university education, in particular the objective is that of providing a pilot system, both on hardware and software side and on the side of didactics modalities that could be used as planning and didactic reference in higher and university training, coherent with the present national

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and International guidelines, with a specific focus to the training needs of italian world. Main expected outcomes are: - An e-learning university model integrating different communication ways in order to accomplish the needs on a distributed and mobile population; - An infrastructural technological satellite-terrestrial platform; - A complete didactic software system allowing interactive training between users having a low budget satellite system and web access; - An on line pilot course validated at technological and didactic level; - A model for the evaluation of systems and e-learning services at university level; (c) Target groups (high achievers, young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, people with migrant background and ethnic minorities, older workers, people with low skill levels, the long-term unemployed); or educational level(s)/ educational sector(s) (IVET, CVET; VET in upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary level, etc.). Higher and University Education: users provided with a satellite- terrestrial station and web access. (d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc.). The project has been activated in 2007 and it is articulated into two main phases. During the first one, it has been studied, planned and realized an integrated satellite-terrestrial platform for on line training services. The second phases will test the system through the planning and evaluation of a pilot course.

2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/employment/ social) policy approach? (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure). Main institutions involved in the project are: CILEA - No profit consortium of eleven universities in Italy , established in 1974 CNIT – National Inter University Consortium for telecommunications. ITD – Institute for Didactic Technologies of CNR, dealing with the study of innovation in education linked to the use of ICT. UNI-TEL – International Telematic University Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level). National

3. Evaluation : 4. Conclusions: 5. Source, legend: sito CNR - ITD – Genova http://www.itd.cnr.it/ Project website: http://steel.cilea.it/ Example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”.

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7.4 Encouraging partnership

The European Council, in its “Conclusions on creativity and innovation and vocational education and training systems” in may 2008 20 , has explicitly remarked the key role of VET systems as promoters of the development and of the creative skills to promote social cohesion, economic competitiveness and development of talents.

Therefore, developing the vocation to the creative thinking and innovation in order to make creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship as key factors of social and economic growth through VET, is also strictly linked to the 8 key competences for lifelong learning, in particular: learning to learn, entrepreneurial spirit and cultural awareness. In this optic, national policies for VET are also aimed at:

• Stimulating in young people the development of creative skills applied to design and the research of innovative solutions in product management; • Offering students an opportunity to enrich their experiences, through a constructive comparison on a common project; • Allowing teachers/trainers to integrate didactics with a close contact with the local and productive world;

In a study produced in 2010 for the European Commission (DG Enterprise & Industry) called “New Cluster Concepts Activities in creative Industries”21 , the core definition of creative industries is linked to art, music, culture, writing and fashion. The document also states a big difference between creativity and innovation: “Art and culture and most creative industries are not driven by neither research, nor new solutions based on the knowledge from users; creative industries are basically taste-driven and most creative workers aspiration is to set new standards for users taste and choice”. In small and medium-sized urban areas the main difference is to have an integrated strategy connecting creativity, innovation, sustainability and education. Education , in particular, was the subject of a Creative Clusters Project (led by Urbact , an european exchange and learning programme promoting sustainable urban development) held in Reggio Emilia- The city, located in Emilia Romagna Region, has started a transnational project (2009-2011) together with others european partners (Obidos, Portugal; Barsley, Great Britain; Hodmezowasarherly, Hungary; Mizil, Romania). Main aim of the project is that of promoting and stimulating the creation of districts of creativity and innovation in small size cities. In the framework of the project the city of Reggio Emilia intends to indentify a mix of actions which could foster the creation of a cluster on new media combining at once: new technological competences, entrepreneurial spirit and cultural/artistic sensitivity. Reggio will contribute to the network through its experience on: creative education in primary and secondary schools; cultural life and agenda, the WIFI city, strategic local planning and social inclusion of minorities groups.

More info available at: http://urbact.eu/fileadmin/damwithcat/crea_clusters/ReggioEmilia_profile.pdf http://www.blog.urbact.eu/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/04_the-creative-brief.pdf

20 Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 22 May 2008 on promoting creativity and innovation through education and training http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:141:0017:0020:en:PDF 21 The study is available at: http://www.europe-innova.eu/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=182854&name=DLFE- 8918.pdf

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THEME 8:

FINANCING VET

Successful implementation of VET strategies requires securing adequate financial resources and ensuring their efficient allocation, equitable distribution and sustainability. Countries and social partners have agreed to improve public and private investment in VET and cost-sharing (Maastricht, Helsinki and Bordeaux communiqués). This may involve: a) implementing institutional reforms (such as budget delegation/devolution, public-private partnerships); b) introducing incentives to improve efficiency of VET systems (such as performance-based funding) or to invest more in VET (tax incentives); c) developing and implementing other co-financing approaches to ensure a balanced share (between public bodies, employers and individuals) of costs and responsibilities for VET (vouchers, learning accounts, training funds, etc.). Priority should also be given to use EU funds for modernising VET.

8.1 Improving efficiency, equity, levels of VET funding

IVET is mainly financed by the Ministry of Education, and, partly, by Regions and Provinces. The total public expenditure for education and vocational training in 2004 was around 65 billion Euros (4,6% of the GDP), whose 78,5% goes to schools, and 23% to adult learning (data supplied by the Ministry of Education).

The law no. 59/1997 grants schools self-government in terms of the learning method, the organization, research, experimentation, and development, but it does not grant financial self- government. Therefore, the budget comes from funds given by the State for the learning and administrative functioning of schools. Such budget is given on the sole condition that it must be prioritarily used for education, training and guidance activities, specific to each type and course of study of school.

The State directly funds the administration and the learning method of schools, Regions supply services and help for students (canteens, transportation, study books in primary schools, grants for low income families, social-health care); Provinces and Municipalities can supply help and services with a Regional proxy.

Enrolment and attendance to compulsory school are free of charge. For the Lower Secondary Education, though not compulsory, there is no need for attendance fees, while for the Post Secondary Non Tertiary Education, there are enrolment and exam fees, and contributions for the use of laboratories. As for Tertiary education, the State finances university through three different funds in the State budget, which are to be divided among universities: the Fondo per il finanziamento ordinario delle università (FFO: Fund for the Ordinary Financing of Universities), the Fondo per l'edilizia universitaria e le grandi attrezzature scientifiche (FEU: Fund for University Constructions and Great Scientific Equipment), and the Fondo per la programmazione dello sviluppo del sistema universitario (FPS: Fund for Programming of University Development).

