(AGENPARL) – Rome, 11 May 2024
(AGENPARL) – Sat 11 May 2024 Meeting with the Minister of University and Research, Senator Anna Maria Bernini, at the headquarters of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana in Treviso
Oscar Bernardi, president of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana: «A season of permanent and structured collaborations between business associations and universities must be launched»
Roberto Boschetto, president of Confartigianato Imprese Veneto: «Given the shortage of manpower, the appeal is to seek, within the university system, professional paths that can be used in business and in close connection with the specificities of the territory.»
«The time is now ripe to overcome the sterile and artificial contrast between the worlds of trades and professions and that of technological research. The union of these areas is the key to accelerating innovative processes, to inaugurate an organic and osmotic relationship between craftsmanship, universities and research centres”.
This is the underlying theme of the meeting with Senator Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research, outlined by Oscar Bernardi and Roberto Boschetto, presidents of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana e Veneto. The meeting, which was held today in Treviso at the headquarters of the provincial association, saw the participation of the presidents and directors of the district associations and the presidents of the trade communities.
«A season of collaborations between business associations and universities must be launched in a permanent and structured way», is the invitation launched by Oscar Bernardi, president of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana. «A concrete proposal that would allow, on the one hand, university research and development projects to find application and experimentation directly in the company, also through an exchange of know-how and skills between researchers and doctoral students and internal staff, and on the other hand it would allow companies to draw new young and qualified resources from universities, in line with the evolution of the company’s business. It would therefore be a question of strengthening collaboration between the public research system and the private business system.”
It is no coincidence that Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana makes use of partnerships with mixed-investment companies within the territorial innovation ecosystems that promote technological transfer. In addition to having independently activated collaborative experiences and projects with the Ca’ Foscari and IUAV universities of Venice on the themes of ecological transition and the transformation of professions.
«As a demonstration of our commitment», added Oscar Bernardi, «we have chosen to become members of ITS Meccatronico Veneto, since we believe that the presence of dynamic, open, visionary young profiles is the added value that marks the difference between companies. I also remember the important activity that we carry out in upper secondary schools aimed at promoting dual apprenticeships, a method that facilitates the meeting between the world of work and school, the validity of which has been validated by significant allocations from the PNRR”.
«Universities are fundamental for development», echoed Mario Pozza, president of Unioncamere Veneto, «also with a view to making territories attractive for research funding. This includes the central role of representative associations, which intercept the training needs of companies and workers well. Another point to take into consideration is university school dropouts: an alternative could be higher technical institutes, with a close relationship between training and the business world.»
«The world of universities, ITS, research centers and high artistic and musical education have a lot to do with craftsmanship. The key word is working together.” This is the general indication given by Minister Anna Maria Bernini. «My commitment is to move towards increasingly flexible training, to meet the needs of the changing world of work. It is increasingly necessary to shorten the transition time from training to work. In this sense, universities are increasingly open to businesses, with a more structured and virtuous relationship.”
«The crucial issue and the real emergency of this time», highlighted Roberto Boschetto, president of Confartigianato Imprese Veneto, «is the shortage of qualified manpower. For this reason the appeal is to seek, within the university system, professional paths that can be used in business and in close connection with the specificities of the territory. Our companies are characterized by increasingly innovative professional profiles, governing technological change on a daily basis and interpreting the economic, environmental and digital transformations of the production chain.»
Confartigianato underlined how engineering study courses, those linked to specific food production, as well as socio-health disciplines which provide technical and specialist skills, are just some of the examples which confirm how a course of study in line with the productive reality of the territory can be directly spent within businesses. «We also hope», added the regional president Roberto Boschetto, «that the university system will encourage the birth, growth and development of new spin-offs and university start-ups capable of translating the results of university research into an entrepreneurial in order to develop innovative products or services at the service of local companies”.
«To make these opportunities accessible and usable», concludes the provincial president Oscar Bernardi, «streamlined and simple procedures designed for small businesses should be defined because to date we have found that they are discouraging due to the bureaucratic burden that they are able to bear and deal only with large business entities”.
Treviso, 11 May 2024
