Mario Draghi, in his visit to the Cuccovillo Technical Institute in Bari a few days ago, did not mention energy, even though he encouraged young people to study technical subjects. For some time Italy has accumulated a worrying factor knowledge deficits, especially in the fields of mechatronics, digitization and renewable sources, sectors in which we compete for competitiveness and development. The government has allocated one and a half billion euros to relaunch all types of technical education and the reform of ITS is under consideration by Parliament. The minister Patricio Bianchi he is a convinced supporter of the reorganization of technical-scientific subjects, which he wants to be more connected to the productive world. But it is precisely from Puglia, visited by the premier, that a good example of collaboration between industry and school in the energy field comes: Edison and the School of Management Aphorism have launched the first course on "Energy Professions" in Lecce. It will be dedicated to operators of thermo-hydraulic systems, in order to increase the presence of specialized personnel.
The course comes to life in a virtuous Region for the development of alternative energies, susceptible to further growth if the authorizations for new plants are released. In any case, the promoters, with the help of the Regional Council, have structured a three-year course with 3.200 hours of lessons, workshops and guided tours and 1.440 paid apprenticeship hours. Thus the birth of particular dual system courses is experienced, already seen in Germany, with training and remunerated apprenticeship. Aforisma also conducted a survey on Apulian energy plant engineering, a business with 745 energy companies that grew by 326% in ten years.
No province is left out of engineering and installing wind or photovoltaic systems. Plant engineering alone accounts for around 10 companies with 30 employees, equal to 6% of the national total. There are those who remember the shortage of "energetic" personnel when, in distant years, production sites and plants were created in Brindisi, Taranto and Manfredonia. Now there is something new and necessary in the field to give a good professional qualification to the first 12 young people aged between 14 and 24 years.
It is an educational experiment to be exploited in the horizon of the growth of renewable energies. “Here there are among the highest Italian rates of early school leaving, early school leaving and poor basic preparation,” he says Elizabeth Salvati, CEO of Aforisma. The training course begins with highly negative numbers, which a wise strategy must bring to profit. Edison has an interest in creating skilled labor locally, but it is the government's technical education reform itself that seeks support in industry and arouses managerial and political curiosity about the Apulian experiment.
George Columbus, human resources director of Edison, "we are trying to build the future in a land where too often the future is an idea and not a possibility". On the sidelines of learning there is the willingness of Edison's partner companies to let young people work, as well as synergies with artisan businesses attracted by new technologies. If to the Region of Michele Emiliano – who took part in the presentation of the course - has the merit of directing the students towards sought-after professions, Edison must be recognized for the sensitivity of implementing a modern school-work system, as in the Miur programs, in the most stimulating and delicate sector of the economy.