Vocational training is under the responsibility of Regions also through the proxy and the hand over of functions and duties to Provinces. The State has the duty to determine the minimum levels of

93 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 supply. This happens thanks to the framework law no. 845/78, to the greater context of reform of public administration, implemented with the so called Bassanini laws (law no. 59/97, legislative decree no. 469/97, and no. 112/98), and to the reform of the 5th chapter of the Italian Constitution, which gives Regions exclusive legislative power on vocational training.

First vocational training involves the training supply for young people between 14 and 17 years of age, and is given by qualified training agencies and by schools involved in three-year-long educational and vocational training routes, on the basis of the State-Regions Agreement of the 19th of June 2003. Such routes must be at least three-year-long, include subjects and activities related to both general cultural training and to the interested vocational areas, and must lead to a vocational qualification, which is valid at national level, it corresponds at least to the II European level (Council decision 85/368/CEE), and is granted by Regions through qualified training structures which are responsible for the training. The three-year-long routes are financed yearly by Regions through national funds of the Ministry of Labour and of the Ministry of Education, and through Regions' own funds.

First training also includes external training for apprentices under 18 years of age (right-duty to education and training), organised by Regions and Provinces through short training modules (120 hours per year for specifically professional subjects, and 120 hours for basis competencies). As for the apprenticeship for the right-duty to education and training, training activities are financed by the Ministry of Labour with yearly financed national resources, and with regional resources. All training routes for the compulsory education/right-duty are therefore free of charge for young people enrolling to them. The employment of apprentices includes tax incentives for companies; the State grants relief of social taxes to companies offering apprenticeship contracts. Regions finance external training courses (courses carried out outside of the workplace), using partly State funds, partly FSE funds, and partly their own funds.

In the last few years, CVET has gone through a phase of important development and settlement. In these years, there have been stronger efforts for considering CVET an essential part of lifelong learning policies, connected to learning as a strategy for developing a competitive economy, based on knowledge, by focusing on people both as citizens and as workers. Nonetheless, we are still lacking a complete and coherent legislative framework, while the Parliament is discussing hypothetical laws aiming at acknowledging the right to permanent apprenticeship, and while the definition of an intervention strategy, coordinated among the different economic and institutional levels involved (Ministry of Labour, Regions, Provinces, Both Sides of the Industry), is being discussed.

The CVT (Constant Vocational Training) system is financially supported with resources granted by the State, by Regions and by public and private bodies; resources which are to be integrated with other resources granted by the European Union. A great part of CVT related interventions are actually made by economic and social stakeholders (mainly companies and workers), through their own choices: in particular, with regard to private sectors, public policies only cover a percentage, which does not reach 15 % of the whole expense for constant training. The main tools supporting constant training, which are currently working in Italy, are the following: - the European Social Fund, which has the aim of supporting workers' adaptability, and the processes of change anticipation and management, mainly through the supply of training courses and the organisational development of companies, but with a special attention to the creation of direct equitable benefits for workers, and with a priority to SMEs. This aim is developed further in the 2007-2013 programming. - the national law of 236/93, which created a fund for vocational training; it financed training courses in companies, and allowed the experimentation of individual training routes and of

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training plans agreed by both sides of the industry at company, sectorial and local level. Starting from 2003, the law 236/93 has been reviewed as for the criteria for the use of financial resources. The new decrees strengthen the support to groups of workers having "weak" professional positions. These groups are generally disadvantaged by constant training initiatives, which often privilege younger workers, and workers with previous education. - the national law 53/00, which acknowledges the general right to training throughout the whole life, and thus finances training leaves connected to the regulation of working hours. - the Fondi Paritetici Inteprofessionali (Joint Interprofessional Funds) for constant training, managed by both sides of the industry, created in 2001 and started in 2004, which operate in favour of interested companies, by promoting the organisational development, with the aim of increasing companies' competitiveness.

As for the two national tools (law 236/93 and law 53/00), the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies allocates and grants resources between Regions and Local Autonomies, which then publish public notices. Starting from 1998, thanks to the experimentation made with the law 236/98, individual training was introduced in Italy. In this kind of training the direct recipient of the financing (granted through a voucher) is the worker. Moreover, as stated above, starting from 2003 the law 236/93 has been reviewed in terms of "Social" objectives. As for resources granted by Joint Interprofessional funds, these themselves publish public notices. The Funds finance corporate, sectorial, local, and individual training plans, in favour of participating companies. The plans are financed through financial resources coming for the yearly budget of the 0.30 % contribution of salaries, which is paid by companies to INPS (National Social Welfare Institution) as a contribution to compulsory insurance against unwilling unemployment. Every year companies can decide whether to adhere to one of the Funds, and, in this case, they will also benefit of that opportunities, or to continue paying the contribution to INPS.

The system of adult training (CTP " Centri Territoriali Permanenti per l'Educazione degli Adulti" [Permanent Local Centres for Adult Education] and evening courses) is only financially supported with State, Regional, and local governments' funds, and by public and private bodies. This financial support can also be integrated with resources coming from the European Union. In particular, there are no enrolment and course attendance fees (generally there are no fees for formal courses, that is courses issuing a certification, while for short courses there is an enrolment fee. Nonetheless, the choice whether to self-finance or not is tightly connected to school self-government), while for evening courses there is the same fee due for day courses. Since, in substance, courses are free of charge, there is no particular form of financial help to those enrolled.

As for the development of policies, in 2009, as a response to the economic crisis, some legislative measures were issued (Legislative Decree of the 29th of November 2008, no. 185, changed and turned into law of the 28 of January 2009, Anti-crises measures), which affected the development of training policies. Such measures were followed by State and Regions Agreements, and by agreements between each Region and the regional representatives of both sides of the industry. These agreements had the aim of contrasting the effects of the crisis on unemployment. Anti-crisis measures include a budget of 8 billion Euros, of which 5.35 of national contribution and 2.65 granted by Regions, through the use of the resources coming from the European Social Fund. Repealing the current legislation, resources must be used for financing temporary and exceptional measures for supporting income. The object of intervention are temporarily laid off workers, workers in risk of being expelled by production processes, but who still have a work relationship, and workers expelled by production processes. During the period of temporary lay off, workers must attend routes of re-training/competencies update, in line with the professional needs of the company the work for, while, for laid off workers, training activities will focus on routes of vocational redeployment.

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All measures, which focus on the synergy between the State, Regions and Both Sides of the Industry, produce a change in the use of CVT, which, in this framework is used as a central point of integration between active and passive policies. The definition of integrated routes still implies many difficulties connected to the strict training supply, to the implementation of the rules of the European Social Fund that were not included during programming, to the need to create complex mechanisms of coordination between the different involved parties (Ministry of Labour, INPS, Regions, Provinces, Both Sides of the Industry, companies, and workers), to the difficulty in striking a balance between the initiatives supporting income and the initiatives of active policies, in case of very short temporary lay off, which is very difficult to programme in advance.

