The Italian system of Higher Education consists of University education, Higher Level Arts and Music Education (AFAM) and Higher Technical Education (ITS). To enter any tertiary-level pathway it is necessary to hold a Diploma of upper secondary education.
ITS pathways represent the non-academic tertiary education and training segment, featuring curricula based on a set of National Standard concerning:
As a result ITS training courses represent an high qualifying offer to gain new and innovative technical competences in order to foster innovation and technological transfer.
Courses are managed by ITS Foundations, the key factor of a new strategy that link companies, universities/R&D bodies, institutions, instruction and vocational training systems altogether.
Six technological areas, one for each Foundation, identify specific scopes and National Reference Profiles so that the training offer matches with the production chain present in each territory:
ITS system, by the means of training courses and of the related activities, aims at:
At the end of the course, provided that the student passes the final exam, they will be awarded the Higher Technician Diploma, which is valid throughout Italy and the European Union (Level 5 of the European Qualifications Framework). Those holding the diploma are eligible to apply for open public positions and are also issued with a EUROPASS certificate in Italian and English.
The ITS Tech & Food Foundation is a centre of excellence that was founded in Parma in 2010 through the partnership between businesses in the agri-food industry, institutions, schools, universities, and regional training and research bodies.
It runs post-diploma training courses to train highly specialized technicians who leave with immediate job prospects in businesses within the agro-food industry.
Training pathways comprise the following two-year courses:
ITS system, by the means of training courses and of the related activities, aims at:
Partner companies of the foundation provide students with direct contact with the world of work. They play a fundamental and active role in the structure of the course programs and how these are carried out, offering specialized staff for teaching and internships, as well as escorting students on company visits.
This enables the foundation to train higher technicians to meet the training and occupational needs of the food industry, contributing to the region’s economic development.