Rome, 21 June. – Special episode for Iceberg – the information container presented by Patrizia Barsotti, created in collaboration with the Askanews press agency and broadcast every Friday on Anita TV (channel 88 DTT) – recounted the third edition of the National University Festival , entitled “Futuro Italia: a country for young people”, directly from the Link University of Rome.
Guests of the episode were Nicola Ferrigni (Director of the “Generazione Proteo” Observatory of the Link University), Andrea Chiappetta (Head of Technological Innovation at ITA Airways), Maria Cristina Pisani (President of the National Youth Council) and Paolo Sciascia (General Directorate of Regulations of higher education, Ministry of University and Research).
Nicola Ferrigni explained where the “Generazione Proteo” Observatory of the Link University was born and how it operates: «Every year, since 2012, we have carried out a national survey, interviewing around 7,000 students aged 16 to 19; precisely that age group that experiences the critical transition between school and university. Too often the two worlds are seen as separate blocks and this is not good. In fact, they should be perceived as parallel worlds and, in some way, intertwined with each other. Among the most discussed topics there are certainly school, training and technology, but the most significant topic is certainly that of work”. Ferrigni then specified: «Universities must address the issue of training by trying to overcome the split between technical and humanistic training. There must be a mix between the two.”
Andrea Chiappetta of ITA Airways instead praised the National University Festival: «Occasions like these allow us businesses to have a clearer vision of what the future of the new generations will be, understanding how they will be able to respond to the needs of the world of work. ITA has decided to focus strongly on those values that are the fulcrum of modern society: innovation, digitalisation and sustainability. We have taken up the challenge and are moving forward carefully and, above all, keeping an eye on the training. It is, in fact, important to introduce new technologies, but also to give adequate teaching on how to use them. This is also why the union between universities and businesses is essential.”
Maria Cristina Pisani instead clarified: «Many young people do not feel represented at a national level and this is why, together with Minister Andrea Abodi, we wanted to establish a real trust index. This is a tool that allows us to evaluate the choices we make, but above all to involve young people. The National Youth Council was created precisely as a body of participation and interlocution. There are many processes underway, but we must work even harder to rebuild young people’s trust in local institutions; that same trust they have towards Europe.”
For Paolo Sciascia «initiatives such as the National University Festival are welcome, which allow young people to learn more about the opportunities that exist in the world of education. These, however, must also be made known to the entrepreneurial fabric.” Then he added: «In this sense, we are working on an Italian Erasmus project, which allows our students to gain experience around the country. A truly transversal education to enrich one’s cultural background and fully exploit the possibilities offered by the university course.”