Many times we observed the fact that companies' training needs and training supply do not match, and this especially affects southern Regions, which are structurally backward regions. New strategies of intervention, though they are still being experimented as for training supply, will focus on re-training and rationalisation and must start from those areas, where there is greater need for measures against long-term unemployment, even more affected by the current economic situation. For many years now, the basic legislation on adult training (except for interventions for single segments) has not been changed. During the last term of office, the draft law on permanent learning asked for by the four interested ministries (Education, Labour, University and Public Administration) and published by the council of ministers has not been successful. During 2008 two new draft laws on permanent learning were submitted to the Parliament: the first focused on the right of workers to training and vocational development 22 , the second focused on the creation of a system of permanent learning for employed and unemployed adults, of access to formal and informal education, training, and cultural development routes for employability and for active citizenship. Trade unions are also going in the same direction. Regardless of the success in parliament of the different draft laws, we are waiting for the conclusions of the Commission for the study of the reform of the vocational training system, created at the Ministry of Labour. On the basis of such results, a joint process between the State, Regions and Both Sides of the Industry, can be started. This process will be able to renew and integrate parts of the system, which do not sufficiently communicate with each other, and, most of all, to contribute to the variety of tools of intervention.

22 The draft law "Rules on the acknowledgement and promotion of right to training and vocational development" (20.05.08), submitted to the Camera dei deputati, does not aim at building a systemic reference framework for all types of training activities connected to lifelong learning, and limits vocational training for unemployed people to the boundaries of the one promoted and managed by Regions through the qualified training agencies.

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8.2 Use of Lifelong Learning Programme funds After a decade of academic exchanges and knowledge sharing between national systems, in 1999 the Ministers of 32 European countries gathered in Bologna to outline a project for an European Space for Higher Education based on a common architecture and consisting of three cycles, allowing students and graduates to move from one system to another without difficulty.

If we analyse 2001 - 2007 data concerning Socrates and Leonardo Da Vinci (from 2007 part of the new LLP integrated programme), we find that 162.759 individuals have benefited of scholarships and traineeships for mobility reasons; 86,4% of cases involved initial training actions (140.598 individuals), while 13,6% of individuals were involved in continuing training actions (22.161 individuals), mainly addressed to education and training operators. However, recent Almalaurea 23 data show that at present, only 11.7% of Italian graduates have spent a period of time abroad (14.7% for specialist, single-cycle degrees and 10.5% for first-cycle degrees). The reform of Italian legislation in 1999 (Ministry Decree no. 509/99) has yet to produce tangible quantitative or qualitative improvements in this mobility. Despite agreement in favour of the internationalisation of the system, in the last ten years not only have we seen structural rigidity but also a lack of academic attention to the international experiences of our students. In addition, normative measures have not smoothed the process of enrolment of foreign students into our institutions. The relationship between student mobility and employment is explored by various studies conducted by Almalaurea, a consortium of Italian universities funded in 1994 following the initiative of the Statistical Observatory of the University of Bologna, with the aim of bringing companies and graduates closer. In particular, the IX Report on employment conditions of Italian graduates (Almalaurea, 2007) was accompanied by a deeper reflection on school-to-work transition in the main European countries and has allowed the use of skills acquired during periods of study abroad to be explored more in depth. However, the attractiveness of studying abroad for most graduates – in light of the surveys carried out by AlmaLaurea – is hardly encouraging. The percentage of graduates having undertaken periods of study abroad during their university careers almost halved between 2001 and 2005, dropping from 18.8% in 2001 to 16.5% in 2002, 17.1% in 2003, 11.3% in 2004 and only 10.8% in 2005. Participation in Erasmus or other EU programmes fell from 8.4% in 2001 to 6.7% in 2005, but the biggest fall was evident in other forms of experience abroad (recognised experiences and personal initiatives), which dropped from 10.4% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2005. In a few years, while the number of graduates has grown, student mobility programmes have been hit by an unprecedented crisis. However, the analysis of end-of-study results is very encouraging: those who participated in Erasmus or another EU programme achieved significantly better results than their counterparts without any kind of experience. In contrast, an exploration of employment conditions in the short term does not seem to encourage further measures towards internationalisation. One year after graduation, the number of those who took part in Erasmus or another EU programme with a stable job is 16.5% less than those who had no experience of mobility during their studies. Nevertheless, between three and five years after graduating, their income rises significantly, with a difference of +31%, four points higher than the average income registered for those without any experience

23 www.almalaurea.it - AlmaLaurea is run by a consortium of Italian universities with the support of the Ministry of Education, University and Research. It is aimed at becoming the reference point for everyone dealing at different levels with issues like academic studies, employment and youth conditions.

97 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 abroad. The experience of mobility, therefore, has a positive impact on employment in the long term, both from the financial and the professional perspective.

Mobility support measures for Italian students who want to spend a period of study abroad, and the initiatives to welcome foreign students in Italy in the framework of Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus programmes, are still considered as a top priority, especially with regard to the acquisition of foreign languages and the creation of new professional opportunities on the labour market.

In the period from 2007 to 2013 all lifelong learning measures, all European research initiatives and policies for enterprises, as well as all structural funds will be aimed at removing barriers and encouraging free circulation of knowledge.

Italian outgoing mobility statistics highlight that our nationals, namely the beneficiaries of learning mobility measures, play an active role in this sense and are very sensitive to mobility opportunities available. The attitude towards mobility measures is the same, be the beneficiaries from the field of education or initial vocational training, University students or education /training staff. Italian mobility rates are in line with those of the other European Countries. Similarly, the analysis of information available about the most popular European/International mobility initiatives shows the same trend, even though data available do not allow for a consistent analysis but tend to underestimate the importance of the phenomenon 24 .

In general, the use of Lifelong Learning Programme funds has undoubtedly fostered a partial process of internationalisation of the Italian University. This is a strategic goal for the national agenda, in line with the commitments of the Bologna declaration and the recommendations of the European Union. For this reason, over the last decade Universities have made their training provision more dynamic and appealing to foreign students, and have boosted scientific research in a way to strengthen mutual partnership with foreign Universities.

24 The analysis does not take into account regional mobility initiatives, borderline regions or towns twinning, which can create informal learning opportunities.

