Our Smart Factory project among the IFTS programmes approved by Regione Lazio

We had no doubts about the quality of our training offer. Our courses have always sold out at every new edition, and requests for information about schedules and upcoming start dates are the leading topic of the emails and phone calls reaching our customer-care service.

Over the years we have built lasting partnerships with accredited training bodies and universities in our region, developing more articulated training programmes capable of issuing legally valid professional qualifications.

It is in this context that we filed an Expression of Interest to set up an Associazione Temporanea di Scopo (ATS) for the activation of an IFTS programme on Industry 4.0 and Digital Manufacturing, submitted together with a panel of prestigious and qualified partners in response to last August’s Regione Lazio call.

On 13 June the ranking was published and our proposal was admitted with top marks.

But what are IFTS programmes, what opportunities do they offer our students, and what is the programme we are about to launch in detail?

Let’s start in order.

IFTS stands for “Istruzione e Formazione Tecnica Superiore” (Higher Technical Education and Training), an Italian training initiative that sits between upper secondary education and university.

These courses are designed to respond effectively and flexibly to the needs of the labour market, offering highly specialised training in specific professional sectors.

IFTS programmes can be attended by anyone who has obtained an upper-secondary diploma, as well as by people seeking professional retraining or new skills.

Programmes last from a few months up to a couple of years and are marked by a strong link with businesses and the local area, ensuring meaningful hands-on experience for students.

At the end of the programme, students obtain a qualification or diploma certifying their competencies, recognised at European level. This can ease access to the job market, also thanks to the network students build during training.

IFTS programmes are usually delivered by organisations made up of accredited training bodies, universities, research institutions, trade associations and companies.

Courses are often funded by regional, national or European funds, making access more affordable to a broad range of students, as is the case with the Regional Call we answered.

Our project, named Smart Factory, mirrors the offer that characterises our regular courses and was submitted by a partnership including: the lead partner CNA Sostenibile di Viterbo, together with the Department of Architecture of Università degli Studi Roma TRE, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, the I.T.T. Leonardo da Vinci of Viterbo, the I.S.S. Francesco Orioli of Viterbo, CNA di Viterbo e Civitavecchia and the companies Chirale, Blu Sistemi, Fastal and TCH Sistemi.

This is both a formal recognition of the quality of our training offer and a great opportunity for anyone looking for a higher-education programme that delivers a university-level professional qualification on the technologies driving the 4.0 Transition.

In the coming days we will proceed with the setup of the ATS and then wait for Regione Lazio to define the activation procedures for the programmes.