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8.3 Use of other EU funds

Among public policies available to support education, the European Social Fund (ESF) plays a vital role for Italy, both from the financial and the strategic point of view. One of the priorities included in ESF measures was to provide educational opportunities to people employed in the private sector to improve their ability to adapt to new technologies and new markets, while preparing educational initiatives for people employed in the public sector. Another top priority was to support education governance actions (the so-called “system actions”) through specific training pathways for those who work in education, training or public job centres or cooperate with social partners. In the 2007-2013 plan the top priority “Adaptability” has included three main objectives: enhancing the competitiveness of the whole production system, thus supporting SMEs and encouraging new entrepreneurship; developing lifelong learning mechanisms and enhancing the quality and the organization of the labour market; supporting geographic and professional mobility. The total amount of funds allocated for 2007-2013 projects is 2.411.633.779 Euros. Between 2000 and 2008 Italy invested 2.171 billion Euros on lifelong learning. 74,4% of the available funds was allocated to constant training for people employed in public and private sectors. The rest was spent on system actions. Central and Northern Regions (belonging to the area called Obiettivo 3 - Objective 3) invested 1.441 billion Euros, while investments made by Southern Regions (belonging to the area called Obiettivo 1 – Objective 1) reached 730 billion Euros. The average cost of one hour/per student involved in lifelong learning initiatives is 15 Euros. In Central and Northern Italy, the initiatives mostly involved people employed in the private sector (86,6% of available funds), while 9,1% of the resources was assigned to people employed in the public administration. In Southern Italy, lifelong learning measures for public servants played a major role. In addition, the total expenditure on education for system actions reached 28,2% (only 2,4% in Central and Northern Italy). These results are consistent with an overall strategy aimed at enhancing governance abilities within the Quadro comunitario di sostegno dell’obiettivo 1 – Community support framework to Objective 1 areas. In terms of beneficiaries, more than 1,7 million people participated in lifelong learning initiatives between 2000 and 2008; an average of 1,4 million workers were involved in Central and Northern Italy, only 364.000 workers in the South. In Northern and Central Italy, the number of people employed in private and public sectors who were involved in lifelong learning is higher than those included in system actions. In the South of Italy, the participation of training operators and job centres is higher. Focusing on gender, the average number of men is slightly higher than the number of women (54,2% against 45,8%), while no gender differences are found in the South of Italy. The participants have a high level of education: 47,5% of people have an upper secondary school diploma and 19,9% hold a University degree. Among those who do not have a secondary school diploma, 20,5% has attended a lower secondary school. Territorial information also proves to be particularly interesting: the highest number of workers with a University degree comes from the South of Italy (31,9%); female workers in the South of Italy also have easier access to educational initiatives than those in the North (50% against 44,7%). One reason for these results is that most civil servants and vocational training operators in the South of Italy are women. When focusing on age, figures show that the number of participants aged over 45 is slightly higher in the South of Italy, as also proved by gender-based evidence. In terms of age class, most participants are aged between 35 and 44. However, considering the group “over 45”, which is one of the main targets of European policies, participation in training initiatives reaches only 29,4% against 65,3% of workers aged between 25 and 44.

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8.4 Improving VET governance

The current VET governance, subdivided into IVET and CVET, is described in paragraph 8.1. The need to overcome the current economic crisis is encouraging all parts involved in the creation and implementation of measures, to strengthen cooperation and information exchange mechanisms in order to be able to manage the whole process and to comply with community rules. In addition, the need to mix active and passive policies is encouraging some Regions to build worker-focused interventions to create targeted initiatives along with integrated measures. The outcomes of the ongoing projects will be useful to understand whether the mechanisms undergoing testing could also trigger structural changes; to date, due to the emergencies caused by deep and enduring economic and production crisis, the content and functions of education policies is being repurposed, with a special focus on lifelong learning. Indeed, such an evolution could support new operational and conceptual approaches as well as a new organizational and structural framework for action. On the medium and long term, among the various strategic actions, an important role is played by the reform of industrial relations and of the bargaining model. The aims of this reform are to protect purchasing power and wages from inflation, to defend the relation between wages and individual, company and territorial productivity, and to support the creation of suitable conditions for a shared evolution of industrial relations To this end, the Green Paper of the Ministry of Labour stressed that a more cooperative system of industrial relations can prove to be «the real strategic lever towards competitiveness and development”. The Green Paper also encouraged social partners to contribute to a governance system oriented towards modernization and sustainable welfare. The awareness of the importance to reform the bargaining model, even though in a period of economic crisis, is proved by some recent events which have contributed to the Framework Agreement signed on the 22tnd January 2009. Even though it is not supported by the biggest Italian trade union, this agreement replaces the former one signed on the 23rd July 1993. The Interconfederal Agreements establishing the conditions for the implementation of the Framework Agreement, have also created new forms of bilateral cooperation within the field of integrated welfare services. Where bilateral relations already exist, the agreement sets out new rules to adjust the mission, the organization and the rules governing Bilateral Organizations to ensure that their actions match with the needs of workers and enterprises. The importance of Bilateral Organizations is growing rapidly, as proved by the Accordi settoriali di rinnovo dei CCNL (Contratti Collettivi Nazionali di Lavoro) – Sectoral Agreements for the renewal of Collective Labour Agreements.

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THEME 9:

PROGRESS IN MODERNISING EUROPEAN VET SYSTEMS IN THE COPENHAGEN PROCESS AND PRIORITIES FOR FUTURE COOPERATION

Cooperation between Member States, the European Commission and social partners in the Copenhagen process has been based on the open method of coordination, and has relied on voluntary contributions from Member States and stakeholders.

Countries have defined common objectives and priorities for their national VET policies and reforms, evaluated progress and exchanged good practices to learn from one another. At the same time, responsibility for political decisions has remained at national level.

The Copenhagen process also has an external dimension, to open European VET systems to the outside world, to foster the mobility of learners, apprentices and teachers and trainers and exchange experiences with other countries.

9.1 Impact of European cooperation in VET on development of national VET policies

In the 2007-2013 round, Italy’s National Strategic Framework listed human capital as one of its key priorities, involving, more specifically: the integration of education/training/employment systems and lifelong learning. During last two years, it has been continued the european cooperation process on VET both at national and european level; the initiatives promoted by single member states and by the European Commission have greatly contributed for the development of a european dimension of education.

As for Italy, main national VET initiatives focused on different issues:

EQF

The process of implementation of EQF is still ongoing; it comprises the definition of a new structure at national level to enhance the link with the labour market, also improving the integration between different VET systems. For some parts of the national system, it has already been realized the reference to EQF levels, as for example for higher education, linked to level 6, 7 and 8 of EQF. However, its building still presents some elements of complexity. Inside the building process of the national qualifications, an important role has been represented by the National Board for the definition of professional standards, the recognition and validation of competences and the implementation of training standards. The National Board, activated by the Ministry of Labour, foresees also the active participation of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, of Regions and Autonomous Provinces and of the Social Partners. The work of the National Board started in 2006 but it has greatly developed especially during 2008, in correlation with the building process of EQF ( Recommendation of 23 april 2008 ) and of ECVET ( Recommendation Proposal 9 april 2008 ). The national standard system, in a coherent approach based on learning outcomes, can be considered the basis as the integration of different components of the national qualification framework (NQF).

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Education Reforms : Higher Education and Adult Education Centres

The reorganization of the non academic higher education and training ( Decree of the President of Council Ministers of the 25/1/2008 ) marks the willingness to institute an alternative channel to the academic one, primary aimed at providing users with high technical skills, with the objective of enhancing the links between VET and the labour market. In this sense also the reform of higher secondary education, with the reorganization of technical education, vocational education and lycée, answer to the need of focusing on the quality of teaching than the number of lessons and the excessive number of subjects, with also the objective of giving more space to laboratory didactic improving the attractiveness of these paths. Among the measures adopted with the aim of increasing the quality and attractiveness of VET, it is worth of mentioning the regulatory scheme on the re-definition of the asset of Education Adult Centre, comprised evening courses (june 2009). This regulatory scheme introduces some substantial innovations with the setting of Education Centres for adults as autonomous school institutions, articulated in territorial service networks and, concerning the offer, the capacity of realising a training offer articulated for levels of learning, aimed at the acquisition of qualification and certificates referred to the first and second cycle of education in relation with the first and second cycle of education of technical, vocational and arts institutes. One of the main innovation aspect in the definition of the training individual Plan, is the possibility of recognising, validating and certificating competences acquired in informal and non formal contexts to assess “from the reconstruction of the individual story”.

Guidelines for training 2010

On 18 February 2010 it has been signed an important agreement between Ministry of Labour, Regions and Social Partners in relation to the training general policies to be jointly implemented through the current year. This agreement called “Guidelines for Training in 2010” envisages the national qualification system in an European perspective as the fundamental element for efficacy and transferability of the learning outcomes wherever acquired by students and workers. Also the issue of recognition of non formal and informal learning has been mentioned within these Guidelines as a strategic point to work on in the perspective of human capital competitiveness and lifelong learning

European tools for transparency

In the complex, the widespread of european tools for transparency (as example Europass) has largely contributed to the diffusion of the importance of eu tools also among all the actors interested. Moreover, in October 2008, with the support of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, it has been constituted the National Point for the coordination of EQF (European Qualification Framework) for Italy. Towards the implementation of european tools for transparency it is also worth of mentioning the activities of the National Reference Point for guaranteeing the quality on Initial Vocational Training, with a focus on the continuous improvement of the outcomes of lifelong learning and training processes. In the framework of the “double” european and national dimension, the National Reference Point has developed information and dissemination actions of results and support to the institutional agreement for the quality of training system. The implementation of the work programme “Education and Training 2010” and its inclusion in the Lisbon strategy has represented till nowadays the reference framework concerning the themes connected to education and training. The kind of cooperation used in the framework of the Programme (the Open Method of Coordination) has supported different national reform processes

102 ReferNet Italy Policy Report 2010 of education and training, encouraging the affirmation of a vision that strongly promotes the investment in human capital. The same principle, that can also be found in Copenhagen and Bologna process, has brought to reform processes of university education, to the study of policies aimed at promoting the mobility of students, to the start up of a rationalization process of qualification systems.

Concerning the progress on “Education and Training 2010” objectives, even if still remains some critical aspects concerning the results obtained, it is important to underline that Italy has reduced the discrepancy with the average european data concerning school abandon and the education level attained by secondary school. Less positive are the data concerning adults participation to education and training activities. As stressed by data on higher secondary education and higher education (referred to the whole population 25-64 years) the percentage of those contributing to raise population education level has mainly been represented by young people, even if the data lags behind the average European data. Another critical data is represented by the increase in the number of 15 years old people having problems in the appropriate comprehension of a written text: the data has constantly increased since 2000. In this optic, it is crucial for Italy taking into consideration the needs of all the actors involved in the implementation of VET policies, also in order to implement a coherent and strong relationship between new competences and new jobs.

It is in this direction that can be placed the strategy underlined in the document ITALIA 2020. Piano di azione per l’occupabilità dei giovani attraverso l’integrazione tra apprendimento e lavoro , ( Italy 2020. Action plan for the employability of young people through the integration between job and learning ), presented jointly by the Ministry of Education, University and Research and by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policies. The main priorities are filling in the gap between education, training and work, strengthening transition processes through measures for the relaunch of apprenticeship and technical and vocational education. The aim is to remove, for each citizen, all possible barriers to access to education and training and to the possibility of combining qualifications obtained from different institutions, and to ensure that they are able to move freely within the European labour market, enjoy lifelong learning opportunities that cut across all levels of education and training and use formal, non-formal and informal learning methods. One of the principal measures to achieve this aim has been the recent establishment of a Technical Table for the construction of a national system of minimum vocational and training standards and competence certification, in line with the European policies on this subject (lifelong learning, EQF, ECVET). This Table acts as a national control centre. Thanks to features such as the participation and active involvement of all the key actors (competent ministries, Regions, Social Partners) and the systematic approach to the integration of the education, training and employment systems, it has set itself the task of identifying and selecting, within a common methodological framework, a national system for the definition and recognition of qualifications, the certification of competences and training credits, the transparency of competences, and the establishment of training and occupational standards.

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9.2 Governance, cooperation and ownership of the different actors in the Copenhagen process at European level

Exchanges of information on different policy options can help advance reforms in national education and training systems and, together with other mutual learning activities, form a key part of the Education and Training 2010 work programme. Italy strengthened its active cooperation in the Copenhagen process through conferences and peer learning visits for sharing good practices, offering and providing feedback in the framework of “Education and Training 2010” programme and attending EQARF, ECVET and EQF meetings and events

Among the several activities where representatives from Italy participated, we can mention for example:

• Peer Learning Activity of the Focus Group on VET Teachers and Trainers which took place on 10-14 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, on the theme of ‘the professionalization of teachers and trainers in VET’. The PLA was hosted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) carried out on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research • Peer Learning Cluster on “Access and Social Inclusion in Lifelong Learning”, hosted in Naples (april 2009) jointly by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research and Isfol (with also the participation of ETF-European Training foundation) • Peer Learning Activity - “Learning outcomes as a bridge between VET e HE system ”, hosted in june 2009 by the German Ministry of Education on Recognition of Learning Outcomes (LO). • Peer learning Activity Forum: Adult learning – validation, held in Prague in june 2009, promoted by the Slovak Ministry of Education, on the definition of national systems of validation for non formal and informal learning.

- Moreover, it is also worth of mentioning the creation of a Transnational “NET@work” supporting the comparison between Members States on measures against crisis. The network has been promoted by the Ministry of Labour in july 2010 and the main goal is that of providing methods and tools for the economic recovery and supporting the objectives of “Europe 2020” strategy, with the participation of italian regions and EU Member States. In the framework of the activities planned, Isfol will coordinate the working group on “flexicurity”, managing a comparative analysis on flexicurity measures adopted by Member States. The Network is an important challenge for coordinating different national strategies addressing them towards the common goal of meeting needs of workers at risk in the labour market and for promoting social cohesion.

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9.3 External dimension of European cooperation in VET

Education is a crucial factor for the fight against poverty and the growth of employment. In particular, primary education at school must receive a high priority in the framework of national strategies of the developing countries. Italian cooperation aims at supporting the objectives stated in the “Dakar Framework of Action for Education for All (Efa)” adopted by UNESCO in 2000. Reaching the Millennium Development Goals is a commitment undertaken by the Italian government, both in bilateral and multilateral agreements and in the context of the European Union external cooperation, in order to provide external eu countries, and the most vulnerable ones, with a strong support for their social and economic growth. At the current moment 25 vocational and professional schools operating abroad are all located in Africa: Vocational Institute for Industry and Craft for engineers and electrical operators "Don Bosco" , El Cairo, Egypt; Vocational Institute for Industry and Craft "Don Bosco" , Alexandria, Egypt; Vocational Institute for Technicians and business management “Enrico Mattei” ; Casablanca Marocco. These vocational schools comply with the school education system in force in Italy, together with the adaptation to particular local needs of the territory. Ministry of Foreign Affairs manages, coordinates and supervises the functioning of these institutes according the law 26 . From school year 2007-2008, with the support of the italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has been set in the Vocational Institute of El Cairo an access point for online degrees, thanks to an agreement with Nettuno University 27 . Vocational schools abroad represent a flagship in the italian training offer in developing countries: in fact, it is also through these institutes that Italy can promote its image, strengthen bilateral political relationship and contribute to the social and economic development of the local territories (please, see policy example below ) . Moreover, it has been instituted a Technical Board between Ministry of Foreign affairs and Ministry of Education, University and Research, which is evaluating the modalities for VET institutions abroad to comply with the requirements of the secondary school reform for technical and vocational institutions, recently approved in Italy.

1. Title of policy/ measure Education and training for Egyptian Youth in Fayoum Governorate: Activities to promote regular migration and positives alternatives 2. Outline of the policy/measure: (a) Rationale (why was the policy/measure introduced? Explain (inter)national context, reason).

The project is the results of the joint efforts of the Italian and Egyptian government in their commitment of enhancing actions supporting youth policies, promoting common actions for an effective reform of the technical- professional VET systems in Egypt. All the activities have been coordinated and managed by the International Organization for Migration (El Cairo Offices). Main rationale of the project is that of modernising structures and educational methodologies is some technical and vocational education institutes located in the most rural and

25 Acknowledgements for vocational schools abroad: Miss Ada Maurizio, General Direction for Promotion and Cultural cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 26 Article 626, Single Act, Legislative Decree 297/94 27 NETTUNO is a public no profit association of Universities and enterprises promoted in 1992 to realize Distance University courses, according to the art. 11, paragraph third of the law n. 34 /1990 Reform of the University Didactic code.

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depressed areas of Egypt. Migratory movements in the last years have showed how an increasing number of unaccompanied minors come to Italy from Egypt searching new job opportunities: enhancing the positive role that appropriate education and demand-driven vocational training in the country of origin play against the decision to migrate is therefore a crucial factor for effective labour market policies supporting growth and jobs . (b) Objectives/measurable targets (qualitative or quantitative objectives).

The enhancement of VET opportunities in Egypt and the support to migrant communities with a specific focus on young people as main actors of the socio-economic growth is strictly related with the development in the renovation of selected Educational centers in Fayoum Governorate, through upgrading of laboratories, curricula and training of trainers and through a comprehensive information campaign at national and local level. Education and vocational training will enhance youth employability allowing labour market inclusion at a more qualified level, both nationally and internationally.

- Young Egyptian people belonging to vulnerable groups at risk exclusion from the labour market

(d) Status of implementation, including statistical data, if available (in the planning stage, pilot project, a measure implemented all over the country/mainstreamed, etc .).

Preparatory activities ( consultation with Egyptian and Italian enterprises to assess h.r. requirements, selection of educational training centres to be renovated, draft of a detailed renovation plan for the centres, establishment of a joint team of italian and Egyptian experts) have been completed. Renovation and upgrading works of classrooms and laboratories, equipment and supplies for laboratories, activation of academic programs, tutoring activities and school to work transition counselling, will be completed by the end of 2010. Information campaign – comprised of the activities at central and local level – will be completed by the first half of 2011. 2. Policy/measure operation and delivery: (p) (a) Level of operation (national, regional, local, or sectoral level).

International – extra EU VET cooperation

(b) Is it an isolated policy/measure or part of a larger (education/ training/ employment/ social) policy approach? This project is driven in the framework of bilateral agreement between Italian and Egyptian governments, for the management of migration flows and the enhancement of VET systems in Egypt. (c) Key actors involved (main institutions involved in adopting and carrying out the measure) - IOM (International Organization for Migration) - Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (Italy) - Ministry of Education (Egypt) - State Professional High School for Hotel, Restaurant, Business and Tourism “E. Cornaro”, Jesolo (Venice) – (Istituto Professionale di Stato per i Servizi Alberghieri e della Ristorazione Commerciale e Turistici “E.Cornaro” di Jesolo) - Tourism school of Fayoum

3. Conclusions:

The project is still ongoing (end preview 2011)

5. Source, legend Policy example provided by Mr. Renato Callino - State Professional High School “E. Cornaro” – Jesolo

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For external cooperation in higher education, the policies developed by the Ministry of Education, University and Research during last years have been mainly focused to strengthen the European dimension of higher education, with the aim of implementing “an European space of higher education”, according the guidelines of Bologna Declarations. National policies now incorporate incentives for international collaboration, both in the training and research spheres, with economic support being channeled to the international mobility of university students, lecturers and researchers. This mobility is intended to prepare the key actors to live in a global, knowledge-based society. In particular, the attention has been focused on the countries of Balkans and the Mediterranean area, while the cooperation with more extra-european countries has been addressed to Latin America and Asia (please, see table below for more details)

Source: CIMEAProJoint - Database on joint study programmes Source CINECA, 2009

New funding instruments have been created for universities and initiatives to increase the attractiveness of our university system have also been put in place. Examples include: - the Marco Polo Programme, coordinated by the Conference of Italian Rectors, with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and Confindustria (the employers’ association). The programme was created to provide information and guarantees to Chinese students wishing to attend courses at any level in our system’s academic institutions;

- agreements with the USA, China, India, Israel, Japan, Australia, the Gulf countries. The agreement model defines a plan for university exchanges, a sort of Erasmus between our country and the partner country, in sectors of mutual interest;

- the “Italian-Chinese Campus”: established in early 2006 with the signing of the initial agreements. This university is located in Shanghai and will be attended by students from both countries, the aim being to enable Chinese students to obtain degrees that are also recognized in their country of origin. The three Italian “Politecnico” universities and Shanghai’s Tongji University are taking part for the Engineering hub; while the Bocconi, LUISS and Bologna Universities, along with Shanghai’s Fudan University, are contributing to the Economics hub. The initiative is also being supported by the Italian economic financial community.

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The Ministry for Universities and Research’s new, revised policy has therefore tended to add, over and above the processes established by the universities themselves and free exchanges by students, more targeted actions coordinated with other countries to: - obtain reciprocal funding; - set up joint research laboratories to double investment and obtain valuable knock-on effects in Italy; - identify excellence throughout the world and disseminate and publicize italian areas of excellence through the complementarity of international projects and in keeping with the guidelines set out in national research plans. In this sense, it is also worth of mentioning the Italian National Research Portal (Portale Nazionale della Ricerca – www.ricercaitaliana.it ) which is an initiative of the Ministry for University and Research to create a single national reference point for the strategies and actions of Italian research. The portal also serves as a promotional tool for Italian research internationally.

Starting from april 2010, in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a new web platform has been implemented, containing all the agreements with Italian and foreign universities. The portal, available at the address http://accordi-internazionali.cineca.it , is an important tool for the coordination at national level of all the cooperation activities implemented with foreign countries, delivering a punctual, effective and updated information of agreements and projects with Italian and non- Italian universities. As concerns cooperation with euro-Mediterranean countries, an important project has been recently implemented: “ Centre for the euro-Mediterranean cooperation” , a network between the Mediterranean countries and regions of the South of Italy for the development of training and labour systems”. The project, articulated in a three year period 2009-2011, has been set in the framework of the more general objective of the growth of Italy as privileged speaker of Mediterranean countries, through the enhancement of their training and labour market systems. Countries involved are Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey. The project has been financed by Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policies and by Isfol. The activities proposed promote best practices and learning processes between the Mediterranean countries, with the aim of having a positive impact on migratory flows and a creation of a network exchange with Italian enterprises. The work programme 28 is developed along four key guidelines: 1. Setting of the reference framework of the needs of the Mediterranean countries, included the institutional actors; 2. Transfer of experiences for innovate policies, good practices and regional tools on the issues of the project and strengthening processes and cooperation dynamics in the cultural and social field; 3. Enhancing the skills/competences of the key local actors; 4. Planning of the activities, reports and role of Isfol in the area.

28 For further and updated info, please check: http://www.isfol.it/Istituto/Attivita/Attivita_e_relazioni_internazionali/Centro_per_la_cooperazione_euromediterranea/index.scm

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10. AUTHORS, BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES AND SOURCES

10.1 Authors

Theme 1 1.1 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. 1.2 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Nicola Lettieri, Isfol researcher. 1.3 Giuliana Scarpetti, Isfol researcher. 1.4 Researchers of “Progetto Ambiente – Ifolamb” sector ,Isfol.

Theme 2 2.1 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

Theme 3

3.1 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. 3.2 Luigi Bellesi, Censis researcher. Policy example provided by Donatella Gobbi, Isfol researcher

Theme 4 4.1 Maria Grazia Mereu, Isfol researcher. 4.2 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. 4.3 Massimiliano Deidda, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Walter Lindo, FonDir Head Manager 4.4 Antonella Zuccaro, National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy (ANSAS, former INDIRE) researcher , and Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

Theme 5 5.1 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. Policy examples provided by: Valeria Viale and Luisa Daniele, Isfol researchers Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”. 5.2 Emmanuele Crispolti, Isfol researcher. 5.3 Donatella Gobbi. Policy example provided by Isabel de Maurissens, Patrizia Lotti, Franca Pampaloni, Silvia Panzavolta, Researchers at the National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy (ANSAS, former INDIRE).

Theme 6 6.1 Maurizio Mosca, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”. 6.2 Monia De Angelis, Isfol researcher. 6.3 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Cristina Lion, Isfol researcher. 6.4 Valeria Scalmato, Isfol researcher. 6.5 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Luisa Daniele, Isfol researcher

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Theme 7

7.1 Marina Cino Pagliarello, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”.

7.2 Marina Cino Pagliarello, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. Policy example provided by Luisa De Biagi, Giorgia Migliorelli, Maria Adelaide Ranchino, CNR, Biblioteca Centrale “G. Marconi”.

7.3 Marina Cino Pagliarello ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

7.4 Marina Cino Pagliarello ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

Theme 8

8.1 Roberto Angotti, Isfol researcher. 8.2 Donatella Gobbi, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher. 8.3 Roberto Angotti, Isfol researcher. 8.4 Roberto Angotti, Isfol researcher.

Theme 9

9.1 Marina Cino Pagliarello, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

9.2 Marina Cino Pagliarello, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

9.3 Marina Cino Pagliarello, ReferNet Italy, Isfol researcher.

10.2 Sources, references and websites

Annali della Pubblica Istruzione; I tecnici superiori per «Industria 2015 (Higher Technical Institutes for Industry 2015), 124-125/2008 126/2009, Ministry of Education, Rome

Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri 25/01/2008 “ Linee guida per la riorganizzazione del sistema di istruzione e formazione tecnica superiore e la costituzione degli Istituti tecnici superiori ” [Guidelines for the reorganization of the higher technical education and training system, and the creation of Higher Technical Institutes], in the O.J. of the Italian Republic, General Series N° 86 of 11.04.2008.

Isfol, Rapporto 2008 [Report 2008], Rome, 2008

Isfol, Rapporto 2009 [Report 2009], Isfol, Rome, 2009

Istat, Rapporto 2009 , [Report 2009], Isfol, Rome, 2009

Law 30/03, Delega al Governo in materia di occupazione e mercato del lavoro [Delegation to the Government in respect of employment and the labour market

Law 53/03, Delega al Governo per la definizione delle norme generali sull’istruzione e dei livelli essenziali delle prestazioni in materia di istruzione e di istruzione e formazione professionale [Delegation to the

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Government to draw up general standards for education and minimum service levels in education and in vocational education and training]

Law No. 53 of 8 March 2000, “Disposizioni per il sostegno della maternità e della paternità, per il diritto alla cura e alla formazione e per il coordinamento dei tempi delle città ” [Provisions in support of maternity and paternity, the right to care and the coordination of city hours], in the O.J. of the Italian Republic, General Series No. 60 of 13.3.2000. www.politichefamiglia.it

“Le misure per il successo formativo. Ottavo rapporto di monitoraggio del diritto-dovere” (“Measures for Educational Success. 8th Report on Right-Duty to Education”) ; Isfol 2010, Rome

Linee guida e Rapporto sul futuro della formazione in Italia, Ministero del Lavoro, ( Guidelines and Report on the future of training in Italy ), Ministry of Labour, Rome 2009

Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs; National Reform Programme 2008-2010, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Rome, 2008

Ministerial Decree 22 August 2007, n. 139

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Direction for promotion and cultural cooperation, Scuole italiane all’estero (Italian schools abroad), Gremese editore, Udine, 2004.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office IV, Leggi e Disposizioni sul servizio all’estero del personale della scuola (Laws and rules on abroad service for school staff ), june 2005

OCDE (Ed. Boarini, R.) (2009): Towards better schools and more equal opportunities for learning in Italy economics department, working paper No. 727, mimeo.

Parere sullo schema di decreto del Ministro dell’istruzione, dell’università e della ricerca e relativo modello di certificazione dei saperi e delle competenze relative all’assolvimento dell’obbligo di istruzione (Opinion on the decree scheme of Ministry of Education, University and Research, concerning the certification of competences and knowledge concerning the accomplishment of education and training right-duty) ,

Permanent Conference State, Regions and Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, 17 december 2009

Piano di azione Italia 2020 per l’occupabilità dei giovani attraverso l’integrazione tra apprendimento e lavoro , (Action Plan Italy 2020 for employability of young people through the integration of apprenticeship and work) , Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education, Rome 2009

Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Dipartimento politiche comunitarie, Strategia di Lisbona per la crescita e l’occupazione. Programma nazionale di riforma dell’Italia 2008-2010. Stato di attuazione al 2009 e risposta alla crisi economica, ( Presidency of the Council of Ministers: Lisbon Strategy for employment and growth. National Reform Plan Italy 2008-2010. Implementation state at 2009 and answer to the economic crisis) , Rome, 2009

White Paper on the future of the social model, Ministry of Labour, Rome, 2009

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Useful websites

Publications by the Ministry of Education: http://www.istruzione.it Publications by the Ministry of Labour: www.lavoro.gov.it Databases and thematic data series of the Italian Statistical Office (ISTAT): http://www.istat.it/Banche- dat/index.htm ; http://demo.istat.it/ Statistical data on vocational training by ISFOL: http://www.isfol.it/ , path: → ricerche e progetti → sistemi formativi → sistema statistico della formazione professionale Telematic archive of training locations by ISFOL: http://www.isfol.it/ , path: → ricerche e progetti → sistemi formativi → archivio telematico delle sedi formative Statistical data on higher technical education and training by ISFOL: http://www.isfol.it/ , path: → ricerche e progetti → sistemi formativi → sportello telematico → formazione superiore non universitaria Eurydice, the information network on education in Europe: http://www.eurydice.org/ http://excelsior.unioncamere.net/ for consulting statistical data on VET, training needs and behaviours of enterprises regarding VET. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: www.esteri.it/MAE 10.3 List of acronyms

AFAM – Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale - High Artistic and Musical Education ANSAS (former INDIRE) – Agenzia Nazionale per lo Sviluppo dell’Autonomia Scolastica – National Agency for the Development of School Autonomy. CEDEFOP – Centro europeo per lo sviluppo della formazione professionale – European center for the development of vocational training CENSIS – Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali - Centre for Social Studies and Policies CFPs – Centri di Formazione professionale – Vocational training centers CGIL – Confederazione generale italiana del lavoro - Italian General Workers’ Confederation CGU – Confederazione Gilda-Unams (Unione artisti) – Gilda-Unams (Artists Union) Confederation CISL - Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori - Italian Confederation of Trade Unions CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - National Research Council CPIA – Centri Provinciali per l’Istruzione degli Adulti – Provincial centers for adult education CPI / JCs – Centri per l’impiego – Job centers CRUI – Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane - Conference of the Italian University Rectors CTP - Centri permanenti territoriali – Territorial permanent centers DM – Decreto Ministeriale – Ministerial decree D. Lgs – Decreto Legislativo – Legislative Decree EUROSTAT – Ufficio Statistico delle Comunità europee - Statistical Office of the European Communities. FSE /ESF – Fondo Sociale Europeo - European Social Fund ICT – Tecnologie dell’informazione e della comunicazione - Information and communication technologies IFTS – Istruzione e formazione tecnica superiore – Higher tecnical education and training ILA – Carta di credito formativo – Individual Learning Account INPS – Istituto Nazionale per la Previdenza Sociale - National Institute of Social Insurance INVALSI – Istituto nazionale per la valutazione del sistema educativo di istruzione e di formazione -National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System ISFOL – Istituto per lo Sviluppo della Formazione Professionale dei Lavoratori - Institute for the Development of Vocational Training for Workers ISTAT - Istituto nazionale di statistica - National Statistical Institute ITS - Istituti Tecnici Superiori – Higher Tecnical Institutes MIUR – Ministry of Public Education, Universities and Research MLPS- used both for: ·Ministero del Lavoro ( Ministry of Labour); ·Ministero del Lavoro, Salute e Politiche Sociali (Ministry of Labour, Health and social policies – at present) NAP – Piano Nazionale per l’Occupazione – National Action Plan for employment PA – Amministrazione Pubblica – Public Administration PIAAC – Programma per la valutazione delle competenze degli Adulti - Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies PON – Piano Operativo Nazionale – National Operative Plan POR – Piani Operativi Regionali – Regional Operative Plan SPI / PESs – Servizi pubblici per l’impiego – Public Employment services SPF on line – Sistema permanente di formazione on line – Permanent System for on line system UC – Unità capitalizzabili – Capitalisable Units

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